Gouffre de Padirac

Descend 100 meters into the Padirac cave (Gouffre de Padirac) this summer. The added fun of an underground boat trip makes this our favorite cave in the Dordogne. Bring the family and don't forget to bring warm clothes!

This abyss is an immense, vertical and vertiginous door, which invites us to pass in a few minutes from the external world to an underground world.

Go down step by step, the light dims, replaced by a gentle humidity and a stable temperature settles at 13° all year round. These characteristics open the door to the development of unique vegetation.

Our favorite cave in the Dordogne, the cave of Padirac (Gouffre de Padirac) guarantees a great day out for all the family.

You enter the cave by descending nearly 100 metres into its mouth and then boarding a small boat to follow the underground stream.

Explore Lac de Gours and Lac Supérieur, the mystical underground lakes and the Salle du Grand Dôme, a huge well and admire the giant 60-meter stalactite discovered by Édouard-Alfred Martel more than 130 years ago.

How did the sinkhole form?

The circulation of water gradually formed a vault dug in the rocky massif, mainly limestone, then all that collapsed and left this gaping hole... It is very difficult to precisely date the opening of this ancient ceiling, but the Gouffre has certainly existed for several hundred thousand years. Undoubtedly little on the scale of time...

A spectacular creation

Two galleries face each other at the bottom of the Gouffre. One provides access to the upstream side of the Padirac underground river. This is the Galerie de la Grande Arcade, which has not yet been fully explored today. The second opens the way to the Galerie de la Source and joins the Rivière Plane where the visit by boat begins.

The underground river

An exceptional experience

Live an incredible experience crossing 1 km through the rooms within the vertical cracks dug over the last two million years. A boat trip in silence and in front of an incredible spectacle.

Official website: https://www.gouffre-de-padirac.com/fr/home