Natural caves
Visit Aquitaine underground … yes, it’s possible! Wherever you go, there will always be an underground curiosity not far away.
There are more than ten natural caves in Aquitaine. Also known as crystalline caves, they are distinguishable from parietal caves by their production of concretions, columns, stalagmites and stalactites thousands of years old.
Natural masterpieces of stone, these crystal cathedrals offer an astonishing account of the passage of time. The speed of growth of certain concretions is estimated at less than 5 centimetres per century. When you consider this fact, it makes you look at the gigantic columns slightly differently…
Without attempting to be exhaustive, here are a few natural caves not to be missed.
:: Dordogne : grotte de Domme, grotte de Villars, grotte du Grand Roc, grotte de Carpe Diem, gouffre de Proumeyssac
::Â Gironde : grotte CĂ©lestine
:: Lot et Garonne : grotte de Fontirou, grotte de Lestournelle
:: Pyrénées Atlantiques : grotte d’Isturitz-Oxocelhaya, grotte de Sare, grotte de Lestelle-Bétharram
One of them hides beneath one of the Dordogne’s most beautiful villages. The Domme cave, nicknamed the “Acropolis of Black Périgord ”, is accessible from the old marketplace of this magnificent town.
Another boasts engravings of reindeer on a stalagmite pillar, giving an indication of the era when the cave was inhabited by Man - between 80000 and 15000 BC. You only need look at its name to see it is to be found in the Basque Country: Isturitz-Oxocelhaya. 
In the Pyrenees area again, only this time in Béarn, you will find the caves of Lestelle-Bétharram, unique in Europe since they are the only “living” site. The River Moustère continues its work on them. The 28 km can be visited on foot, by boat and on a train. To the south, The cave of Sare (picture) is a great place for myths and legends.
Finally, a mention for the cave most recently opened to the public : the Grotte Célestine in Rauzan, in the Entre-deux-Mers (Gironde). You can discover speleology during a 45–minute visit. Instructive and entertaining.
