Balasinor, about 2 hours’ drive from Ahmedabad, is the home of Rayioli Dinosaur Park, which is the world’s 3rd largest dinosaur egg hatchery! It is full of fossilised eggs (which you can actually hold), 3 documented dinosaur species’ fossils, and is also home to the “Dinosaur Princess”, Princess Aliya.
She is an amazing tour guide and knows all about the dinosaurs in Gujarat and their fascinating stories.
We arrived from Ahmedabad via car and met up with our guide for the day, Princess Aliya, at the Balasinor Garden Palace.
We were so excited to visit to Rayioli Fossil Park, that we almost immediately went for it without any rest.
The surroundings at the fossil park was largely barren except for the odd shrub or tree, and a few fenced-off areas showcasing exposed dino fossils embedded in the ground below.
We proceeded quickly to one of the fences, and Princess Aaliya pointed to the massive shape of something really big. She pointed out the thigh, tail, rib, and leg bones of the great beast, explaining what role they served in assisting it to move.
We visited 3 dinosaur fossils, the Rajasaurus Narmadensis, the Rahiolisaurus gujaratensis, and the long-necked titanosaurid and learned so much about each one!
Then came the excavating simulation. Me and the other two kids from our tour hunkered down on our knees with brushes and soon, we had discovered 3 white circles, which were actually dinosaur eggs buried in the rock!!! Wow! I was a palaeontologist! As of now, the excavating simulations have stopped.
Next, we headed to the Dinosaur Museum and listened to a few interesting stories about massive creatures and fossils, and looked around at the exhibits and various experience sections.
After that, we returned to the Garden Palace and settled down for a fabulous lunch.
Post lunch, in Princess Aaliya’s office, I looked at her personal collection of fossils and held a dinosaur’s thigh bone! It was very heavy, but I was still proud to have actually HELD a thigh bone of a creature that lived 65 million years ago! Wow!
But I had a treat coming my way. I got to hold a fossilised dinosaur egg! Woo-hoo!
I was having too much fun to realize how quickly the time passed. Soon we had to head home! Our day trip was over. How fast time flies when you’re having fun!
Enjoy travelling back in time…about 65 million years back!!!
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Balasinor
Rayioli Dinosaur Park, is the world’s 3rd largest dinosaur egg hatchery and has 13 dinosaur species’ fossils!
