La Grotte de Lombrives

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A major site in Ariège, Lombrives has been recognized for over 30 years as the largest cave in Europe, and is a site of incomparable historical and geological significance. It contains the tomb of Pyrene, the origin of the Pyrenees according to Greek myths.

Lombrives is one of Ariège’s most visited major sites. World-renowned and open all year round, exploration of this incredible world begins with a hike up to the cave entrance (1.4 km on a footpath, a 15-20 minute walk, or if you prefer, a ride on our little train). At the cave’s porch, your guide will take you on a guided tour of the immensity of the area…. your guide will accompany you into Lombrives, an undeveloped listed natural site recognized as the largest cave in Europe, for a guided family hike lasting from 1 to 5 hours. You’ll enter a fascinating natural cavity where legends, protohistory and history have left their mark…
Cross the Carène, walk on the fault and discover thousands of enigmatic symbols and names. Cathar sacred ground, Protestant refuge, brigands’ hideout, mythical place… A fascination that led a powerful king, future king of France, to enter 400 m and leave a strange inscription on a wall. We tell you his incredible epic, but also many other equally fascinating stories. You take the narrow Passage du Crime. You’ll find yourself in the grandiose Amphitheatre: a cathedral for both meditation and cultural events.
After the grand staircase (174 steps with a bird’s-eye view of the Cathedral), you enter galleries decorated with curious concretions. You’ll pass through a prehistoric underground necropolis, before the tomb of Pyrene, the original site of the creation of the Pyrenees according to ancient Greek myths.
Further on, the mysteriously undulating lake.
Shelter for the Magdalenians, burial ground for Bronze Age man, sacred place for the Cathars, refuge for Protestants, and a hideout…
Lombrives is also the cave that hosted the DEEP TIME scientific expedition in March 2021. 15 people who stayed in the cave for 40 days with no access to daylight, no contact with the outside world and no access to time. 53 laboratories and research centers for an unprecedented scientific experiment, the only one of its kind in the world.

2-HOUR UNDERGROUND WALK: a cool 2 km walk with storytelling, accessible to all able-bodied visitors.

Conditions of access :

Undeveloped, listed natural site.
Are you afraid of going up and down a long flight of stairs with a bird’s-eye view of the Cathedral?
You can walk 2 km in the fresh air for two hours, on natural ground that’s a little steep and sometimes slippery?
Can you manage a 200-metre hike up a fairly steep path?
So whatever your age, wear your walking shoes and warm clothes (only 10 degrees in the cave!).
Clean, friendly dogs on a tight leash are welcome (supplement €5).
Small children can only be carried in a rucksack.
Cameras accepted

1/2-DAY UNDERGROUND HIKE WITH GOURMET PICNIC IN THE CAVE
Did you follow Christian Clot’s Deep Time scientific expedition and its 14 team members “confined” in the cave for 40 days? With the help of your portable lighting, come and discover their living quarters and follow in the footsteps of the many other explorers of the past centuries. An intimate visit. Only a small number of you will be able to visit these protected galleries, which are rarely open to the public. EXPLORATION, CONTEMPLATION, GEOLOGY, HISTORY AND… FRIENDliness. an unusual experience in small groups
(Copious tasting of local produce in the cave)

Access conditions:
Doggies are not allowed on this adventure.
Children over 12 only
Cameras accepted
Hiking shoes mandatory. Warm, comfortable hiking clothes strongly recommended. A small, empty rucksack in which to store picnic food.
Don’t be afraid to climb up and down a flight of stairs with a view of the Cathedral.
A 1/2-day walk of 5 km, on natural ground that’s a little steep and sometimes slippery, should be well within your capabilities.

RANDONNEE “PETIT EXPLORATEUR” “sur les traces…” (in the footsteps of…)
(offered only during Heritage Days (special rate), All Saints’, Christmas, winter, spring and summer vacations!
After taking the little tourist train through the bucolic valley to the porch of the Lombrives cave, a guide awaits you for a hike “In the footsteps of…”.
Your children are equipped with headlamps and helmets. Come and visit a part of the network rarely open to the public, and discover the various traces of human occupation from the Neolithic period, animal bones over 14,000 years old, and lots more surprises.
Become an explorer in a listed site for an afternoon! Please bring your children with you.
Particularly suitable for children aged 4 to 8, but very interesting for toddlers and adults too!

NIGHT HIKE (2-hour tour of the cave)

CONTEMPLATIVE and introspective… RECHARGE YOUR BATTERIES IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH
During the All Saints’, Christmas, winter, spring and summer vacations!
After walking through the bucolic valley to the porch of the Lombrives cave, a guide awaits you for an evening hike.
An intimate visit of the cave, under privileged conditions: In the evening, when our day hikers have left the site. Our small group is alone in the cave. An unusual, relaxing, meditative, introspective or contemplative experience… There’s something for everyone!

Lombrives is also a place for shows, including the Christmas Halloween show and the legendary New Year’s Day show.
And year-round candlelit concerts in the grandiose stone cathedral, larger than Notre Dame de Paris, with its incomparable acoustics.

Sprachen : Englisch – Spanisch – Französisch

Preise

• Ab 12€
• Ab 8€

Bezahlung

• Scheck
• Kreditkarte
• Bar
• Chèques Vacances

Gruppen

• Maximale Personenzahl 120

Lage