Exploration Tour:

Just like the day it was discovered

Imagine you’re an explorer… You do not need to be an expert caver – professional instructors will show you an effortless way to descend the 75 metres into the natural well. Join the first expedition alongside Louis Armand, Edouard-Alfred Martel and Armand Viré, the inventor of biospeleology.

View the video of the descent into the chasm via the natural well of the Aven Armand

“It’s huge! Superb! A real forest of stone. It’s splendid, Mr. Martel, there are at least 100 columns. The tallest must be about 25 metres. I’ve never seen anything like this!” Those were the words exclaimed by Louis Armand after his 75-metre descent into the unexplored darkness of the Aven Armand, named after him.

One of the most impressive chasm descents in France and the entire World.

The descent into the Aven Armand is open to everyone aged 12 years and up. You do not need to be an expert caver – professional instructors will show you an effortless way to descend the 75 metres into the natural well. You’ll find yourself looking down on a forest of 400 stalagmites. Alone in the Aven Armand, you won’t hear a sound other than the dripping of water…

Once inside the cave, you will explore this Treasure of the Earth and Time by the light of your headlamps, gradually emerging from the darkness thanks to targeted lighting and the explanations of your guide.

For those who prefer not to make the historic descent down the natural shaft, it is possible to join the day’s explorers at the bottom of the chasm on foot, via the funicular tunnel, and then continue the discovery together—just like on that Sunday in September 1897…

After approximately 2 hours of exploration, you will return to the surface via the funicular, emerging “as if in a dream,” just as Édouard-Alfred Martel described. Your adventure continues at the Spéléo Café, where you will receive your Exploration Certificate.

www.millau-viaduc-tourisme.fr/visite-exploration-de-l-aven-armand

Prices, Times, Duration of the Exploration Tour

Explore the Aven Armand by descending into the chasm via the same natural well as the first explorers. Relive the expedition as experienced by Louis Armand when he first discovered it.

Duration : 2h00

Prices 2026 :

Descent via the natural shaft: €85.00
Descent on foot through the tunnel: €45.00

Includes:

rental of equipment for the shaft descent and the visit
Exploration Certificate
one hot or cold drink per person served at the Spéléo Café at the end of the visit

Time :