Photo : L’auteur n’a pas pu être identifié automatiquement. Il est supposé qu'il s'agit de : Sylvagnac (étant donné la revendication de droit d’auteur). / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Grotte de Dargilan
The Dargilan cave is on the Causse Noir, near Meyrueis, in Lozère, above the Jonte gorges. It was discovered in late autumn 1880 by Sahuquet, a young shepherd chasing a fox. Édouard-Alfred Martel led several expeditions there from 1884, notably a major exploration in June 1888.
Dargilan became in 1890 the first cave in France to be developed and opened to the public, before the Padirac chasm. The known network extends over more than 2,100 metres, with 107 metres of vertical range, in Jurassic limestone. The temperature is about 10 °C, which is why you should take a jacket even in midsummer.
You can discover stalactites, stalagmites, curtains and two columns about 500,000 years old. The colours of the cave are particularly marked: iron oxide gives it its pink tones, manganese oxide its greys. The site has been listed since 1941, and the cavity remains alive, water still circulating there. The visit is guided; check the official website for the arrangements.
