Prehistory Park in Ariège

Would you know how to light a fire like 16,000 years ago, carve sillex or dig like an archaeologist to uncover treasures of mankind’s heritage? Spend a day crossing the centuries and meeting our ancestors. Walk in the footsteps of prehistoric men and women. Total immersion guaranteed! Your Les Grottes campsite in Alliat takes you to discover the Parc de la Préhistoire near Tarascon-sur-Ariège. This site, one of the most popular in Ariège, is open from April to November.

The Pyrenees, a prehistoric destination

Spend a day immersed in prehistory in a magnificent 13-hectare site in the heart of the Pyrenees. Nestled in the center of a mountain cirque, the Parc de la Préhistoire is dotted with water basins, rivers, a large waterfall, woods and even reconstructed caves and gours. Travel back in time to the heart of Cro-Magnon daily life… The entire tour focuses on Parietal art. The main museum building is called “Le Grand Atelier”. It contains life-size replicas of major parietal ensembles such as the “Salon Noir” in the Niaux cave and the large frieze in the Marsoulas cave. The number of visits is limited for conservation reasons. The other part of the park offers outdoor activities.

Le Grand Atelier, a museum

This museographic space features reproductions of Paleolithic art from the Pyrenees and around the world. Exhibitions showcase the virtuosity of artists from the Chauvet, Gargas, Niaux, Marsoulas and Mas-d’Azil caves… All the senses are awakened in the Ice Age Giants room. Woolly mammoths, steppe bison, megaceros deer and cave lions are back in their natural habitat! You’ll be able to feel their presence in animations adapted to all ages.

A fun, immersive park

Outdoors, a large plant labyrinth will immerse you in the sound environment of prehistoric man: the sounds of nature mingle with animal noises to create a natural music… Probably inspired by the first Magdalenian melodies. Precisely! A unique musical experience will complete your experience, offering a reconstruction of what Cro-Magnon music might have been like: bone flutes, percussion on concretions and rhombes still resonate… and have done for 16,000 years!