grottes de cougnac

An excellent site to see some genuine prehistoric cave paintings, without all fuss and nonsense associated with tickets for other sites. The collection of stalactites like needles hanging just above your head is very impressive too.

Very interesting, and geologically amazing - but wish we'd seen more caves with a greater variety of paintings

You will be visiting 2 nice grottos which are impressive from a geological and from a cultural/historical point of view. Wonderful natural scenery with high density of stalactites and stalagmites - beautifully lit for your enjoyment. A few Abstract symbols here and there that may be a very early preface to writing. And the "clou de la visite" beautiful paintings of animals and some human figures - dating from 25000 years ago - and executed by professional artists from that period

It is not a very famous site but is worth visiting. There are actually 2 separate caves that you can visit here. It is a short walk of 5 minutes between the 2 caves.The first cave was full of small stalactites. There were thousands of them and it was very impressive.You would see beautiful stalactites, stalagmites and prehistoric paintings in the second cave. The paintings were really awe-inspiring and definitely worth seeing. Photos are not allowed in the second cave though.The guided tour took about an hour. Our guide was friendly and informative.

Of all the caves that I stooped at on my visit, this was the best. I got there an hour early because at all the other grottos you have to be there early to get a place. I waited 40 minutes until someone else showed up and that was an employee! He took the small school group through, while a young lady with a very musical voice gave me and 8 others a tour. The formations were excellent, but the best part was the cave drawings. While you cannot photograph them, you can buy a post card picture on your way out. The young lady took her time with explanations and history, and showed us the drawings in detail, which allowed us to see how fabulous they were, especially considering how long ago they were drawn. These primitive beings were very artistic! Stop to see this and you won't be disappointed!

Doesn't get the publicity of other sites in the area, but we enjoyed our visit very much. Was one of the few caves (the only one?) that combined prehistoric cave art and natural stalagmite/stalactites. Perhaps a bit off the beaten path for most visitors to Dordogne, but not for us, who passed through Gourdon on our way to our lodging near Puy l'Eveque. Recommended!

This wasn't where we had planned to go today but we're pleased we ended up here. It was late in the day but we still managed one of the tours. It was all in French but the guide very kindly gave us a quick summary in English.Spectacular formations and original cave art.Go and see it for yourself if you're in the area.

So many of the caves in France and Spain with paintings have been closed to visitors ( you have to visit a replica or a visitor's centre ), but the caves here which are amongst the oldest in France at 25,000 years old, are still open to view. The caves are in two sections. The first is a cave with Staligmites which is very impressive, and the second cave has the amazing wall paintings. If you are in the Lot this is definitely worth a visit.

We visited this grotte during the school vacations in April and were lucky enough to be the only people on our tour. The grotte may not be as spectacular as other more well-known in the area, however, the fact our guide was so welcoming and accommodating made it one of our favourite stops during the trip. In total we were 8, 4 adults and 4 children under 5 years old. She spoke very good English and was able to tailor the tour to our needs - she was able to engage the children and knew when to pick up the pace. She is very knowledgeable about the grotte and the area and takes time to answer questions. The grotte itself is interesting as there are actually two parts, one with the stalactites and the other with the actual drawings. To get to the second grotte with the drawings it’s a short stroll along a wooded path – quite beautiful. We would not hesitate to recommend this grotte to those who are looking for something a little of the beaten track and with a personalized touch. A special mention should go out to our wonderful guide again, thank you!

There is evidence that the same tribe that frequented the Pech Merle cave also visited this cave, a much smaller one. Very few images, but excellent quality.

Deux tres belles Grottes a voir, un acceuil chaleureux et des guides geniaux qui adorent leur metier. Notre visite en total a durer environ 1h15-30, la guide parlais Francais/ anglais parfaitement, elle nous as tous expliquer et repondait a chaque question :) nous avons passer une tres bon moment. Ce site meriterait plus de publiciter cet a voir absoulument !

Ce site comprend deux grottes, l'une assez féerique, avec stalagmites, stalactites, voiles et colonnes. L'autre avec quelques dessins parietaux de différentes sortes. Le guide était très bien, avait réponse à tout et nous avons ainsi pas mal appris de choses. La visite dure environ 1h15. Nous avons passé un très bon moment, et sommes répartis assez émus par ces traces que nous ont laissées nos lointains ancêtres...

Site très beau avec un accueil et des guides très sympathiques et aimant leur métier.Il mériterait plus de publicitéA voir absolument

Site très intéressant pour découvrir ce type de site. Si on a la chance d'avoir un guide intéressant c'est top et ça fait la différence. Le nôtre s'appelait Francis et il était très bien.Ils devraient améliorer les conditions d'accueil initial (quand on attend) c'est tristoune, pas confortable et sans informations sur le lieu et ce qui va se passer... on attend sans savoir qu'il s'agit d'une visite guidée, etc.

Très jolie grotte avec des concrétions et des dessins préhistoriques. Le guide était très bien et nous a parfaitement expliqué les différences entre certains types de concrétions mais aussi l'histoire du site et des dessins. A voir !