Une personne admire l'intérieur de la grotte de Dargilan : lumière, concrétions, rivière souterraine

A CAPTIVATING VISIT

IN DARGILAN, IN THE SOUTH OF LOZÈRE (48)

The Dargilan Cave is captivating mainly because of its impressive dimensions and the variety of its natural colors which are very accentuated.

The entrance does not give away the immensity of the rooms that await you! Inside, you will discover the grandeur of majestic rooms, each as impressive as the other.

As you progress through the visit of the Dargilan cave, draperies and atypical shapes are revealed and lead you into a stunning and timeless universe!

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THE VISIT OF THE CAVE

DARGILAN: ENDLESS DIVERSITY

Located in Meyrueis (48) near Millau in the Occitanie region

Here you will discover a collapse of rocks intertwined over a thickness of 60 meters, leaving you amazed. Here and there, on this chaos, numerous stalagmites of all sizes are under construction. A multitude of fistulae hang from the ceiling. Then to the south, in the heart of a multitude of pearly and iridescent crystallizations, appears a majestic two-colored column.

The visit of the Dargilan Cave continues in the former bed of an underground river with a succession of rooms as varied as they are concreted. Here, the water drop patiently deposits its load of calcite.

It becomes a sculptor to shape impressive columns, of which the Clocher is the centerpiece. It flows along the walls to form imposing or delicate draperies: Elephant Ear, Petrified Cascade (Wall of draperies in one piece, unique in the world because of its dimensions and natural colors).

In this emblematic karst, a particular concentration of iron oxide or organic matter gives the concretions very varied colors.

It is an astonishing succession of ochres, yellows, saffron and pinks. As if, in total darkness since its birth, the cave had dreamed of a sunset.

Several stalagmites can be found inside the Dargilan cave in Meyrueis (48), Lozère.

THE REAL STORY

OF THE DARGILAN CAVE

Between discoveries & mysteries in the south of Lozère (48)

The cave was completely unknown in the region, when young Sahuquet entered it towards the end of autumn 1880. He was a young shepherd, tasked with guarding the flock of one of the nearby farms. One day he saw a fox enter a rock crevice and, instinctively like any self-respecting Caussenard shepherd, he set out to capture the fox.

After several hours of work, he realized that the crevice was widening and soon passed through the enlarged opening and found himself at the threshold of the first room. Very frightened by the first stalagmites which he mistook for ghosts and by the resonance of his voice in the immense dark nave, he did not insist.

It was at this time that a 24-year-old geographer, E.A MARTEL, arrived in the region and inspected the large entrance hall, in which he recognized the existence of five deep pits.

To carry out the systematic exploration of the cave, an entire equipment was necessary and the complete and detailed visit of the large hall and other parts of the cave did not take place until 1888, a significant year for world speleology. Many people came to see the wonderful cave. In 1891, the Dargilan real estate was transferred to MM. Schitz and Consorts, who intended to regularly organize visits. The company they formed for this purpose was called La France Pittoresque. It was replaced by the Gorges du Tarn Society, then by the Dargilan Anonymous Society.

In 1910, electric cables were installed, allowing successive lighting of all the rooms.

Currently, Dargilan is one of the best-equipped caves that can be visited. Thanks to work carried out in 1982 by Mr. Ephrem PASSET, with current techniques, visitors can explore it for 1 km.