activity - family - unusual
A cave under the city!
A guided tour is the best way to discover the past and present of the underground universe of the Celestine Cave. Remember that this is the only underground river in Gironde open to the public. The cave was discovered by chance in 1845 by a grocer who wanted to dig a well in his house. He organized candlelight tours until 1930 and then it was forgotten for almost 60 years. It was only reopened to the public by the municipality of Rauzan in 2002 (the cave is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year).
We find there all the elements of a classic cave which delight the little ones with magnificent natural decorations: stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, columns, fistulas...
But it is in an original way that you will be able to discover the basements of the town of Rauzan: equipped like real speleologists, boots and helmets with a headlamp, your feet in the water, you will be immersed in the curious history of its discovery and will be able to elucidate the mystery of Célestine.
Get ready for an unusual experience: after the equipment session and the reminder of the safety instructions by the guide, you take a spiral staircase that leads 13 meters underground. On the walls, you can see fossils of shells left several million years ago, then the visit begins...
No need to be an enlightened amateur to appreciate the beauty of the natural scenery. After the explanations of the guide, the formation of the concretions and the history of the cave will have no more secrets for you….
It is the work of the river that has carved the rock for thousands of years. The limestone present in the rock allows a very slow growth of stalactites and stalagmites (only a few centimeters per century).
400 meters have been developed but the cave still holds many secrets... 2,1 km long, some parts can only be visited by caving groups.
The cave can be visited all year round but with its constant 14°C and in these scorching weather, it is the ideal place for a cool walk in the middle of summer!
Visit time: 1 hour (equipment + visit)
Equipment: boots and helmets with headlamps provided
Temperature: 14°C
Access conditions: only by reservation on 05 57 84 08 69
Enchildren from 1m20
