The Grotte du Grand Roc and the prehistoric shelters of Laugerie Basse: it's great fun with friends!

Today, I'm taking you with me for a delightful day trip just a stone's throw from the most representative prehistoric town in the Vézère Valley : Les Eyzies. A little off the beaten track, however, lies a breathtaking place to discover, home to two unique tourist attractions suitable for the whole family. The Grotte du Grand Roc is a cave with concretions that shelters a veritable forest of very rare and unusual crystallizations : the eccentrics. A few dozen meters below, you'll find the Prehistoric Shelters of Laugerie Basse, a site you may not have heard of, and yet… it's one of the most prolific Paleolithic excavation sites with rock shelters of our time: more than 500 objects have been found at the site, which is listed as a Historical Monument. So, are you interested? Have I piqued your curiosity? Let's go!

Two tourist sites in one!

Why two tourist sites ? Because they are side by side, accessible from the same very large parking lot. Facing the Vézère River, you take a ramp to reach the ticket office, which distributes tickets for the cave on the left and the prehistoric shelters of Laugerie Basse on the right. Opting for the combined ticket allows you to save money and enjoy a great family day out in the same place.

The history of the occupation of these two sites begins 15,000 years ago, when our ancestors of the Magdalenian period settled in these rock shelters. In 1860, excavations began at Laugerie Basse, which consists of two shelters : the classic shelter and the " Marseilles " shelter (the one that can be visited today). These excavations revealed hundreds of objects…

In 1924, an archaeologist named Jean Maury, excavating the site, noticed curious seepage on the cliff face… Intrigued, he climbed up… and discovered the entrance to a cave! The journey wasn't as easy as at the Lascaux Caves ( remember Marcel and his friends? ), as it took two years of widening work before he could enter. He didn't discover an ornate cave, as he might have hoped, but rather delicate and magnificent helictites, stalagmites and stalactites, soda straws, draperies, and astonishing flat, triangular calcite formations. In 1927, the cave was opened to the public, allowing everyone to witness this mineral beauty. Now it's your turn to discover it!

Two sites in one, for fun with friends

A single access ramp

The Grand Roc Cave: a colorful mineral forest

In 1924, Jean Maury discovered the cave and, by subsequently illuminating it, he noticed that the calcite concretions and flows were ochre, even reddish, in color. This was due to the presence of minerals in the soil and the runoff water that formed the concretions.

When you arrive at the Grotte du Grand Roc, you must do as Jean Maury did and climb, but not with a rudimentary ladder, but with a beautiful, solid staircase of 76 steps! I'll let you imagine how beautiful the view is from this promontory! The entrance to the cave is first marked by a long corridor (and here, you realize the tenacity of Jean Maury!), your guide (because visits are only guided), will take the time to explain what you are going to see, to stimulate your curiosity, but also to allow your eyes time to adjust to the darkness.

You need to do some exercise before you can reach your goal!

Magnificent view from the top of the stairs

To allow your eyes to adjust, you pass through several small corridors.

An exciting visit for the whole family

The path through the Grotte du Grand Roc is narrow, but not in a claustrophobic way. It feels like being in a secret passage, the atmosphere is solemn. The beauty to behold is all around you, even in the floor, which, illuminated by your guide's torch, will reveal itself to be composed of calcite as well! Elisabeth, the guide who accompanied us on the tour, captivated my children, who were (surprisingly) silent and focused: truly amazed !

I recommend bringing a pair of binoculars (very basic ones are sufficient) if you want to appreciate the details of the formations. They are translucent and fragile (that's why they're protected by netting, as some visitors have been disrespectful in the past, unfortunately...). The eccentric formations are a kind of rebellious stalactite that grows in all directions. They truly defy gravity! The stalactites have swollen shapes, almost like balloons. The calcite triangles are rare and are found in small " reservoirs " of almost stagnant, fine, and calm water. The formations in the Grotte du Grand Roc are so unique that some take on striking shapes like a sword, a " Smurf," a whale's tail...

The delicate, slow encounter between a stalactite and a stalagmite

Here, the color of the concretions, ochre, is clearly visible.

Drapes

An eccentric whale-tail-shaped

Do you see the sword shape? Is it Excalibur?

Eccentrics take on various forms and shoot out in all directions

The main hall is very impressive!

Lower Laugerie: prehistoric shelters, but so modern!

Before or after visiting the Grotte du Grand Roc, explore the prehistoric rock shelters of Laugerie Basse. This excavation site has yielded hundreds of artifacts from the lives of our ancestors. The shelters have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, as part of the "Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley." This designation also encompasses 147 other sites and 25 decorated caves, many of which are open to the public in the region. This year marks the ^40th anniversary, providing yet another reason to visit, wouldn't you say? :)

Laugerie Basse isn't a site with obvious appeal at first glance, because for laypeople like us, understanding the excavation process, the stratification, and so on isn't easy. That's why the site's presentation is extremely important, facilitating access to this invaluable scientific and historical content. This museum work has been very well done, thanks to new technologies that enhance, without replacing or distorting, the wonders to be discovered.

The tokens allow you to download informational content onto the tablet.

The visit begins at the reception area, where children are given tablets to explore the site in a fun and engaging way! It's a well-designed tool that won't unnecessarily distract children. It has multiple functions. To make your visit a truly immersive experience, a new interactive tour with digital installations allows you to see and touch a raised drawing, numerous historical artifacts, and discover the history of this incredible site through a multilingual touchscreen.

A small museum displaying reproductions of the main tools found on the site is also part of the visit. You then put on 3D glasses to watch a ten-minute film that immerses you in the history of what you are about to see. It's worth noting that the film is accessible and interesting for children as well!

Under the shelter of the Marseilles

Behind the boulder field, look how high the cliff is!

The visit truly begins after a small gate where you enter the excavation area. This is where the tablet comes in! You place a token on the ground, scan it, and the tablet presents you with a short game providing information about the tools found during the dig. A virtual tour function is also available: you hold the tablet in front of you and see the surrounding landscape, just like our ancestors did 15,000 years ago! It's fascinating and educational. You wander through the site in this way; adults can access additional information from information panels, while children will be delighted to learn while having fun with the tablet. The most impressive part is below, under the impressive limestone scree. There, you'll see an intact stratigraphic section (a rare find), and you'll even walk through it to reach a charming area with a small pond.

The stratigraphic section below

Go through the tunnel and travel back in time…

The pretty little pond

The workshops of Laugerie basse

Children, and the young at heart in all of us, can participate in workshops during school holidays and the warmer months. An instructor will present artifacts from the daily lives of our ancestors, and through a fun question-and-answer game, you'll be invited to imagine yourself in a Magdalenian camp. What was this object used for? Was it a spear-thrower, a cleaver? And how did they cook their food in their animal skin containers?

We were then all invited to observe, and then recreate, the construction of a rock shelter. This involved tying hides to a wooden frame built against the cliff face, and then furnishing the interior with dried plants and hide floor mats. The children loved it, and the oldest even got a very convincing demonstration of waterproofing (we poured water on the tent).

Construction of our rock shelter

Leak test, it's good, there's no water inside!

We all work together to learn!

To find out about the nature of the workshops and their schedules, visit the Laugerie Basse shelters website.

Learn more

• The website of the Grotte du Grand Roc
• The website for the prehistoric shelters of Laugerie Basse
• My family visit to the Lascaux caves report
• Video report of the visit to the Rouffiac Leisure Centre

Did you enjoy this report? Subscribe to our Facebook page to see new reports regularly!