Rick Steves' most recent Guidebook says "online reservations are possible and its essential to request an English-speaking guide.". However, when we tried to book an English tour for mid-September this year, there was nothing about English tours on the website. We wrote to the cave website and were told they do not offer English tours in mid-September. Has anyone figured out a way to get an English language tour at this cave?``
Posted by
France Southwest - Occitanie
4106 posts
At the Grottes de Cougnac, as with other caves, the site can only be visited with the caves' official guides. No outside guides of any language are permitted for reasons of safety and heritage protection.
The French guide might, if they're friendly, give you a few quick comments in English, otherwise English documentation is available.
Posted by
221 posts
Hello,
We recently went to Cougnac with David from Exploreo24. He knows the owners and so he was able to give us a private tour in English. We went to several caves with his company and also used Ophorus for a couple of tours. I am happy to answer any questions about them.
The Rick Steves guidebook lists Exploreo 24 as an option for the area, but I am including the link to his website in case that is helpful.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
2041 posts
We booked French tours for caves and prehistoric sites, June, 2025, even though our French is VERY minimal. This worked OK for us. Wikipedia usually has an extensive article about most prehistoric sites. We spent a few hours before our trip reading these articles and others, so we knew quite a bit about what we were viewing. We found that the French tours were usually at more convenient times for our itinerary If there was a safety issue like a low doorway or a slippery floor, the guides warned about those issues in English as well as French.
Posted by
France Southwest - Occitanie
4106 posts
It would be interesting if SunnyBlueFlax could share a few practical details about the guided tour he took, and whether David Lascoux, the guy who takes visitors to the cave, is present inside the cave during the tour or if a cave guide leads the tour in English.
Usually, the English guided tour offered by Exploreo24 takes place outside public opening hours, costs €200 (compared to €12.50 via the cave's own ticket office), and includes transportation from Sarlat. However, perhaps SunnyBlueFlax had a specific, unofficial opportunity.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks so much for your responses! Appreciate your suggestions for getting the most out of a tour conducted in French (which we dont speak) and we may contact David to see if he is available.
Posted by
California
42 posts
The Cougnac guides are fluent in English … for the purpose of giving tours so don’t expect conversations. Have been on many French/English tours.
Regardless , see the cave!