NIAUX CAVE

Ornate cave of the superior paleolithic, that of Niaux extends on a little more than 2 km in the heart of Ariège. At present, it is one of the last decorated caves still open to the public: it is thus a place impossible to circumvent and unique! By the size of its rooms and the variety of its decorations, the cave of Niaux counts, with Altamira and Lascaux, among the most beautiful of the world. Its spacious galleries, its low vaults and its underground lakes form a most striking and impressive spectacle. This exceptional natural site is distinguished by its dizzying scale with its 55 m high and 50 m wide porch, and by its numerous animal representations. There are about a hundred of them! In the Black Room, you can see some very impressive works of art on the wall: paintings that were made about 140 centuries ago and that still make such a strong impression. More than 100 representations with black lines evoke the large mammals of the Magdalenian fauna. In a gallery inaccessible to the public, a drawing of a weasel, unique in Paleolithic art, was found more recently. But the cave also has a whole series of engravings on clay, traces of bare feet and other geometric signs, such as sticks, punctuations and claviform signs.

The reservation at the cave of Niaux for a visit is essential in order to avoid the degradation of the paintings, related to an overcrowding of tourists. A protocol of visits has been developed: a maximum of eleven visits per day, with a limit of 25 people per group and a spacing of 45 minutes. All the details are on the Internet. This protocol allows you to better enjoy the show. During the visit of almost two hours, a guide accompanies you in the dark. Yes, there is no light here, but everyone is equipped with portable lamps. You start the visit on foot during a 800 m journey (the rest of the cave is not open to the public for conservation reasons): here, admire the ancestral vaults! Before or after this unique experience, take a lunch break at the restaurant of the Prehistory Park. The setting, in the middle of nature, amidst lakes and waterfalls, offers a splendid panorama. On the menu, delicious typical dishes of the Ariège with local and seasonal products. A very nice adventure to discover our ancestors, to be done in family. Children and adults will be amazed by the beauty of this natural and prehistoric site.