Gouffre Géant de Cabrespine

Useful Information

Location:	La Cresto, 11160 Cabrespine. Cabrespine, Aude département (11). A61 exit Carcassonne Ouest or Carcassonne Est, D6113 around the city towards Mazamet, D118, at the first roundabout D620 towards Villeneuve-Minervois, turn left D112 to Villeneuve-Minervois then Cabrespine. 17 km NE of Carcassonne. (43.3593310, 2.4570863)
Open:	08-FEB to 08-DEC daily. See online booking for exact times. [2025]
Fee:	Adults EUR 15.20, Children (13-17) EUR 11.60, Children (5-12) EUR 9.40, Children (0-4) free, Student (-25) EUR 13.60, Senior (65+) EUR 13.60, Disabled EUR 13.60. Audioguide JUL to AUG EUR 1.50. Accro Cave: Adults EUR 48. Underground River: Adults EUR 58. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave Biggest Underground Chambers
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	L=22,700 m, VR=255 m, A=424 m asl, T=14 °C. Largest Chamber: V=1,600,000 m³, VR=250 m.
Guided tours:	D=50 min. Audioguides: Accro Cave: D=2.5 h, MaxWeight=110 kg, MinHeight=1.60 m, MinAge=12. Underground River: D=3 h, MaxWeight=110 kg, MinHeight=1.50 m, MinAge=10.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Gouffre Géant de Cabrespine, 11160 Cabrespine, Tel: +33-468-261422, Tel: +33-468-261420. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1959	dye tracing experiment to determine the course of the underground river.
1968	discovery of the river passage and a passage at the bottom of the Gouffre.
1972	first ascent on the wall of the Gouffre and discovery of the upper part and the salle rouge (Red Room).
1981	Michel Siffre visits the upper part of the chasm.
1987	begin of development as a show cave.
1988	opened to the public.
1996	tour path extended to the salle rouge (Red Room).
2015	construction of balcon de verre (Glass Balcony).
2018	construction of the belvédère des disques (Discs Belvedere).
2019	Adventures Parc (Accro Cave Tour) created.
2024	construction of the Observatoire des Aragonites (Aragonite Observatory).
2025	construction of the Galerie des Cristaux (Crystal Gallery).

Description

The full name of the cave is Gouffre Géant de Cabrespine (Giant Hole of Cabrespine) but it seems the shorter form Gouffre de Cabrespine has become quite popular. Gouffre is the French word for abyss or pothole, and this cave is actually an abyss. They proudly give the size in cubic meters: it is 1,600,000 m³. This is currently [2025] rank 20 on the list of the largest chambers by volume, unfortunately they have failed to report their cave to the official list so that they are not listed.

The show cave offers three different tours, the first is the normal tourist route, the other two are cave trekking tours. The regular tour shows only a single huge cavern, 80 m long and 250 m deep, which is as high as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The tour enters this chamber high on one side, allowing the visitor to look down into forests of huge stalagmites. The trail was built on one side of the chamber with balconies which are about 200 m above the floor of the chasm. The most spectacular balcony is a sort of protruding half bridge which is called the Glass Balcony, as railings and floor are made of glass. It is not mandatory to walk on this balcony, even people who have no problem with heights can develop a fear of heights here. However, the view is magnificent. The visit takes 50 minutes and is a walk through the upper parts of the chasm. Since the tour was opened to the public there was a constant development of new balconies, which offer additional views on other cave parts. Numerous additions were made in the last 10 years.

One cave trekking tour is called Cabrespine’s Accro Cave and is an underground climbing experience which includes ziplines, monkey bridges, nepalese bridges, and wall progression. In other words it more like an underground via ferrata and requires the physical fiteness required for such activities. The second cave trekking tour is called The Underground River and includes an underground boat ride. It’s much less sportive than the other tour, nevertheless it’s a real cave trekking tour. Both tours require caving equipment and caving overall, helmet with headlamp, gloves, and harness are provided. As always good hiking shoes or gum boots, clothes to change, towel, and plastic bags for the dirty clothes are required. The tours are guided in French and there is no audioguide, so you should speak a little French to understand the guide.

The village is located in a valley at the foot of the Roc de l’Aigle, a limestone hill which is karstified and riddled with caves. The existence of the caves was known for a long time, some were used as shelters since prehistoric times. Excavations revealed prehistoric as well as Bronze Age remains. The caves also had an economic importance, especially as rivers and water are quite important. There is the river Clamoux which goes partly underground in a river sink or ponor at Reboul. This is actually the lowest level of Gouffre Géant de Cabrespine, the cave river where the boat tours are made. In 1540 millers of Villeneuve Minervois purchased this site with the plan to divert the bed of the river Clamoux and therefore preventing it from getting lost. But they were not successful. Much later, under Napoleon III, the road between Villeneuve and Cabrespine was built and blocked the ponor successfully. This road also closed the cave which was known as Gaougnas or Grotte de la Gaougnasse, which is the entrance of the lower level. Nevertheless, there were accidents, in 1880 a man fell into a daylight shaft and died. And in 1927 a man wanted to get rid of his dog and threw him into the shaft, but the dog returned unharmed through the Gaougnas cave.

Erosion and collapses shaped the land, and in 1928 the land of Mr Bordel right at the roadside collapsed and a cave opened up. He was curious and explored a few galleries, and realized it was the same cave, the Gaougnas. In the mid 1950s speleologists explored the caves, and finally they discovered the connection between the Gaougnas and the Barrenc. It seems they made a dye tracing experiment, and realized that there was a large subterranean network between Lastours and Cabrespine. They continued the exploration and finally in summer 1968 two speleologists discovered the Gouffre Géant de Cabrespine. Just to make it clear, Gouffre Géant de Cabrespine is the name of this huge chamber, not the name of the cave which is called Gaougnas.

Apart from guided tours an extended tour off the normal tourist section is also available. It lasts for 5 hours and takes place throughout the year. The five hour trips have to be booked in advance, 6 persons are required for the trip, but it is possible for individuals to join a larger group. Usual times are between 13:00 and 18:00 but other times are available.

Participants on these wild caving trips should be aware that part of the route is in the bed of an underground river, which is normally quite calm, but can be as deep as 30 cm and there is a risk of flooding. However this trip is well worth it as the striations in the underground canyon have to be seen to be believed, because the walls of the cave appear as blue marble.

Text by Tony Oldham (2003). With kind permission.