Are you ready to go down for a trip to the center of the earth? Then follow the trails with these 8 caves and caves to visit in Occitania!
To start this or these trips, you will need a good pair of shoes and what to cover you because temperatures do not exceed 14 degrees. You will also need a soul of explorer and a sense of sharpness. Once you have all this, you are ready to dive into the earth’s bowels in the kingdom of underground rivers, aragonite sculptures and exceptional rock paintings. Even the most sceptical ends up being fascinated by the show offered by the depths. Here are some suggestions for visits with this selection of the 8 caves and caves to visit in Occitania.
1. Cabrespine's throat
Photo credit: Facebook – Cabrespine Giant Gouffre
To be seen in the area Carcassonne, the Cathar fortresses and Canal du Midi .
Amateurs and lovers of strong sensations, among caves to visit in Occitania, this one is not to be missed under any pretext! First of all, it is one of France’s most beautiful gouffs and light games highlight its depth. Depth you admire from a glass platform with 200 meters of vacuum below!
Otherwise, you can also opt for the more unusual option of the adventure with zipline and company. Or take you for a speleologist with a 3-hour exploration of the underground river with a guide.
How do I access it? The route is indicated from the A61 motorway. From Carcassonne, follow the direction of Mazamet and the panels of the gouffre.
2. Limousis Cave
Photo credit: Facebook – Limousis Cave
To be seen in the area : Carcassonne the Canal du Midi and the Cathar fortress of Lastours.
In all, the site consists of 7 rooms and two underground lakes that project their reflections on the walls. Like all the caves of this type, you can admire here stalactites, stalagmites, sheets and other columns. However, this is not what makes the site’s reputation.
Indeed, the cave is known because it houses one of the most beautiful geological curiosities in the world, a giant chandelier of aragonite. A wonder that resembles hundreds of translucent white stars entangled each other. Another curiosity, gastronomic this time, you are entitled to a tasting of Amethyst, an aged wine in the cave.
How do I access it? From the A61, after taking the Carcassonne exit, follow the direction of Mazamet and the signs for the cave.
3. The cave of Niaux
Photo credit: Flickr – Tourism in Occitania
To be seen in the area : The castle of Foix, the valley of Bethmale.
The cave of Niaux integrates the most beautiful caves and caves to visit in Occitania. And for cause, it is one of the largest ornates in Europe with Lascaux !
Unlike the latter, it is one of the few still accessible to the public who can admire its parietal paintings. The 1h30 visit is the “black salon” where the most impressive paintings of animals are located, estimated at 13,000 years. Thus the visitor can observe representations of horses that resemble pottok , bison, ibex, deer and fish.
How do I access it? From Foix, take the N20 towards the south to Tarascon-sur-Ariège. Then follow the direction of the hamlet of Niaux, to access the site, you must follow a small mountain road.
4. The underground of Castela
Photo credit: Facebook – Your holidays in the Tarn
To be seen in the area : Toulouse , Albi and Cordes-sur-Ciel .
Who has never dreamed of being Indiana Jones and exploring a former feudal underground, a real one? This is possible with the visit of the underground Castela! Among the caves and caves to be visited in Occitania, it dates back to the 11th century and was dug under the castral motte.
A length of 142 metres with arches dug at the iron peak, this underground was used to house the local population. Today we can see ancient grain elevators, latrines, a small chapel, just like the famous archaeologist, it is a mini underground town full of mystery that you will discover. However, the visit is only possible in small numbers, so you have to book in advance if you want to have a chance to enter.
How do I access it? From Toulouse, you can take the A68 and go out towards Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe. The city is also accessible by train thanks to the Toulouse-Albi line which makes a stop in Saint-Sulpice.
5. The cave of the Demoiselles
Photo credit: Shutterstock – DOPhoto
To be seen in the area : Les Gorges de l’Hérault , circus of Navacelle , Montpellier .
The trip to the heart of caves and caves to visit in Occitania continues! The Demoiselles began with a rise in the first underground funicular in Europe. Once descended to continue the walk, there are lacking eyes as there are superb sculptures, giant sheets and stalactite forests to admire.
Moreover, the cave derives its name from the fact that the peasants believed to see fairies instead of translucent white calcite sculptures. The visit ends in beauty in the well-known cathedral because of its impressive dimensions and a stalagmite that forms as a statue of Virgin to the Child. Moreover, follow the news, it seems that acoustics are perfect when concerts are organized.
How do I access it? From Montpellier follow the RD986 towards Ganges. A bus line also serves caves from Montpellier, take line 108 Hérault Transport.
6. The cave of the Pech Merle
Photo credit: Facebook – Pech Merle Prehistory Centre – Cave and Museum
To be seen in the area : Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Cahors, the Causses du Quercy.
Here is another of the most beautiful caves to visit in Occitania with paintings that date from 20,000 years ago. It is also one of the most important by its size with not far from a kilometer of galleries. Moreover, it is classified as historical monuments for the association of its geology and the pictorial testimony of life during prehistory.
All living animals during this period are represented there, mammoths, beefs, but the most moving are human footprints and the famous hands painted in the "poker".
How do I access it? The very tourist village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is about ten kilometers from the cave. The easiest thing is to follow this direction and then the flush for the Pech Merle Cave.
7. Padirac's throat
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Stephane Debove
To be seen in the area : Rocamadour , Cahors.
Among the caves and caves to visit in Occitania, this one is a must! Because it’s the most frequented, you have to think about booking.
Once the long queue has passed, you may be caught dizzy in front of the 103 meters depth of the dip. The bravest and least patient will take the stairs that allow to admire the vastness of the well, the others will choose to wait for the lift. At the bottom, it is in a boat on the underground river with translucent waters that the journey continues. The end runs again on foot to admire the large dome room or the lake of the rain.
How do I access it? The swelling is only a few kilometers from the city of Rocamadour.
8. Aven Armand
Photo credit: Facebook – Aven Armand
To be seen in the area : The Stone City in Montpellier-le-Vieux, the Gorges du Tarn The chaos of Nimes-le-Vieux.
Definitely, nature really makes wonders, no cave looks like the natural water infiltration process is the same. And in terms of wonders carved by water, Aven Armand’s swell is not missing with a “virtual forest” of stalagmites with fantastic shapes. Moreover, there is the greatest known in the world to date, which is 30 meters high!
A show of sounds and lights highlights the details of the “leaf” and “ailettes” of calcite, it is particularly impressive in the last room of unparalleled immensity.
How do I access it? The blower is located on the mejean causse in Lozère , access via the D996 at 12 km from Meyrueis.
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