Museo de Historia Natural

Popayán


One of the best of its kind in the country, this museum on the grounds of Universidad del Cauca is noted for its extensive collection of insects, butterflies, stuffed birds and other animal life in Colombia. There's a fascinating variety of endemic plant species, too. A guide can show you around.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Popayán attractions

1. Cerro El Morro de Tulcán

0.13 MILES

Behind the Universitario de Tulcán, this hill is topped with an equestrian statue of the city's founder, Sebastián de Belalcázar, and is said to be the…

2. Iglesia La Ermita

0.23 MILES

Constructed in 1546, Popayán's oldest church is well worth seeing for its fine main retable and the fragments of old frescoes, which were only discovered…

3. Museo Arquidiocesano de Arte Religioso

0.25 MILES

You don't have to be an expert on religious art to be impressed by this collection of paintings, statues, altar pieces, silverware and liturgical vessels,…

4. Casa Museo Mosquera

0.26 MILES

This interesting museum is housed in an 18th-century mansion that was once home to General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, who was Colombia's president on…

5. Universidad del Cauca

0.28 MILES

The central seat of this public university is in a magnificent old colonial mansion that non-students may only admire from the outside.

6. Capilla de Belén

0.29 MILES

This chapel on a hill just east of the city center offers fine views over the town.

7. Museo Guillermo Valencia

0.29 MILES

This late 18th-century building is full of period furniture, paintings, old photos and documents that once belonged to the Popayán-born poet who lived…

8. Puente del Humilladero

0.31 MILES

Popayán's emblematic landmark, this 240m-long, 11-arch brick bridge was constructed in the mid-19th century to improve access to the center from the poor…