Inspiration for caving holidays abroad?

[CavingForLemons]

Hi All!

Once again calling on the forum for holiday planning advice!

A small group of friends are hoping to go abroad for caving, most likely in early October. We go away together every year, and so far we've been to Ardeche, Doubs, PSM and the Berger in France and speleocamp Laze in Slovenia.

Where would you recommend we go to next?

Our ideal criteria:
- still warm/good weather in October
- some bigger caving trips, although we're only going for a week so nothing that requires an extended rig/derig this year
- canyoning options
- not super far from the UK (we usually drive out as it's easier with kit and transport once we're out there)

Thanks in advance! Looking forward to hearing about your favourite caving holidays

 

[langcliffe]

Réseau de la Dent de Crolles in Chartreuse would seem to fit your requirements?

 

[CavingForLemons]

Réseau de la Dent de Crolles in Chartreuse would seem to fit your requirements?

Love your website! I've used it for hiking in the area before, although not for caving yet... Maybe this year is the year!

 

[Lankyman]

I haven't caved in Mallorca but there was a recent thread about it

Thread 'Caving in Mallorca advice?'

Dec 8, 2025

Hi, going on a canyoning trip to Mallorca in January and hoping to get a few caves done too. I've heard amazing things about the caves there but I'm struggling to find info on them. Does anyone have any advice for which ones are best, where to find location info, etc?

Thanks Any other must-dos on the island also welcome

• thehungrytroglobite
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Rest of The World

Weather should be good and the climbing and walking are top notch. Lots of accommodation but driving there not really an option. Plenty of reasonable car hire if you can get your gear out on the flight.

 

[Maisie Syntax]

Leck? Or, failing that...... Dowlas?

 

[mikem]

Isn't dowlas still in Yorkshire...?

 

[langcliffe]

Love your website! I've used it for hiking in the area before, although not for caving yet... Maybe this year is the year!

You would not be disappointed. It has some brilliant caving. If you like the harder stuff, you will probably enjoy the Gouffre Thérèse and Gouffre Bob Vouay pull-throughs to Guiers Mort. Both are equipped with traverse lines and chains, with the occasional route signage.

 

[HeathJ]

Not fitting with your requirement to drive, however: I can highly recommend Sardinia in October. We've previously done this in a group of 4 and found it pretty cheap (below £400 per person for 10 days). There's plenty to do that doesn't require huge quantities of gear, with Su Bentu (see a recent descent, which I can't remember the issue number of..) being a particular highlight! Plenty of opportunity in there for long trips. The same with Su Palu. The Imperial College Caving Club reports can be a good starting point.
Lots of dry canyoning, which imo is perfectly entertaining if viewed as a "more exciting walk". Some wet canyoning, though not entirely close to the caves mentioned above.

 

[Badlad]

Does Swaledale fit the bill. I see in Descent it has become a bit of a caving holiday destination

 

[Leclused]

If you want an overload of aragonite then Hérault and Aude are the departments in France you need to go to. But for most of the cave you'll have to contact the local clubs.

Fe Mont Marcou (green aragonite) can be visit, al info via Visites Mont Marcou (but even for 2026 you are alreayd to late)

But there are a lot of caves with aragonite and also some very sportive trips possible.

Check out our club page for a small descriptions of some caves there europeand caves visited by Sc Avalon

 

[Lankyman]

You've been to the Berger but have you done anything else in the Vercors? I had two weeks there once and barely scratched the surface (no pun intended!). We camped on a site at La Chapelle. I've also caved on the French/Italian border in the Marguareis but that was quite high up and might be a bit cold in October?

 

[Huge]

Leck? Or, failing that...... Dowlas?

Great male voice choir!

 

[Ouan]

.... I've also caved on the French/Italian border in the Marguareis but that was quite high up and might be a bit cold in October?

One of the guidebooks to the Marguareis advises leaving one driver per car on the surface if caving in late autumn, so that vehicles can be taken down off the hill if it starts snowing. Cavers have had their vehicles stuck on the massif until the following June because it snowed while they were underground.

 

[Lankyman]

One of the guidebooks to the Marguareis advises leaving one driver per car on the surface if caving in late autumn, so that vehicles can be taken down off the hill if it starts snowing. Cavers have had their vehicles stuck on the massif until the following June because it snowed while they were underground.

I can well believe this, it's an alpine environment up there. Our visit was in July. I thought the drive up the dirt road to our camp on the col was hair raising. Most of us got out to walk past the worst parts - no point all of us going over the side!

 

[cap n chris]

Unfortunately Lanzarote (now it has been awarded an International Geopark status) is very much a no-can-do place regarding recreational caving as they've introduced eye watering fines for even the caves that aren't inside the national park, apparently 3,000-15,000 Euros. Hopefully I'll be able to photograph a sign sometime soon to corroborate this information.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Another vote for the Vercors, there's even an english language guidebook. Lots of canyoning as well.

If you're interested in diving you can do a scuba dive in an underground lake, just like cave diving (underwater formations), but good visibility and less risky as you can go up to the surface see https://www.vercors-plongee.com/caverne/

 

[Leclused]

Another vote for the Vercors, there's even an english language guidebook. Lots of canyoning as well.

If you're interested in diving you can do a scuba dive in an underground lake, just like cave diving (underwater formations), but good visibility and less risky as you can go up to the surface see https://www.vercors-plongee.com/caverne/

And when you are in the vercors area a visit to this museum is a must : Cave bear museum perhaps on the way back because it's more to the north (Chartreuse I think)

 

[langcliffe]

And when you are in the vercors area a visit to this museum is a must : Cave bear museum perhaps on the way back because it's more to the north (Chartreuse I think)

I endorse that recommendation. It's a fascinating place.

The Musée de l'Ours des Cavernes en Chartreuse is a modern and well-designed museum in Épernay, and was specifically created to exhibit some of the large number of cave bear skeletons discovered in the Grotte de la Balme à Collomb in 1998 on Mont Granier, and the context in which they were found. Some 12,000 bones were found from just 10% of the cave's floor area that was excavated. It is estimated that cave bears were using the chambers for hibernation for over 20,000 years.

You actually pass through the cave on one of the walking routes up Mont Granier (but not the bear chambers, which are well and truly locked-off!).

 

[Lankyman]

It is estimated that cave bears were using the chambers for hibernation for over 20,000 years.

They must have been quite hungry when they woke up

 

[alanw]

There's a Vercors resistance museum, too. In 1944 the Vercors was the site of a premature resistance uprising by the Maquis against the Nazis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vercors