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Sarlat-la-Canéda
A Private Day Trip from Sarlat to Pech Merle & Cougnac Caves
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private tours
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Sightseeing
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08 hours
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Small Groups ( 2~8 )
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Quiet
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Multi-languages
English Français
- Highlights
- Program
- Gallery
- Know before
- Meeting point
- Reviews
- Inc. / Exc.
- FAQ
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Highlights
- Take in the Original Cave Drawings of the Pech Merle Cave
- Admire rich parietal paintings as well as fascinating natural concretions
- Visit one of the most intimate caves, Grotte de Cougnac
- Dordogne Tour can be customized to suit your interests
- Local Tour Guide, Expert of the Dordogne & Lot Region
Program & Itinerary
Tour two of the most fascinating decorated paleolithic caves located in the Quercy region on this full day tour. Pech Merle decorated Cave is home to wonderful Mammoths, bison and horses. Cougnac decorated Cave has ibex and Megaloceros - an extinct deer. Cave Art far from the crowds and tour conducted by Expert Guide.
Meet your English Speaking Driver/Guide who is a local Expert on Paleolithic Art
This morning, we will come and pick you up directly at your hotel or accommodation in Sarlat or surrounding area. Meet your English speaking local guide who will be with you for the day. Once you have met your guide, he/she will go over the program and itinerary of the day with you. Then, board your comfortable, air conditioned Mercedes minivan and begin to make your way to visit Pech Merle Cave.
All our vehicles are equipped with an on board P/A system which means that everyone will hear the guide's commentary during driving time, even if you are seated in the back of the van! Also, we have bottled water at your disposal and you can use our free wifi as you travel from one destination to another.
Take in the Cave Drawings of the Pech Merle Cave and Learn its Fascinating History
The Quercy region is on your program for today on this private tour. Located next to the small villages of cabrerets and St Cirq Lapopie in the lot area, the grotte du pech merle is one of the most amazing caves to visit. Open to the public since 1926, the cave is famous for its rock art, prehistoric paintings and cave art that dates back 25,000 years ago.
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, another stunning cave of the region
In the afternoon, reach the Prehistoric site of Grotte de Cougnac or Cougnac Cave. Discovered in 1949 by René BORNE, Jean MAZET, Roger BOUDET, Maurice BOUDET et Alphonse SAUVANT, the main gallery was classified as a historic monument in 1954.
During the visit of this part of the cave, you will admire human figures and human forms, animal figures such as Mégacéros, Ibex and mammouths. Cro Magnon, with a lot of ingenuity, has utilized the relief of the caves so as to render the volume of the animals.
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.
Finally, return to Sarlat
After the visit, it will be time to return to Sarlat. Please note that we also provide private tours to Lascaux IV departing from Sarlat.
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Meet your Guide at your Accomodation in Sarlat
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Visit stunning Pech Merle Cave and its museum
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Free time for lunch near Pech Merle
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In the afternoon visit of Cougnac Cave
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Drop off at your accommodation in Sarlat
Gallery





Know before you book
- Dordogne Tour available from April to October
- 8 hour Private Cave Tour from Sarlat
- Tour is operated in English, other languages on request
- Entrance tickets to Cougnac and Pech Merle can be purchased during booking process
- Warm jackets are highly recommended – 14°C (57°F) inside the caves
- Tour is not wheelchair accessible
- Prices are per group from 2 to 8 persons - Larger groups please contact us
Meeting point
Departure
Other possible pick up locations :
- Montignac
- Les Eyzies de Tayac
- Beynac, La Roque Gageac, Domme
Return
Reviews
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orietta b
04, Sep 2020
Visita guidata della celebre grotta, molto interessante e "autentica" (mentre di alcune fra le più importanti come Lascaux e Chauvet in Francia e Altamira...
Included / excluded
Included
- Reservations for Pech Merle and Cougnac Cave
- English-speaking driver guide, Expert of the Dordogne
- Travel in recent, comfortable & fully equipped minivan
- Bottled water in the minivan
- Free WiFi access on board
Excluded
- Entrance fees to the Caves
- Personal insurance and expenses
- Meals, drinks & wine tasting fees
- Gratuities for the driver/guide
FAQ
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Do you organize pick up and return at accommodation for Sarlat private tours?
Yes, absolutely, we will come and pick you up at your hotel or accommodation in Sarlat. We can also pick you up within a radius of 30kms (20 miles) around Sarlat at no extra cost. -
What type of vehicles are used during your private tours from Sarlat?
Our company uses only Mercedes Vito Tourer 8 seater minivans that are recent, comfortable and fully equipped including individual A/C, shaded windows, large leg space and on board P/A system for commentaries by the guide. -
Who conducts these Dordogne private tours from Sarlat?
We only employ fully accredited, licensed tour guides that are also the drivers for all tours that need visits to be conducted by certified guides. Good examples are: the visit of the National Prehistory Museum, guided walking tours in villages such as Rocamadour, visit of historical monuments and so on. In the Dordogne, all our guides are experts in History & Culture. All have a large experience in Paleolithic Art and conduct tours in both Caves & Castles. -
How strenuous is this tour inside the Caves of Pech Merle and Cougnac?
The tour inside the caves is not recommended for persons with walking issues. The ground is uneven and the lighting inside is quite dim. You will need to wear good walking shoes for the tours inside the caves. We strongly suggest that persons with walking disabilities do not book this tour. -
Is it cold inside the Caves of Pech Merle & Cougnac?
Inside the caves of the Dordogne in general the temperature is of 13° Celsius, 56° Fahrenheit. It is therefore recommended that you bring warm clothes for the visit. -
Is lunch included on this private tour from Sarlat?
No, we never include lunch on our private full day tours from Sarlat. If you would like to include a lunch in a local restaurant don't hesitate to reach out and our travel advisors will take care of your restaurant reservation. Also, don't hesitate to ask your guide in the morning for recommendations.
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