International Emerald Museum (Museo Internacional de la Esmeralda) Tours and Activities

As Colombia is the world's largest producer of emeralds, a trip to the International Emerald Museum (Museo Internacional de la Esmeralda) in Bogota comes highly recommended. Located on the 23rd floor of the Avianca Building, here you’ll get the chance to learn about the history and processes of emerald mining in Colombia, as well as admiring some of the country’s most prized pieces. This small museum boasts in the region of 3000 of the finest emeralds in the world. On the museum tour, you’ll enter a 27 ­square ­meter tunnel with samples of the emerald deposits, plus real veins extracted from real mines. In the workshop, you’ll learn about the process of how an emerald is created, and observe the different qualities and characteristics of the collections on display. The gift shop is a big draw for those interested in taking some of Columbia's finest gems home with them, with a range of jewellery and cut emeralds for sale. Those particularly interested in emeralds and their history in Columbia should join a dedicated Bogotá emerald gemstone tour, which includes visiting the attractions of Parque Santander, a stroll through the center of the emerald market, and a trip to the Galería de Artesanías y Esmeraldas de Colombia.