Program

• August 1, 2022
  • Your voyage will start at 8am on the parking of Savoie Technolac in Bourget-du- Lac, the city where the UIS Congress takes place and where you’ll get on the bus.
  • After Lyon, the bus will aim South, following the Rhone Valley down to the Mediterranean sea, then West and along the Pyrenees, to reach the Nouvelle Aquitaine region.
  • South of the region, on the borders of Bearn and Pays Basque, you’ll be accommodated in the Chateau de Libarrenx in rooms from two to four persons.

• August 2, 2022
  • After a good meal and a confortable night, in the morning you’ll discover the karst of the Pierre Saint Martin and the Lepineux pit : historic access to Saint Martin cave system.
  • The afternoon will be dedicated to the visit of the Verna Chamber. A tunnel, 660 meters long will lead you to one of the largest underground chamber in Europe : length 255m, width 245m and height 194m.
  • If you want, you can climb down to the bottom of the chamber, to the famous “pebble beach”(difficulty level 3), following in the footsteps of the discoverers.
  • From the footbridges, you’ll admire the waterfall, the Aranzadi Galery, the Hercynian discordance and the power station water intake, perfectly fitted in the environment.
  • The visits will be guided and commented by Roger Maire, internationally recognized geologist, who will point out some surprising observations.

• Auguts 3, 2022
  • You’ll visit the “grotte des Eaux-Chaudes” (Warm-waters Cave) Difficulty level 2.
  • The cave was fitted out for visitors at the instigation of the Empress Eugénie de Montijo in1854. Vestiges of these installations can still be seen on the spot.
  • The fittest among you might feel like hiking on the “sentier des fenetres”, an impressive trail. Difficulty level 4.

• August 4, 2022
  • On the fourth day, you’ll live a great moment of conviviality following in the footsteps of the pilgrims on the path to Saint Jacques de Compostelle (camino de Santiago).
  • You’ll walk from Ostabat to Saint Jean Pied de Port which is a 21 kilometres walk. Difficulty level 2; it will take you more or less 6 hours through countryside across the Pyrenean foothills.

• August 5, 2022
  • On this day, you’ll leave the Pyrenees Atlantiques northward. You’ll drive through the biggest man-grown forest in Europe : the pine forest of Landes. You’ll then reach the Dordogne, formerly called Perigord well known for its prehistoric spots, land of castles and wines.
  • You’ll be welcomed in the camping site of Fournet’s farm in Tursac and housed in bungalows or mobile homes from 2 to 4 persons each.

• August 6, 2022
  • You’ll be lead in the footprints of parietal art discoverers in “the Valley of Mankind”. You’ll see the replica of Lascaux Cave, only a few hundred meters from the original (-19000 years), down to the “100 Mammoths” cave, painted 13000 years ago.

• August 7, 2022
  • You’ll be out in the sun for a day trip visiting castles and rivers in the Dordogne valley from Sarlat to Bergerac.

• August 8, 2022
  • You’ll visit the city of Sarlat la Caneda, Castelnaud-la-Chapelle castle, then Limeuil, which has been elected “one of the nicest french village”on the confluence of the Vezere and the Dordogne.
  • You’ll end up your voyage in the cellar of the Domaine de Grange Neuve by tasting the wellknown wine of Montbazillac.

• August 9, 2022
  • Our bus will drive you to Bordeaux, railway station (gare Saint Jean) or airport (Bordeaux Merignac) as you wish.

IN “PYRÉNÉES ATLANTIQUES”

IN “DORDOGNE”

• ln the Pyrenees Atlantiques you’ll have the opportunity to taste some of the most emblematic specialities of the area :
  • cold cuts,
  • trouts from the river,
  • chicken in the pot,
  • “garbure”,
  • “zikiro”(roast suckling lamb),
  • goat cheese from the Pyreneese,
  • cakes and desserts …
  • and, of course, with delicious regional wines.
• In Dordogne, local gastronomy will delight you with its
  • “foies gras”,
  • duck confit,
  • mushrooms and chestnuts,
  • delicious mixed salads with walnuts and its numerous cheeses
  • served with regional wines such as Bergerac, Montbazillac…