Discover the fascinating world of speleo during your exploration of the Siech cave in Ariège! This initiation is ideal for families with children, groups of friends and all those curious about nature who wish to immerse themselves in the history of our planet.
Au programme de cette initiation, vous aurez l'opportunité de découvrir les secrets de la grotte de Siech. Cette cavité souterraine, d'une beauté époustouflante, vous permettra de vous émerveiller devant les différentes formes que peut prendre la roche. En compagnie de notre moniteur passionné et expérimenté, vous pourrez explorer les galeries souterraines et découvrir les trésors cachés de la grotte. Vous serez équipés de casques et de lampes frontales pour éclairer votre chemin.
You will be able to admire the concretions, stalactites and stalagmites that mark the route. The Siech cave is famous for its large room, with a vault height of more than 15 meters, where the walls are covered with calcite crystals. It is a magical spectacle that you are not ready to forget!
As you explore, you will learn more about the formation of underground cavities and the life that reigns there.
The different ecosystems present in the cave are home to unique fauna and flora, which you will have the chance to observe.
Our initiation is suitable for all levels and does not require any prior experience.
Our instructors will introduce you to the techniques of progression in an underground environment, in complete safety.
You will be able to learn to climb, crawl and progress in the different passages of the cave. You will overcome each of the obstacles at your level and fully enjoy your experience.
The Siech Cave is a place steeped in history and prehistory, offering a fascinating dive into the life of Magdalenians
and the evolution of the region through the ages.
Come discover these traces of the past and learn to understand them during your exploration.
This introduction to caving is an unforgettable experience to enjoy with family or friends. You will leave the Siech cave with your head full of memories and a new passion for caving.
Don't wait any longer, come and discover the magic of the Siech cave with Speleo Canyon Ariege!
Don't forget to book your activity in advance to ensure you have a place on this exciting adventure!
Crossing the underground river of Vicdessos
Crossing the underground river of Vicdessos in Ariège is an incredible experience for caving enthusiasts, sportsmen, adventurers, families and groups of friends in search of thrills and discovery of nature. This activity, offered by Speleo Canyon Ariège, is ideal for discovering all the richness, beauty and variety of the underground environment in a friendly and fun atmosphere.
Le parcours débutant permet de s'initier aux techniques de progression souterraines telles que la descente en rappel, les resserrements, les laminoirs, les désescalades, les oppositions et les glissades aquatiques. L'équipe de moniteurs expérimentés vous accompagne tout au long de la traversée, vous dévoilant les méthodes d'exploration et d'orientation afin que vous puissiez prendre la tête de l'équipe pour terminer la traversée par vous-même.
We will welcome you in the garden of our center Speleo Canyon Ariege in front of a small coffee or fruit juice in order to present the activity and the topography of the cavity to make you feel super comfortable. To fully enjoy this experience, we will then provide you with suitable clothing (caving suit, river shoes, full harness and helmet with electric lighting)...
and the adventure begins!!
After a short approach walk in the forest, the cave finally opens up in the heart of the Ariège jungle. You will reach the 3 small easy abseil descents of 4, 10 and 3 meters, then engage in the passage of the "serpentine" to reach the large rooms of the cave.
The main underground river awaits you for a tonic descent through the large galleries. You will cross wet vaults and many water slides before ending in the mineral canyon, a unique experience that will remain etched in your memory.
Le canyon souterrain est une aventure originale, facile et accessible à tous, mais qui n'en reste pas moins riche en sensations. Vous pourrez admirer les merveilles de la nature sous un autre angle, découvrir les jeux de lumières et d'ombres, et peut-être même apercevoir quelques chauves-souris.
Crossing the underground river of Vicdessos in Ariège is an activity not to be missed if you are looking for adventure, discovery and thrills. With Speleo Canyon Ariège, you can live a unique experience, accompanied by a team of passionate and experienced professionals.
So don't hesitate any longer, book your adventure now and dive into the fascinating world of caving!
Caving bivouac at Bufo Fret
Two days underground in the Bufo Fret network
An expedition in preparation
Let's get back to the root of the matter; what is an expedition? According to Larousse, an expedition is, among other things; "A scientific trip to a remote or difficult country, or a more or less important or eventful tourist trip; men and equipment participating in this trip: Expedition to the South Pole."Of course, we didn't go to the South Pole, but as for the eventful part, why not. Bivouacking in the Bufo Fret network is no small feat. Olivier was the first to be motivated by the adventure, he took his son Baptiste and Benoît, a friend, with him. Sandrine also joined the project. At the last minute, Morgan saw the event on social media and without hesitating for a second came to complete the team. We had our motivated team, we just had to take care of the logistics. We had to gather the necessary equipment; suits, harnesses, helmets, lights, sleeping bags... And also food for two days underground. I was in charge of preparing food for the group and ensuring media coverage of the event, camera in hand. Rod went out several times to scout the terrain, he identified the key places and the location of the bivouac. We met in Bugarach on Saturday morning, 10am.
