Post by habiba123820 on Nov 9, 2024 5:25:08 GMT
We agree that the Pyrenees are not the highest mountains you will encounter on your travels. But what if we told you that, instead of going up, we take you on a sightseeing tour down? Specifically to the largest underground room open to the general public in the world . Yes, that is how “beastly” the La Verna cave or La Verna room is .
Routes French Basque Country La Verna Cave Great Hall
La Verna cave with the viewing platform in the foreground
If you thought that visiting the French Pyrenees was synonymous with hiking in forests with views of snow-capped peaks, you're in for a treat when you put on your wordpress web design agency helmet, turn on your headlamp and peer into the La Verna cave. The visit took us to a depth of 734 metres below ground level, deafened us with the force of an underground river and amazed us with the gigantic size of the room.
Don't hesitate, everyone can take a look at this wonder of nature : a cave between mountains. And not just any cave, the largest one that is completely accessible. So big that you won't feel claustrophobic... on the contrary, you will lose track of how huge it is. Are you up for it?
Saltaconmyadvice
Don't miss a visit to the La Verna cave , but if you want to make the most of your trip, take a look at our driving routes through the French Basque Country .
Where is the La Verna cave in France and how to get there?
Let's start with the basics. We've already said that it's in the French Pyrenees, but where? The La Verna cave is spread across three municipalities: Sainte-Engrâce, Arette and Aramits . The first is in the French Basque Country , while the other two are in Béarn . Yes, it's between the two historic areas of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the New Aquitaine region .
La Verna Cave Arrakotchepia
The visitor center
In any case, what you need to know is where the visitor area of the La Verna room is , because they will take you to the entrance to the cave itself. You will have to get to the Espace accueil Arrakotchepia in Sainte-Engrâce – Google Maps has it perfectly located.
Curiosities and facts about the La Verna room
We are not going to tell you about the geological process of the formation of the cave – for many reasons, including the fact that we are not geologists and that is probably not what brought you here. But we are going to tell you that the La Verna room was discovered in 1953 by several speleologists who were members of the “Clan de La Verna” scout club . Now you know where the name comes from, right?
Exploration of the area began in 1950 and brought with it some world records such as the descent of a 320-metre well , the deepest known at the time, in 1951.
It's huge, but how huge? Specifically, 245 metres long, five hectares in area and 194 metres high . As we said, you won't have any problems with claustrophobia, just think that it has a volume of 3.6 million cubic metres . So huge is it that a hot air balloon was flown inside it in 2003.
The tunnel that leads to the cave – there is no need to go through the 3.5 km of galleries that the discoverers had to explore from the entrance shaft – was dug by the company Électricité de France, EDF, between 1955 and 1960 when the river was captured to produce hydroelectric energy . It is 660 metres horizontally – accessible to wheelchairs – that go into the mountain to the balcony of the La Verna cave.
Routes French Basque Country La Verna Cave Great Hall
La Verna cave with the viewing platform in the foreground
If you thought that visiting the French Pyrenees was synonymous with hiking in forests with views of snow-capped peaks, you're in for a treat when you put on your wordpress web design agency helmet, turn on your headlamp and peer into the La Verna cave. The visit took us to a depth of 734 metres below ground level, deafened us with the force of an underground river and amazed us with the gigantic size of the room.
Don't hesitate, everyone can take a look at this wonder of nature : a cave between mountains. And not just any cave, the largest one that is completely accessible. So big that you won't feel claustrophobic... on the contrary, you will lose track of how huge it is. Are you up for it?
Saltaconmyadvice
Don't miss a visit to the La Verna cave , but if you want to make the most of your trip, take a look at our driving routes through the French Basque Country .
Where is the La Verna cave in France and how to get there?
Let's start with the basics. We've already said that it's in the French Pyrenees, but where? The La Verna cave is spread across three municipalities: Sainte-Engrâce, Arette and Aramits . The first is in the French Basque Country , while the other two are in Béarn . Yes, it's between the two historic areas of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the New Aquitaine region .
La Verna Cave Arrakotchepia
The visitor center
In any case, what you need to know is where the visitor area of the La Verna room is , because they will take you to the entrance to the cave itself. You will have to get to the Espace accueil Arrakotchepia in Sainte-Engrâce – Google Maps has it perfectly located.
Curiosities and facts about the La Verna room
We are not going to tell you about the geological process of the formation of the cave – for many reasons, including the fact that we are not geologists and that is probably not what brought you here. But we are going to tell you that the La Verna room was discovered in 1953 by several speleologists who were members of the “Clan de La Verna” scout club . Now you know where the name comes from, right?
Exploration of the area began in 1950 and brought with it some world records such as the descent of a 320-metre well , the deepest known at the time, in 1951.
It's huge, but how huge? Specifically, 245 metres long, five hectares in area and 194 metres high . As we said, you won't have any problems with claustrophobia, just think that it has a volume of 3.6 million cubic metres . So huge is it that a hot air balloon was flown inside it in 2003.
The tunnel that leads to the cave – there is no need to go through the 3.5 km of galleries that the discoverers had to explore from the entrance shaft – was dug by the company Électricité de France, EDF, between 1955 and 1960 when the river was captured to produce hydroelectric energy . It is 660 metres horizontally – accessible to wheelchairs – that go into the mountain to the balcony of the La Verna cave.