The Gouffre du Padirac, Dordogne

The prospect of visiting the underground cave system the Gouffre De Padirac meant that I could spend the evening before telling the kids' stories about underground trolls and demons who for years abducted people from the Dordogne region whilst they slept and whilst underground you can still hear the cries of their trapped souls. Anyway after a sleepless night dreaming of being abducted from our tent I awoke rather heavy headed (the kids slept soundly) ...
...the forty minute drive from Sarlat towards Padirac.

We arrived at about 9.15 a full forty five minutes after the opening time however the place was already teeming with visitors and we were almost put off by the long snaking queue that was in front of us and there was a constant stream of new arrivals. Admittedly we were visiting at the height of the summer holidays and at least half of those visiting seemed to be French visitors, ... more

The prospect of visiting the underground cave system the Gouffre De Padirac meant that I could spend the evening before telling the kids' stories about underground trolls and demons who for years abducted people from the Dordogne region whilst they slept and whilst underground you can still hear the cries of their trapped souls. Anyway after a sleepless night dreaming of being abducted from our tent I awoke rather heavy headed (the kids slept soundly) and after a breakfast of croissants we set out for the forty minute drive from Sarlat towards Padirac.

We arrived at about 9.15 a full forty five minutes after the opening time however the place was already teeming with visitors and we were almost put off by the long snaking queue that was in front of us and there was a constant stream of new arrivals. Admittedly we were visiting at the height of the summer holidays and at least half of those visiting seemed to be French visitors, if we had waited a week until the French had pretty much returned to work then it may have not been so bad. There was plenty of parking and we had no problem finding a place and one thing I did like was that the parking area had a few picnic benches and a shaded grass area for when we had our picnic lunch after the visit.

Opening times vary dependant on time of the year, in the main season of late July through August it is open from 8.30 until 18.00 all day however at other times the opening hours are shorter and in fine French tradition the site is closed for two hours for lunch outside of the July / August dates. On the website it claims that the visit will last 90 minutes however I would allow at least an extra 30 minutes whilst under ground (we spent two and a half hours underground) and with queuing time on top it would more than fill a morning's activity. Entry costs 8 euro 70 for adults with 5-12 year olds paying 5 euro 50 with under fives going for free.

The opening of the site is basically a huge hole in the form of a vault, it is not certain when the collapse that formed it happened however records show its existence as far back as 3AD and it was inhabited in the 15th and 16th centuries as it was mined for saltpetre and was always know as the Devils Doorway.

Upon parting with your euro as you enter through the main building you then have to decide whether to use the life or the metal stairs to descend the 103 metres to the bottom of the hole. My advice is to use the stairs, if you opt for the lift you will see little and be squashed in however the stairs which are wide and not slippy due to plenty of grip, means that you can get a great view of the different layers of the rock walls as well as appreciate the various fauna that hangs down pointing the way to the bottom as water cascades down from their strands. The whole is so wide that plenty of natural light enters allowing for photo opportunities however once in the cave system there is no photography allowed. Some people seem to be on a mission to plough through the visit at break neck speed however it is worth exploring the base of the hole as there are some wonderful rock formations and a small stream heading off under the rock wall in the far corner, there is a set pathway to follow and this leads you in the opposite direction to the stream into the main cave system.

There are basically two types of cave systems in the Dordogne, one type provides examples of prehistoric cave paintings whilst the second feature impressive visual rock formations resplendent with stalactites and stalagmites, the Gouffre De Padirac is a fine example of the latter.

The first chamber that you walk through is the Galerie de la Source which is quite interesting and is a long walkway flanked by a small stream, along the way there are some displays and old boats that were used to navigate the underwater river, again there are some interesting rock structures but these pale into insignificance once you reach the embarkation point for your trip along the underground river. Transport is in the form of large punts that seat about twelve and are expertly navigated by a guide however be aware that the instruction will be entirely in French with no translation available. The water is crystal clear and with the use of some strategically placed lights takes on a green tint however most of the time your gave will be upwards at the various formations above as there is a high roof throughout the short five minute journey.

You then arrive at Le Grand Pilier where another guide (again solely in French) will conduct you through this large chamber which branches out into the Salle du Grand Dome which is the most breath taking part of the visit as it has a 94 metre high ceiling with a plethora of rock formations being formed, in some areas there are plastic covers over the walk ways as the rock above you points downward in a threatening inverted cone shape with a sharp dripping point, as this stage when I suggested that these were the tears of the lost children souls both of my siblings looked on me with a mixture of pity and embarrassment stating that they are now way past such stupid comments. The pathway stretches up quite high and part of the way up you come across Lac Superieur which is 27 metres above the river bed and is sourced by rain run ff which cascades down the rock face forming through erosion what looked like a superb if not rather bumpy and uncomfortable natural slide. The tour takes you on a full circle to once again travel by boat back along the river bed and back on yourself to the lifts that return you to the surface. There is an automatic picture system on the return journey when the boat handler will take the opportunity to show his sense of humour and you can purchase these on the walk back to the lifts.

This was certainly a great site to visit and well worth the one hour wait we had to get in, it certainly pays to arrive early as the queues were just as bad when we left and visitor numbers are restricted at any one time. It is also advisable to make sure you have warm clothing no matter what the weather is like on the surface and although you will not get wet automatically there is dripping water in parts so a waterproof that provides some insulation will protect against the cold and damp.

At the surface there is a small gift shop which was very crowded and there are toilets at the surface which I would describe as rather shabby and quite old, it was not helped by the fact that they were being cleaned at the end of our visit as well so everyone had to use the ladies as I saw no sign of a disabled toilet. Certainly this visit is only suitable for those who are steady on their feet as there are uneven walk ways and steps to navigate as well as getting into the boats.
Outside of the venue there are a number of restaurants and snack bars for food however it is a great site to take a picnic to as well if the weather is nice. In the surrounding area there is plenty to do if you still have an afternoon to occupy, we chose to visit the spectacular mountainside town of Rocamadour but there are plenty of other sites to visit as well.

To get a real idea of what the caves look like check out http://www.gouffre-de-padirac.com/

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