Tarascon-sur-Ariège Prehistory Park
Mas d'Azil Cave
Tarascon-sur-Ariège
Meet a life-size mammoth, see how to make fire with flint, play hide and seek behind the rocks and waterfalls: your kids are going to love the Prehistory Park.
Lying in a natural haven near Tarascon-sur-Ariège, the 13 ha Prehistory Park unfurls indoors and outdoors. The site itself is staggering. Plan a day here as there's so much to see and do (you can eat at the on-site restaurant). Reconstructions, workshops run by "prehistoric men", games, introductions, interactive activities: you can see, touch, smell and even hear the sounds of our caveman ancestors' world. The scientific standard of the museum is remarkable.
Tarascon-sur-Ariège Prehistory Park
Head for Niaux-Mas d'Azil and the Prehistoric Pyrenees, Grand Site Occitanie to marvel at the largest underground network in Europe located in Ariège where man has left behind many signs of settlement in the area. Farmer Christelle shares her top tips.
La Vache Cave is burrowed into the same mountain range as the Niaux Cave and plunges you into a real seasonal habitat for Paleolithic hunters: the same ones who painted the Niaux's Black Room. Digs have excavated over a million items. They have provided a wealth of information about what life was like at the time. You'll see the remains of households, hunting weapons, reproductions of sculpted or engraved items. Everything is so real and so familiar. One of our ancestors could pop up any minute !
Grotte de la Vache, Grotte de la Vache
You will be amazed by the cave of Bédeilhac and the extraordinary dimensions of its porch: 40 m wide and up to 80 m high, on 1 km deep.. It was even converted into a warehouse during the 2nd World War. The first inhabitants of the cave, hunters, left their mark : rock paintings representing prehistoric fauna, children’s hands painted on the walls, as well as a very rare animal bas-relief carved in clay. Its impressive concretions are also worth a visit.
Bedheilac cave
His cave paintings are a masterpiece of parietal art. The Niaux cave welcomes you, on reservation and under strict conditions, for a small group visit of its famous Salon Noir. In a vast rotunda, buried 700 m after the entrance of the cave, you will watch the parade on the walls of bison, horses, ibex and beautiful deer. You will keep the memory of these paintings for a long time of perfect control. For the visit (not recommended for children under 5), bring walking shoes and a sweater (12°C in the cave).
Niaux cave
Mas d'Azil cave
Incredible: the road (the D119) goes through a cave for over 400m with the river (Arize) that created it running below! You're already in the Mas d’Azil Cave. But obviously you'll need to walk to experience its soul and history. Over the centuries it has been used as a shelter for persecuted people. Its first residents left highly sophisticated wooden reindeer sculptures, jewellery, painted pebbles... Artworks from the Paleolithic period that you can see at the Mas d'Azil Prehistory Museum.
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Regional Committee for Tourism and Leisure Occitanie
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