La Verna cave An exceptional geological site in the Basque Country

Opening hours

Open

  • Monday 09:00 am - 01:00 pm 01:30 pm - 06:00 pm
  • Tuesday 09:00 am - 01:00 pm 01:30 pm - 06:00 pm
  • Wednesday 09:00 am - 01:00 pm 01:30 pm - 06:00 pm
  • Thursday 09:00 am - 01:00 pm 01:30 pm - 06:00 pm
  • Friday 09:00 am - 01:00 pm 01:30 pm - 06:00 pm
  • Saturday 09:00 am - 01:00 pm 01:30 pm - 06:00 pm
  • Sunday 09:00 am - 01:00 pm 01:30 pm - 06:00 pm

Closes at 01:00 pm

On social networks

Useful information

  • Qualité Tourisme
  • Tourisme & Handicap

Location : Mountain

Province : Soule

Services

  • Bank cards accepted
  • Chèques Vacances (Holiday voucher)
  • Disable access
  • English spoken
  • Groups
  • Parking
  • Spanish spoken
  • English
    • Visit the largest underground room in the world open to the public! Tourist Cave / Speleological Adventures in the heart of the Gouffre de la Pierre Saint-Martin.

      Whatever the type of visit, you will discover, in La Verna, one of the magical places for tourism in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

      Whether it is for a family visit, for school groups or to experience a sporting adventure between hiking and climbing, you will keep an unforgettable memory of your tourist stay in the heart of the mountains. The underground adventure awaits you.

      In the heart of the limestone mountains of Haute-Soule and Barétous, La Verna is an exceptional geological site, with extraordinary volumes, which give it a worldwide reputation. The extraordinary human adventure linked to the discovery of La Verna will be the common thread of your visit.

      BY RESERVATION ONLY.

      SIGHTSEEING TOURS


      • Discovery

      1 hour + cave access (minimum age: 5 years)
      Guided and commented tour on a secure 800 m (one way) route, accessible to people with reduced mobility.

      Price: €19 per adult / €12 per child


      • River

      1h30 + cave access (minimum age: 7 years)
      After discovering the room, irregular stairs cut into the rock allow you to access the river and the catchment.

      Price: €24 per adult / €17 per child

      • Exploration

      2 hours + cave access (minimum age: 10 years)

      You leave the tourist development for an underground exploration suitable for all levels. Trousers required.

      Price: €29 per adult / €22 per child

      CAVING ADVENTURE

      Whatever the visit, we enter into a caving adventure where team spirit , cohesion and adaptation are fundamental. The guide reserves the right to adapt the route according to the conditions (weather, participants, etc.).


      Access from the reception to the entrance of the cave is with your own car.

      • Knight

      3 hours + cave access (minimum age: 12 years)

      Sporty caving hike, off trail (scree and blocks)

      Price: €50


      • Adelie

      5h + cave access (minimum age: 14 years)

      Sporty and technical caving hike, off trail (scree and blocks)

      Price: €68

      • Aranzadi

      5h + cave access (minimum age: 14 years)

      Sporty and technical caving hike (80m safe climbing)

      Price: €68

      • Arphidia

      5h + cave access (minimum age: 14 years)

      Technical caving route. Aerial handrails and abseiling (maximum 8m).

      Price: €68

      • Adventure Mix

      8h + cave access (minimum age: 16 years)

      Combination of the tours Chevalier Aranzadi or Chevalier Arphidia or Aranzadi Arphidia.

      Price: €86

      • Great Halls

      8h + cave access (minimum age: 16 years)

      Enduring and sporty caving hike (varied progression on scree and blocks).

      Price: €86

      • Huet

      8h + cave access (minimum age: 16 years)

      Approach walk and technical caving route, abseiling (maximum 35m) and narrow passages to reach La Verna.

      Package: €500

      • Lépineux

      8h + cave access (minimum age: 16 years)

      Enduring and sporty caving hike (varied progression on scree and blocks) to reach the base of the Pierre Saint-Martin chasm.

      Package: €500


      Find it on the Guide du Pays Basque's Blog...

      Unusual adventure in the bowels of the Earth: La Grotte de la Verna
  • Français
  • Español
  • Deutsch
  • Euskara

Traveller Reviews La Verna cave

4.6 sur 5 1053 reviews

  • Dany Thuillier

    5 sur 5 Reviews posted by Dany Thuillier on 09/05/2025

  • Egoitz1987 Ochoa

    5 sur 5 Reviews posted by Egoitz1987 Ochoa on 22/04/2025

    A pass. It is a unique activity that is very worthwhile. The cavity is so large that it is even difficult to process... very accessible to all audiences, they show you a video explaining how the expedition that found the cave was. The guy, very nice, makes the visit in French and Spanish, which is very appreciated and he makes an effort to explain everything so that there are no doubts. The normal visit is "Discovery", you have to get the tickets online

  • Sébastien Guillevic

    5 sur 5 Reviews posted by Sébastien Guillevic on 17/04/2025

    Amazing visit.

Traveller Reviews La Verna cave

4.6 sur 5 298 reviews

  • "Incredible! Biggest cave in world accesable easily to public"

    5 / 5 Reviews posted by alastair s (Menditte, France) on 10/11/2018

    Choice of mind blowing visits, standard, where you emerge from a tunnel into a space that would swallow St Paul’s cathedral, advanced, where you wear a harness, hard hat and acetylene head flame and...

