Pech Merle & Cougnac Full Day Trip from Sarlat (private)
About this activity
Highlights
- Visit one of the most amazing caves
- Admire rich parietal paintings
- English-speaking guides, experts in Prehistory
Full description
9.00am - Depart from Sarlat
- Visit Pech Merle decorated cave
- Free time for lunch in Cabrerets
- Visit Cougnac decorated cave
6.00pm - Arrive in Sarlat
Tour 2 of the most fascinating decorated paleolithic caves located in the Quercy region. Pech Merle decorated Cave is home to wonderful Mammoths, bison and horses. Cougnac decorated Cave has ibex and Megaloceros - an extinct deer.Cougnac decorated Cave has ibex and Megaloceros - an extinct deer. Cave Art far from the crowds and tour conducted by Expert Guide.
Completely isolated in a wooded area, the cave presents the unique particularity of possessing both rich parietal paintings as well as fascinating natural concretions. Amidst amazing stalactites and calcite pearls the guided tour of this very large cave prehistoric cave will have you admire art work that dates back to nearly 30 000 years. Highlights of the visit include bison and mammoths drawn in black, heads of bears engraved in the rock, negative hands painted as a stencil or the more than famous spotted horses, an exceptionally well preserved prehistoric masterpiece.
Upon arrival, follow your guide and visit the cave with a local guide. We will program the English tour for you so that you may take in a maximum of information. If ever the English tour was not available due to the high number of visitors, please note that a booklet will be handed out to you so that you may follow the tour. Your guide will also be with you in case you have questions as the tour takes place. After the visit, we will take you to Cabrerets village or another small village of the area so that you may have some free time for lunch.
Experience intimate Cougnac, one of the most stunning caves of the region
As in the cave of Pech Merle, Cougnac offers the visitor two treasures: A geological treasure as you will admire a rich density of concretions composed of thousands of stalactite and stalagmite falling from the ceiling or erecting themselves from the soil. A prehistoric treasure as everywhere our ancestors have left some traces along the columns and the walls of their cave art. Radiocarbon dates the cave to 25,000 years BP and most of the prehistoric cave paintings in Cougnac include animals, hand prints, geometrical signs. The guided tour of the cave with comments made about the prehistoric paintings and drawings will allow you to better comprehend how the artists who came to dialogue with the wall. The commented visit of Cougnac cave will last about one hour.
Included / Excluded
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
- English-speaking qualified guide/driver
- Live commentary during driving time
- Free WiFi access on board
- Meals and drinks.
- Entrance tickets to the Caves
- Personal insurance & expenses.
- Gratuities for the driver/guide.
Meeting point
Start Location
Sarlat-la-Canéda, France
Sarlat-la-Canéda, 24200 Sarlat-la-Canéda, France
Important information
Know before you book
- Minimum number of 2 participants (adults) applies.
- Tour is operated in English, other languages on request.
- Price is per group, not per person.
- Tour is not wheelchair accessible.
Know before you go
- Please be ready 10 minutes before arrival time
- It is cold in the caves (13°C / 56°F), warm clothing is strongly recommended.
- You must wear good walking shoes for this tour.
Health & restrictions
Dress code
It is cold in the caves (13°C / 56°F), warm clothing is strongly recommended.
Cancellation policy
Operator strictly adheres to its cancellation policy and will make no exceptions to the policy. If Guest chooses to cancel his or her reservation, Operator must receive written notice of said cancellation in writing via certified mail, fax or e-mail sent to info@ophorus.com (with confirmation of receipt from Operator), and Guest shall be subject to the following cancellation fee schedule: Ophorus requires full payment by credit card, internet payment (through our website) or wire transfer (Wire transfer fees at the charge of the Guest) to make a reservation. We accept payment by AMEX, Visa and Master Card. There is no charge or service fee for processing credit card payments except with American Express +3%. For any cancellation, the following fees will be deducted from the refund: Up to 48 hours prior to departure: no cancellation fees except the booking fees. 48 hours prior to departure and less > no refund
Reviews
Wonderful tour with Anne as our guide in St. Emilion for the day. She was very knowledgeable regarding the wines, the chateaus, phenomenal choices (including the lunch recommendations and wine shops to explore), and the people we met. We visited family owned chateaus with winemakers/owners passionate about making fantastic world class wines for centuries/generations. Our guide was incredible and her English was impeccable. St. Emilion is a stunning UNESCO site. The Mercedes van used for transport was comfortable and spotless. All in all, this wine tour was one of the best I have been on and a great value.
Wonderful tour to St. Emilion with our guide Rodolphe. We were there in early November and it’s the “low/slow” season, so we ended up being the only two people on the tour for the entire day. Rodolphe made it a great day. We visited three different chateaus, spent time in the charming village of St. Emilion before heading back to Bordeaux. I would certainly recommend this tour to others.
I would like to recommend the 4 hour Saint Emilion tour from Bordeaux. The knowledgeable guide Rudolphe first introduced us to the French wine culture with continuous commentary about the terroir, grapes, and the history of grape growing and wine making. Arriving in Saint Emilion he offered a tour of the church with commentary and then some free time to visit the delightful stores and wine shops in town. We then traveled to the Grand Cru Classe estate of Chateau Bellview established in 1642. There we toured the quaint production facilities including the caves which house the storage of the wines. We were able to see the bottles in the library even ones dating back to 1856. After a class on the art of tasting Bordeaux wines we were able to taste several vintages 2020, 2017 and the 2013, of the estate owners wines. The trip came to an end with a game on the way home of guess the aroma during the trip back to Bordeaux which seem to cut the 50 minute ride down to minutes. Over all a 5 star experience.
Additional information
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate.
Offered from April to end of October, on request.
Confirmation will be received at time of booking. - Purchase of Entrance tickets will be available during booking process.
Infant seats available.