CHASM OF FAGE

The Gouffre de La Fage opens up in the heart of nature, in a vast undergrowth, in the commune of Noailles, 8 kilometres south of Brive-la-Gaillarde, in Corrèze, on the border of the Lot and Dordogne departments. Cover up before going down, it's 10°C in the crypts and it's slippery! Discovered during the construction of the railway in 1891, the caves of La Fage are now used as a training ground for cavers and as a protection area for bats. It is a real living museum of concretion, as all types are represented: columns of all shapes and sizes, forests of stalactites and stalagmites, eccentric draperies, natural pools, richly decorated calcite bridges, petrified waterfalls and imaginary figures... All year round, 3,000 bats of 10 different species reside in the depths of the cave and the extended gallery. Don't panic, they are harmless! This figure rises to 16,000 bats, representing 14 of the 33 species found throughout France, during the hibernation period when visitors are no longer present! The large number of fossil bones, dating back 300,000 to 400,000 years, found in the cave during the excavations have been collected in a paleontological museum, which contains many species that are witnesses of cold periods such as the marmot, the bear, the woolly rhinoceros, etc. For families, workshops are offered by reservation during the summer and Easter holidays.