    Read the full review
  • "Incredible tour of largest cavity open to the public in the world"

    5 / 5 Reviews posted by 2hermes (Perth, Australia) on 12/07/2018

    This was an extraordinary experience. Although I am troubled by claustrophobia I not only managed the 800 metre tunnel to reach the grotto, but I was almost overwhelmed with the immensity of this...

    Read the full review
  • "The Best Tour Ever"

    5 / 5 Reviews posted by Tina-Charlot (Chamonix, France) on 04/11/2017

    Great tour. The guide is very knowledgeable & helpful. The grotte is amazing, can't believe it isn't more well-known...

    Read the full review

Ride around

De Sainte-Engrâce à La Pierre-Saint-Martin

De Sainte-Engrâce à La Pierre-Saint-Martin
De Sainte-Engrâce à La Pierre-Saint-Martin

885 m - Sainte-Engrâce

Walking

VTTAE N°4 - Les crêtes d'Issarbe

VTTAE N°4 - Les crêtes d'Issarbe
VTTAE N°4 - Les crêtes d'Issarbe

3,2 km - Sainte-Engrâce

Electrically assisted bicycle

VTT N°4 - Crêtes d'Issarbe

VTT N°4 - Crêtes d'Issarbe
VTT N°4 - Crêtes d'Issarbe

3,2 km - Sainte-Engrâce

Velo hybrid Bike / road

To discover around

La Verna cave

La Verna cave
La Verna cave

Visit the largest underground room in the world open to the public! Tourist Cave / Speleological Adventures in the ...

3 m - Sainte-Engrâce

La Verna cave

La Verna cave
La Verna cave

Visit the largest underground room in the world open to the public! Tourist Cave / Speleological Adventures in the ...

8 m - Sainte-Engrâce

Gorges de Kakuetta

Gorges de Kakuetta
Gorges de Kakuetta

In the heart of the Soule, the Kakuetta Gorges were dug by the Gave de Sainte-Engrace. They form an extraordinary ...

1,9 km - Sainte-Engrâce

Sainte Engrace

Sainte Engrace
Sainte Engrace

In the heart of the Basque mountain and a magnificent mountainous cirque, discover Sainte-Engrace, one of the most ...

2,2 km - Sainte-Engrâce

The Holzarte suspension bridge

The Holzarte suspension bridge
The Holzarte suspension bridge

CAR ACCESS Leave the car in the parking spaces available near the departmental road (D26). Then, access on foot via ...

8,3 km - Larrau

loading... map preview

La Verna cave

Address

Espace d'accueil Arrakotchepla
64560 Sainte-Engrâce

Contacts

Phone : 05 59 28 34 02

Cell : 06 37 88 29 05

GPS coordinates

42° 59'46.1"N, 0° 49'15.97"W

We tested for you

Unusual adventure in the bowels of the Earth: La Grotte de la Verna

Unusual adventure in the bowels of the Earth: La Grotte de la Verna
Unusual adventure in the bowels of the Earth:  ...

2,2 km - Sainte-Engrâce

The Holzarte footbridge: a breathtaking discovery of the Olhadubi Gorge

The Holzarte footbridge: a breathtaking discovery of the Olhadubi Gorge
The Holzarte footbridge: a breathtaking discov ...

11,2 km - Larrau

Eztigar: Taste the traditional Basque cider, Sagarnoa!

Eztigar: Taste the traditional Basque cider, Sagarnoa!
Eztigar: Taste the traditional Basque cider, S ...

29,2 km - Saint-Just-Ibarre

The Basque Country Cheese Route, an enchanting road trip around Ossau Iraty

The Basque Country Cheese Route, an enchanting road trip around Ossau Iraty
The Basque Country Cheese Route, an enchanting ...

33,5 km - Larceveau-Arros-Cibits

10 villages of the Inland Basque country that will leave you speechless!

10 villages of the Inland Basque country that will leave you speechless!
10 villages of the Inland Basque country that  ...

38,7 km - Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

You will also like

Little Tourist Train

Little Tourist Train
Little Tourist Train

In the heart of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the train excursion allows you to discover the Mansart house, the Nive, the ...

38,7 km - Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

MEHAKA - Espace historique

MEHAKA - Espace historique
MEHAKA - Espace historique

The town of Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry invites you to discover the history of Lower Navarre and the village through ...

46,9 km - Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry

Gramont Castle

Gramont Castle
Gramont Castle

Listed as a Historic Monument, the Gramont Castle offers a journey through time ! We embark on six centuries of ...

60,4 km - Bidache

The March of the Witches - Herri Alde

The March of the Witches - Herri Alde
The March of the Witches - Herri Alde

The Witches’ March (from the beginning of March to the end of October): Guided Walk between Sare & Zugarramurdi ...

68,0 km - Sare

Lau Raconte Visite

Lau Raconte Visite
Lau Raconte Visite

HELLO!!! AND WELCOME TO THE BASQUE COUNTRY! Laura is a qualified tour guide with a passion for history - both big ...

74,2 km - Arcangues