Arphidia + Aranzadi

Aranzadi fossil river adventure tour

 

Tour duration : 9h00 (introduction + gear up + access to the cave + tour)
Access to the cave : private vehicle (or carpooling)
Public : sporting
Minimum age : 16 years old
Group size : maximum 8 people
Guide : state-certified instructor

Guided by a state-certified instructor, this underground adventure will start with an excursion in the Arphidia cave.  This cave was found accidentally in 1956 during the excavation of the access tunnel to the la Verna chamber. In this course you will use different caving techniques, including aerial traverse. There is no low-roof passage, but the gallery is narrow compared to the huge chambers of the la Pierre Saint-Martin system : it is closer in size to what can be found in common cave systems. You will first move in opposition through a meander above a small stream, go along an aerial traverse and then go down two shafts rappelling (7m/23 ft and 5m/16 ft). You will walk through a beautiful gallery until the Accoce chamber, end of the first part.  
For the second part, you will cross the la Verna chamber and after a 80 m secure climb (262 ft ; level 3 inf), you will be able to discover the Aranzadi gallery. It is a wide gallery with remarkable calcite speleothems and sedimentary filling. Some sections, such as the vertical parts, will require the use of harness, cowstails, ascender and descender. You will also be able to enjoy the illumination of the La Verna chamber during the tour. 

Provided equipment : hygiene cap, helmet with light, overall, harness, technical gear.

What to bring : warm clothing (temperature is a constant 5°C), gloves (if needed), comfortable trousers to use under the overall, hiking shoes or boots, small backpack with water and scroggin.

Next tour dates :
• See online booking page
Call on +33 (0)5 59 28 34 02 for more tour dates.

Admission prices

Individual : 92 € per person (tour guaranteed from 5 participants).

Private tour :  460 € (from 2 to 5 people) + 80 € per additional person (with a single booking and payment for the whole group, up to 8 people).

Prices are VAT included. You can also go from the reception to the cave entrance and back by foot (price lowered by 5€ per person).

Access to the cave

Private vehicle : 30 minutes (1 way)

For caving adventures, except in exceptional cases, visitors use their personal vehicles for which they are granted access to the track.

From the Arrakotchepia reception area located in Sainte-Engrâce (Calla district / Alt: 600 m), you are guided on the 7 kilometer route, 4 km of which is a concrete mountain track. This route crosses the village of Sainte-Engrâce (11th century Romanesque church), climbs through the beech forest and overlooks the Arphidia ravine.

The parking space at the entrance of the cave is limited and the possible locations will be indicated to you on the spot by the guide.

 

 

Access

Route from the ticket office (parking)
to the cave
(access to the track is regulated)