Speleology

Few know it, but the underground of Haut Languedoc is home to very many caves and cavities. Carved into limestone over 500 million years old, they are as much remarkable for their uniqueness as for the exceptional concentration of concretions (stalactites, stalagmites, and other eccentric formations that can even be colored), among the most beautiful in the world.

The cave of the Glass Spinner in Courniou and its draperies, that of Lauzinas, classified for about fifteen years, and its fossilized clay mushrooms, the cave of the Asparagus and its white and blue aragonites, the cave of Artenac with its prehistoric fossils, or even the Macoumé and its Sistine chapel, a cavity entirely covered with dazzling white aragonite, illustrate these geological wonders...

Over the millennia, they have served as shelters for early humans (Camprafaud cave), burial sites, hiding places (resistance fighters...) or have been exploited for guano, a natural fertilizer (Julio cave). They also house a fragile and often unloved cave fauna: bats.

In the last 20 years, nearly 100 km of galleries have been discovered by the speleology clubs of western Hérault.

You too can discover them at the Cebenna Center in Olargues during a 3D slideshow and for the most daring and those who want to learn and organize an outing, contact our professional speleology partners below directly.