Your campsite near Gouffre géant de Cabrespine

Just 31 km from your Martinet Rouge campsite in the Aude, the giant chasm of Cabrespine, a geological wonder, awaits you in the heart of the Montagne Noire. Located above the village of Cabrespine, this is one of the world’s largest caves open to the public. One of Aude’ s must-see attractions!

Graced with impressive dimensions (80 m wide by 250 m deep), it is home to remarkably rich concretions such as the exceptionally large aragonites.

History of the discovery of Cabrespine

Cabesprine chasm — @les amis du Gouffre géant de Cabesprine

It was discovered relatively recently by amateur speleologists in 1970, although texts refer to it in the 16th century. Excavations have uncovered remains attesting to human occupation of the cave (pottery-tools).

Videos credit SETSN_Dare Pixel

The chasm is linked to the Gaougnas rock shelter – through which the visit opens – known as the “Reboul” hole, already well known to the locals.

It was under Napoleon that this cavity was filled in to allow a road to be built. But the waters of the “Clamoux” river continued to flow and cut a passage through the cave. This will lead to the collapse of the land adjacent to the road at the entrance to the village.

Until its discovery, no one had been able to link the chasm and the Gaougnas cave, although many people suspected that a passage existed.

Cabesprine chasm in the Aude department — Glass balcony – Photograph by Giles DESCHAMPS for SETSN

In 1959, two cavers succeeded in making the junction between the Gaougnas and another cavity called the Barrenc, but it was not until ten years later that two other cavers succeeded in forcing the passage and discovered the giant chasm.

This natural treasure trove is renowned for the quality and variety of its concretions: disks, eccentrics, columns, waterfalls, speleothems, draperies, aragonites…The iron and manganese present in the waters that dug the galleries have coloured the concretions bright ochre, which can be seen in the so-called red room.

Visit one of Aude’s most beautiful caves

Don’t hesitate to visit the giant Cabrespine chasm, with its 25 km of galleries, and take part in the underground safaris, discovery tours open to the public that plunge you even deeper into this original world during an expedition lasting around 5 hours. You don’t need any special skills to make this circuit.