La Balme caves – Isle Crémieu and Pays des Couleurs
La Balme caves – Isle Crémieu and Pays des Couleurs
Here we are in the north of Isère, 30 kilometres east of Lyons. With their monumental porch sculpted out of the limestone cliffs of the Isle Crémieu plateau, the La Balme caves are astonishing for the wealth and diversity of their undergrounds galleries.
Used originally by prehistoric man as a shelter from the cold, the caves have been used for many different purposes over the centuries: a hiding-place for the Dauphiné smuggler Mandrin, a place of pilgrimage for King François I... and a dance hall for the local village!
Since 1807 they have been open to the public.
The tour of the caves starts in the surprisingly-vast dome room whose ceiling is an impressive forty metres high! Numerous galleries lead away from the dome room and they all have intriguing names, such as Mandrin Labyrinth, Lake Gallery, Desert Gallery... Admire the slow and meticulous work of running water!
Here are the basins; the blue of their waters contrasts with the twinkling white of the limestone. Stalactites and stalagmites are everywhere, and some of the largest are three metres high! Discover this underground world with a new lighting show. You'll find nothing like it anywhere in France.
So many lodgers!
Several rare bat species have been recorded in the caves, including the Greater Horseshoe Bat; many hundreds take refuge in the upper gallery which is now reserved solely for their use.
You can also see jackdaws, a type of crow, which nest in the entrance porch, as well as owls, spiders, niphargus and discreet cave-dwelling shrimps.
Contact
tel. +33(0)4 74 90 63 76
