GROTTE DE LA VERNA

It is the largest underground chamber in Europe, ranked among the top 10 in the world and the first to be equipped for the general public. The dimensions are extraordinary: 250 m in diameter and 190 m high, with a surface area of 5 ha and a volume of 3.6 million^m3. For the record, students from Polytechnique took a hot air balloon ride there... that's saying something! In this abyss, 3 different types of terrain are in conflict, schists and limestones from the primary era (350 million years old) and limestones from the secondary era (80 million years old). In the middle of this mineral universe, a remarkable fauna has settled, small invertebrates, all blind and depigmented, theAphaenops loubensi and theAphaenops cabidochei, which need to live in an atmosphere saturated in humidity. "Discoverers, explorers or adventurers... to each his own! You start at the Welcome Center with a choice of 2 accesses: pedestrian by a marked path of 8 km round trip towards the GR10 and the ravine of Arpidia (2 hours round trip) or by shuttle for 30 minutes. According to your desires and your physical capacities are proposed: 1h of discovery for the beginners, 1h30 for the river exploration which allows to reach the spillway of the waterfall in the room, 2h for a sportive exploration with a caving guide. More of an adventurer? It's "La Verna Aventure Spéléo": a sporting visit with an introduction to caving from 3 hours to a whole day. Temperature of 6°C, even in summer, bring warm clothes, pants, walking shoes. Exceptional and unmissable site.