A 35-meter diameter opening in the ground welcomes us. If we lookout, we will face a fall of 99 meters. Seeing this should already be enough to perform in the most demanding eyes. However, what awaits inside is even more impressive. And it is that the Grouffe de Padirac ( Padirac chasm) is one of the most spectacular caves in the world.
Located in the department of Lot (France), there is evidence of its existence since the 3rd century AD, although it is not known at what time its great opening took place. Also that it was inhabited in the 16th century and that it was not put on the map until 1889, at which time the famous caver Édouard Alfred Martel would explore the chasm with a team of experts. Since then, it is a mandatory visit if one is in the French region.
But what is special about this chasm?
First of all, your access. It is reached through descent of 99 meters that can be done by stairs or by elevator. Although more expensive, I recommend the first one, since it will be possible to better appreciate all the indentation and the changes of colors of the rock as it is lowered.
During the descent, we will notice that the temperature will stabilize. And the thing is that a curious thing about this cave is that it is about 13 degrees all year long. Once we have reached the ground, our eyes will force us to look up to see that circle of sky, that cutout that indicates that we are going to enter the bowels of the earth.
Inside the cave is divided into different corridors and galleries made up of surprising colors and shapes. Needles that create huge stalactites and stalagmites, chandeliers, sculptures with baroque shapes… In short, a multitude of representations silhouetted by erosion and time. All this bathed by the river Padirac, whose water meanders, enlarges, hides, all along the way. But let’s not anticipate events.
The first gallery one finds is that of the Fountain, located at a depth of 103 meters. It is reached through corridors in which the turquoise green of the water that surrounds everything and the brown of the walls create a beautiful contrast. In this gallery, we will take some small boats to cross about 500 meters of the underground river that there is.
With them, we will cross the Lake of the Rain, where, as its name suggests, it is very possible that if you do not go with a raincoat you will end up wet. At the end of the boat trip and as if it were an iceberg hanging from the ceiling, the visitor will be surprised by the Great Pendeloque, an immense stalactite about 60 meters long that almost skims the water.
A HUGE DOME INSIDE A CAVE
Safe from the rain, the next thing we will come across will be a series of small pools created by the water that is deposited from the limestone rock known as Lago de los Gours and with a sculpture known as Pila de Platos. The latter is a stone that has been formed for thousands of years by the erosion of water droplets, which have created a curious formation that resembles a pile of stacked plates.
And finally, the great beauty of Gouffre de Padirac arrived: the Salle du Grand Dôme. If one has to think of a cave, the image that surely comes to mind will be that of not very high space, perhaps even in which one has to crouch. But the curious thing about this cave is its size since at almost all times it is open and high.
A space that takes its greatest expression in La Salle du Grand Dôme, a huge vault located 94 meters above the ground. It is also a gigantic room where the art of erosion shows its best works: lamps, chandeliers, candles and a host of other sculptures fill each space, which some call the underground cathedral.
After this panoramic view, it is time to turn around and go back. A second chance to enjoy the cave and look at those beauties that we may not have seen.