I was told it was not possible but a tour could be arranged at 5pm. Finally we reached the Salle du Grand Dôme (Hall of the Great Dome), a natural and rocky underground cathedral, undoubtedly the most majestic viewpoint of this memotable visit.On a whim during lunch, I called the number listed for this cave to see if they might have a tour available at 2:30. These obstacles forced the first explorers of the cave a century and a half ago to carry heavy boats before they continue their way on the water. We then continued the journey on foot, and came to a second lake called the Lac des Gours (the lake of Dams), as there are calcite platforms that appear in a succession of obstacles, until a peaceful pond is reached. The raindrops carry dissolved limestone, which they deposit in the form of stalactites that, over the centuries, have come to form spectacular decorations. It’s called like that because there’s a continuous and intense seepage process, that makes the water of the lake evaporate, then come to the thinner and fissured ceiling…which let the raindrops fall again, consistantly replenishing the lake. At one moment, we came into a vast water area called the Rain Lake. ![]() Then we started an incredible crossing along an underground river in a small boat, leaving the daylight and the sky to enter the vertical fissures dug out in the rock over the last 2 million years. Though there are no paintings or carvings inside, it’s a unique natural curiosity that is really worth to be put on your bucket list if you travel with kids (and even you’re only adults!).Īs we went down the stairs, the light dimmed, and the temperature fell to 13☌. Opposite Lascaux, Rouffignac and many other painted caves of the region, the Padirac chasm is nothing other than an immense, vertical, vertiginous doorway that invites us to pass, in a few minutes, from the outside world to the underground world. Pre-booking tickets is really recommended! The Jungle Golf was attractive, but it was a bit crowded at that time, so we decided not to go. There are 75 agility challenges and activities to complete and we had not time enough to try them all ! We did not try either the Prehistorical labyrinth, as it’s more for younger kids aged under 10. My boys loved to be cage housed with the animals, and be observed by the dozens of visitors behind the glass windows! Then we went to the Big Bird, an adrenaline arial ropes climbing course which reaches 22 meters above ground at its highest point! Its the highest of its kind in Europe. There are shows with animals every 30 minutes and, having a VIP pass, we were allowed to go behind the scenes with the healers and feed the gentle and almost blind coypus from South America. We were put a huge reticulated python our our shoulders (the most difficult was to convince my wife to be on the picture with us…). We were really impressed by the variety of fishes and reptiles at the Aquarium. It offers 4 distinct activities: the Aquarium du Perigord Noir, the Labyrinthe Prehistorique, the Jungle Golf and the Big Bird. Univerland Park is an amusement park around 30 minutes drive from Sarlat. ![]() My kids really played the game and we left them for nearly 1 hour, strolling in the huge room where the Great Hall of Bulls and the Painted Gallery are replicated. With these tablets we were able to interact with displays for more information, take photographs and record information. On arrival we were given a tablet computer that contains all the information about the various displays, in French or other 10 languages. It’s a whole new experience, very interactive, with the benefit of 30 years of archaelogical research and new technologies of information. But there’s much more to Lascaux 4 than the replica. The first replica, Lascaux 2, was built in 1983 and was very close to the original. This is the kind of stories that my kids love! What they discovered with their simple ropes and small pocket torches on that day was going to change their lives… and reveal to the world a uncomparable gem of cave paintings. ![]() It sounds like a fairytale, as the original cave was discovered in September 1940 by a young boy called Marcel Ravidat and his dog Robot, who was chasing a rabbit… Robot fell in a hole, then came out again one hour later, so Marcel returned to the scene with three friends, all determined to explore what was under the ground.
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