Caving in the Alps:
The area we use for caving in the Southern French Alps is the Dévoluy massif, a huge limestone mountain range with over 600 caves. It's one of the best places for caving in the world and really is an immense underground playground.
Hidden away in this underground labyrinth, you can find streams and lakes, big caverns and tiny passages and caves. You can even climb in ice caves and walk through the heart of an underground glacier.
The Dévoluy isn't famed for its pretty caves, but you can still find impressive formations of stalactites (the ‘tites’ are the ones that fall down!) and stalagmites. The caving here is quite sporty with lots of SRT (single rope technique).
You will be crawling through passages, negotiating streams and rivers, sometimes with the aid of an inflatable dingy, abseiling down long vertical drops and climbing back up with an auto blocker device and using a specialised caving ladder (this requires a skill all of its own!)
The underground world is an amazing universe to discover and there is something for everyone - from a child's first time caving experience to seasoned cavers wanting a real underground adventure!
Safety:
Unless you are a very experienced caver, you will need to go caving with a guide who knows the caves. One of the main hazards in caving is getting lost underground, which when there are vertical drops of 100m, deep lakes and fast moving streams to negotiate, can be very dangerous.
All Undiscovered Mountains caving activities are guided and we use fully qualified (to European standards) and experienced local guides, some of whom have contributed significantly to the mapping of this secret world. They will share their passion for their underground world safely and securely so that you can enjoy it!
Best Time to go Caving:
Caving is possible from Spring to Autumn and there are a range of different caves which we will choose based on your experience, wishes and ambitions!
Ice Cave:
The underground glacier and ice cave is only ever possible in summer and the number of caverns and depth you can go to can change quite significantly every year - no year is ever the same! To do the ice caving, you will need to have had some caving experience and ideally have used crampons before.