Caves in the Périgord Noir
Are you more interested in caves with stalagmites and stalactites or those with magnificent parietal paintings?
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, the capital of prehistory, is situated along the Vézère, which is the river of reference for a journey of discovery of prehistoric life from the Pech Charmant campsite.
Caves with cave paintings in Les Eyzies
Near the Pech Charmant campsite, you will find the famous Font de Gaume caves (about 14,000 years old), the Cap Blanc shelter (about 15,000 years old) and the Fish shelter (about 25,000 years old), the Combarelles cave (about 13,000 years old), the Laugerie-Haute site, the Cro-Magnon shelter, the place where the world’s best-known man was discovered …
Presumably, people did not live in these caves. Rather, these places were religious spaces, dedicated to granting wishes for good hunting or giving thanks where appropriate.
Most of the cave drawings almost always depicted animals, mainly mammoths, reindeer, horses and bison. Occasionally a fish or snake is also found, but images of human beings are rare.
The most recent drawings are dated to about 17,500 years ago, but the date of the oldest is still unknown.
Lascaux in Montignac
One of the most famous caves in the world is Lascaux, located in the Périgord Noir.
It is also known as the “Sistine Chapel of Prehistory”. It is one of the largest decorated caves of the Palaeolithic period, the first drawings discovered having been dated between 18,000 and 17,000 years before our era.
Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to visit the first Lascaux cave, as the condition of the drawings was too deteriorated due to the large number of visitors.
Opened at the end of 2016, Lascaux IV, located near the original cave, presents a complete facsimile of all the decorated parts of the Lascaux cave. This large modern museum is definitely worth a visit during your stay in the Périgord.
Cave of 100 mammoths in Rouffignac
The Rouffignac cave is one of the largest in the region: 8 km of galleries spread over 3 levels, the walls of which are covered with drawings of mammoths, bears, horses, bison, and even ibexes and rhinoceroses!
Particularly suitable for children as the visit is fun on board a small electric train …
Stalactite caves
The caves of the Périgord Noir in the Dordogne rich in concretions (stalactites and stalagmites) are Le Grand Roc (3 km), the Gouffre de Proumeyssac (13 km) and the Grotte de Maxange (22 km), Grotte de Bernifal at 5 kms. This magnificent private cave is still in its original state with stellar formations and prehistoric paintings dating back 15 to 20,000 years.
Cave dwellings
Prehistoric man lived in shelters under an overhanging rock face. They were protected from the weather and the cold by clothing made of animal skins.
Roque-Saint-Christophe
Located only 12 km from the campsite, it is one of the best examples. Its museum offers an exceptional immersion in the past and an educational reconstruction of the life of Cro-Magnon man.
Village de la Madeleine
Overlooking the Vézère, the superb troglodytic village of La Madeleine in Tursac, with its fortified castle and rock-side chapel, dates from the 9th century.
The foot of the cliffs has been occupied for 17,000 years and gave its name to the Magdalenian period.
An unmissable visit in the Périgord Noir.