Together, we took care of packing the things. Sleeping bags, spare clothes, food, ropes and first aid kit. It's complicated to pack bags for an expedition like this. You can't forget anything but you need the minimum, because caving bags require special attention and management. You have to take the bags with you, and that's no easy task through the bowels of the Earth. Rod explained to us how to manage the bags, a sort of third arm for the caving expert. We managed to have an acceptable number of bags, with everything we needed inside. We set off for the entrance to the Bufo Fret network.
First day underground
A short approach walk put us right in the bath, the entrance to the cave was there. Head first we throw ourselves into the unknown. At first the excitement and the management of the bags dominate the activity. We arrive in "the lake of the elves", we splash around in the water, the rock gives us a few tastes of what nature underground can offer us but no elves. We eat a bite near the lake. It is time for the first rope climb. And yes, the originality of this network is to go back up into the mountain.
Climbing a rope is one thing, our team was well briefed by Rod, we save ourselves, there is no performance to follow, we have to master the technique in order to climb up without burning ourselves out completely at the start of the exploration of the network. But lifting the bags is another matter. A team member climbs, he is followed by a bag at the end of a rope mounted on the pulley. This passage finished, we attack the section called "Pearl Harbor". A little more technical, we have to slip into a narrower passage by passing the bags to each other. A great action! The team spirit is at its best, we laugh, we sweat, the bags are passed from one hand to another, we climb into the network and we arrive at the "Grand Balcon". From there, vacation! The bags are taken up to the "Galerie des Sables", where we will be bivouac, and we can set off again to explore the network.
Another short rope climb and we enter the "Spike Gallery". The atmosphere is superb, there are seven of us underground explorers, concretions everywhere are arranged like theatrical performances by Mother Nature, with each step we discover new shapes. It's quite big and to get our bearings Rod brought with him his tablet and a PDF version of the network topography that can be enlarged to 400%. Technology is beautiful!
We discover with amusement the names given to the different parts of the network, not always funny like "the brown plague" or more cheerful; "the boubou network". For the moment it would seem that we are in the "Gallery of the Intraterrestrials". We continue to advance, we go from fairly large rooms to narrower sections, we pay attention where we put our feet. Sometimes large faults dig the ground and we can't see the bottom. It's an adventure!
In the "Galerie des petits gris", we arrive at the big clay slide. Before going there, Rod tells us that he has not gone any further in his previous explorations of the cavity. He is, like us, facing the unknown and therefore facing discovery. Going up a clay slide is not the best idea you've ever had. Rod finds a passage, we slip through, we arrive in front of a rolling mill, a passage that can be wide but has a low ceiling, we are forced to move by crawling. We come out of there above the slide, bet won! We continue, intoxicated by the discovery and the unknown.
Using the tablet, we can tell that we are making this big 360° turn, for now it's going well, everyone is smiling, everyone wants to continue. But after a few moments we find ourselves facing a crevasse where we are moving in opposition, with a little gas under our feet and it seems that we can't go very far without exposing ourselves dangerously. Rod decides to turn around, explaining to us that it is the lot of speleologists to have to give up without having seen the bottom. It is rare to see the bottom. So we go the other way, we go up or down ropes, we arrive at the bivouac. The notion of time has completely disappeared in our team.
At the bivouac, it's a question of setting up a place marked out before by Rod for the pee area, taking off the wetsuits to put on dry clothes, preparing the meal. On a tarpaulin we spread a nice tablecloth, we lay out the food. The sausage, the liver sausage, the Provençal marinated anchovies, a few radishes, cherry tomatoes, olives, a goat's cheese and a cow-sheep toudeille, the leek and potato soup, my grandmother's recipe, heats up on a stove. We eat with good appetite, everyone is smiling but fatigue is present. We have trekked eight hours in the network and when the soup arrives it is appreciated by all. A small glass of Gaillac to get the most valiant back on their feet, we laugh around the table, we recover from a great day exploring. We set up camp, a collective tent is moored in the middle of the beautiful "sand gallery", all our explorers settle in except Baptiste who is determined to face the night underground alone, but still right next to the others.
Second day underground
The night was marked by sporadic unidentified snoring, maybe the cave bear? We didn't wake up early, we had coffee and breakfast, then we tidied up the camp, repacked everything in the bags that had become lighter. The goal is to leave no trace of our passage so as not to disturb the underground world. Before leaving the "Sand Gallery", we will push a little into this gallery, to see what is further.
We pass through a rolling mill and arrive in a beautiful little room where the rock takes on unsuspected shapes. Further on, the rolling mill is too narrow for us to venture inside. We turn around and return to our bivouac. Once the reconditioning exercise is done, we can lower the bags at the crossroads between the return path and the ropes to climb up to the "Galerie des piques" from where we push on to the "Galerie blanche".
