Expédition spéléo et rando à la Grotte de la Madeleine
An adventure in the footsteps of Germain, the shepherd who discovered the Grotte de la Madeleine in 1888. An expedition combining caving in the undeveloped parts of the cave first, and hiking in the heart of the Gorges de l'Ardèche.
The History of Discovery:
We had already loved the “classic” visit to the Grotte de la Madeleine. The guide was really captivating, and we particularly appreciated his explanations about the discovery of the Grotte. It was in 1888, on a stormy night. Germain Rigaud, a shepherd from the village, had lost one of his goats. To protect itself, it had found shelter in a hole in the rock. Curious, Germain, although lit only by his flickering candle, decided to venture into this hole to see what was at the bottom. And what a surprise! He didn't see much, but he immediately understood that he had made an incredible discovery: the great room of the Grotte de la Madeleine and its impressive draperies. So of course, it piqued our curiosity... And when our guide told us that the cave offered caving expeditions in Germain's footsteps, we said yes!
The Underground Expedition:
So here we are early in the morning at the Cave Reception, in the company of Gérard, a guide and caving fan for over 40 years! We get equipped: wetsuit, harness, caving helmet. The site is still closed to the public at this time: we discover the Cave with only the light of our headlamps… The concretions appear on either side of the large room… Everything is calm. Just the “plop” of the drops of water hitting the ground. We start the caving part in the undeveloped areas. We go over a few ladders, but nothing too bad. No void, no narrow passages (that was a bit of a phobia for us… phew!). Our progression will last a little over an hour, punctuated by Gérard’s explanations and jokes, until we see the light. That’s it. We are in front of the natural entrance! After this long time spent in the dark, we are at first a little blinded by the light coming from outside. But we are especially dazzled by this transition!
The light :
We are now in the middle of nature, in the heart of the forest… We swap our caving wetsuit for shorts. Gérard explains that we are going to start the descent towards the edge of the river, and that we are likely to be amazed. He was right: At the water's edge, on the fine sand beach, we find ourselves facing the imposing Rocher de la Cathédrale. An emblematic cliff of the Gorges de l'Ardèche. It's splendid!
Time to take a few photos, dip our feet in the water a bit, and then we're off again in the other direction.
This time, we're going to take the same path as Germain!
We had already loved the “classic” visit to the Grotte de la Madeleine. The guide was really captivating, and we particularly appreciated his explanations about the discovery of the Grotte. It was in 1888, on a stormy night. Germain Rigaud, a shepherd from the village, had lost one of his goats. To protect itself, it had found shelter in a hole in the rock. Curious, Germain, although lit only by his flickering candle, decided to venture into this hole to see what was at the bottom. And what a surprise! He didn't see much, but he immediately understood that he had made an incredible discovery: the great room of the Grotte de la Madeleine and its impressive draperies. So of course, it piqued our curiosity... And when our guide told us that the cave offered caving expeditions in Germain's footsteps, we said yes!
The Underground Expedition:
So here we are early in the morning at the Cave Reception, in the company of Gérard, a guide and caving fan for over 40 years! We get equipped: wetsuit, harness, caving helmet. The site is still closed to the public at this time: we discover the Cave with only the light of our headlamps… The concretions appear on either side of the large room… Everything is calm. Just the “plop” of the drops of water hitting the ground. We start the caving part in the undeveloped areas. We go over a few ladders, but nothing too bad. No void, no narrow passages (that was a bit of a phobia for us… phew!). Our progression will last a little over an hour, punctuated by Gérard’s explanations and jokes, until we see the light. That’s it. We are in front of the natural entrance! After this long time spent in the dark, we are at first a little blinded by the light coming from outside. But we are especially dazzled by this transition!
The light :
We are now in the middle of nature, in the heart of the forest… We swap our caving wetsuit for shorts. Gérard explains that we are going to start the descent towards the edge of the river, and that we are likely to be amazed. He was right: At the water's edge, on the fine sand beach, we find ourselves facing the imposing Rocher de la Cathédrale. An emblematic cliff of the Gorges de l'Ardèche. It's splendid!
Time to take a few photos, dip our feet in the water a bit, and then we're off again in the other direction.
This time, we're going to take the same path as Germain!
Services for children
Walk in the footsteps of the pioneers with our underground hike, following in the footsteps of Germain Rigaud and the tourists of the 1950s, to descend through the natural entrance of the cave to the edge of the river. Reservation required.
2025-04-05
2025-11-02
Video
Activities
Customer base
Sports activities
- Climbing sports / Rope sports
- Pedestrian sports
- Potholing
- Hike / walk
Opening
| Opening hours from June 17 to September 18, 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Open |
| Wednesday | Open |
| Thursday | Open |
Pricing
| Pricing | Min. | Max. |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | 45 € | Not disclosed |
| Kids | 29 € | Not disclosed |
Further information :
Reservation required only online.
Payment method
Services
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