What is superb in the Bufo Fret network is that each gallery has a very particular style, the landscape is never the same and we constantly discover the different cave landscapes. The white gallery, almost unknown to Rod, is quite narrow, uneven, beautiful finely chiseled concretions extend into the rock, the atmosphere is more electric. We go up, we pass in opposition some places and then we find ourselves at the well.
It's hard to go any further, so we turn around. We find our bags and the location is ideal for a picnic lunch. All we have to do is cross "Pearl Harbor" again, the memory of which remains vivid in our minds. Strangely enough, the descent was very quick and without much difficulty. We found the lake again after rappelling down what we had climbed the day before with a rope. We found the exit under a bright sun, the beach under our bags and we went back down to the car to change, put away our gear, drink a beer and smile and chat about this outing.
An expedition like this does not leave you indifferent. The notion of time escapes, telephones no longer exist, the link with the outside world is completely cut, we are in a hostile and foreign world, far from home. We face ourselves, our fears and our desires but we are well surrounded. It is a beautiful experience and an intense piece of life. With the right team, it is a shared pleasure! If you like adventure and discovery, do not hesitate to inquire about our next bivouac expeditions!
Text, photo credit, drawing and video: Arthur Serres
Family expedition to the Siech cave
The Siech cave, family caving
The Siech Cave does not require rappelling or any rope technique whatsoever. No, the Siech Cave is a horizontal progression through a cavity full of wonders for adults and children! We welcomed a family with two little ones who we dressed as miners without picks and we went to see the treasures of the cave!
It is an easy route where you can discover the incredible shapes that the rock takes underground. Stalactites, stalagmites, columns, drinking fountains, you can find everything in the Siech cave! Filled with the unsuspected beauties of the underground world, everyone is amazed.
It’s a journey through the ages of the Earth. Our little ones listened fascinated as Rod talked about the geological formation of the mountains, ancestors of our world. A journey through time, a discovery, a change of scenery, an adventure with the whole family, from the youngest to the oldest. For a unique family outing, don’t wait any longer and come with us on May 29, 2019 to the Siech cave!
What is caving?
But what is caving?
Hello to all adventurers and nature lovers!
Are you looking for an activity that combines exploration, discovery and thrills? Then caving is for you! And if you want to live a unique and unforgettable experience, the Ariège Pyrenees are the ideal destination for this activity.
What is caving?
Caving is the activity of exploring underground caves. These caves are natural formations that have been created over time, thanks to geological processes such as erosion and the dissolution of rocks. They are often composed of limestone, a rock that dissolves easily in water. Underground caves are therefore often formed by water infiltrating the rocks and gradually dissolving them.
The Pyrenees, an ideal playground for caving
The Pyrenees are a mountain range that extends over more than 430 kilometers, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. This mountain range is characterized by great geological diversity, which has allowed the formation of numerous underground cavities. The Pyrenees therefore offer a variety of sites suitable for caving, suitable for all levels.
Prehistory in the Pyrenees
Caving in the Pyrenees is also a unique opportunity to discover the history of humanity. The Pyrenees have been inhabited since prehistoric times, and many caves contain rock paintings and engravings, evidence of the first civilizations. The caves of Niaux, Mas d'Azil and Bedeilhac are perfect examples. Caving therefore allows you to discover exceptional historical sites, while enjoying a sporting activity in the great outdoors.
The geology of the Pyrenees
Caving in the Pyrenees also allows you to discover the unique geological formations of this region. The Pyrenees are characterized by limestone, marble and schist formations, which offer a great variety of landscapes. Caves and underground cavities are therefore privileged places to discover the geological wealth of the Pyrenees.
Caving, an activity accessible to all
Caving is often seen as an activity reserved for the bravest and most athletic. But in reality, it is accessible to everyone, provided you are well supervised and equipped. Professional guides are there to accompany and guide you, to allow you to discover the underground cavities in complete safety. It is also important to be well equipped with a helmet, a headlamp, suitable shoes and a harness.
In addition to the sporting and exploration aspect, caving is also an opportunity to reconnect with nature and discover sublime landscapes, often inaccessible otherwise. Professional guides will also be able to share their passion for the geology and prehistory of the region.
In short, caving in the Pyrenees is an exceptional activity that allows you to discover unique geological formations, fascinating prehistoric sites and live unforgettable experiences. Don't hesitate any longer and set off on an adventure in the Pyrenees for an unforgettable caving experience! And if you are a beginner or hesitant, don't worry, there are courses adapted to all levels. Whether you are looking for thrills or a discovery experience with family or friends, caving in the Pyrenees is an activity not to be missed.
Don't hesitate any longer and come and discover the hidden beauty of the Ariège Pyrenees during your next caving adventure!