Caves and grottos

Naturpark Thal

Intro

Experience shows that the best treasures are often hidden underground, and the countless caves in Switzerland are no exception. While some also served a practical purpose in the past, they are today exciting places for young and old to explore.

Hölloch

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Boat ride on a subterranean lake

Europe's largest subterranean lake that can be sailed upon lies between Sion and Sierre. The water grotto is easily accessible and there is a boat tour for viewing it. The guides on the boat tell visitors about the history of the cave and its geology.

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Moulins souterrains du Col-des-Roches

If brooks and rivers run only sluggishly above ground, hydropower is nearly impossible to harness. That is why the inhabitants of the valley of Le Locle began to use subterranean streams. This is how the cave mills of "Col-des-Roches" arose.

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Ebenalp

Even the Neanderthals came here. Today, the cable car sweeps over the rugged rocks and once inhabited caves to the Ebenalp, the starting point for a wide range of discoveries.

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Stalactite cave and subterranean river

The River Orbe created a fascinating cave system at the Vaudois town of Vallorbe. The tour leads visitors along the subterranean course of the Orbe (an outflow from the Vallée de Joux), passing by stalactites, stalagmites, drip-stone formations, columns and galleries. Once upon a time fairies that charmed young men were supposed to have lived here.

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Höllgrotten Caves

Discover the world's most amazing stalactite caves in Lorzentobel near Baar. Young and old are enchanted by fairy-tale rock formations in the Hell Grottoes Caves.

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Fairies' Grotto and underground waterfall

North of St. Maurice and the abbey, high above the castle at the Rhone narrows, the Fairies' Grotto has carved its way more than half a kilometre into the mountain. At the end of their walk, visitors will find a small subterranean lake and a 50 metre-high waterfall.

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St. Beatus Caves

The St. Beatus Caves high above Lake Thun are a chance to discover a unique underground world.

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The Mont Vully caves

The caves were excavated in the sandstone between 1916 and 1917 to defend the Swiss plateau during the First World War. A 200 metre-long tunnel was created in the process.

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Réclère - Grottos and Prehisto-Park

An excursion to the grottoes and the prehistoric park of Réclère is nearly like Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth". The large limestone cave with stalactites and stalagmites gives the excursion the necessary atmosphere and the life-sized dinosaurs in the park are the climax of a fascinating trip through time.

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Kesslerloch

The Kesslerloch cave is one of the most important sites of the late Ice Age in Europe and provides traces of settlements from the Upper Palaeolithic Age (Magdalenian civilisation, 14 000 – 12 000 B.C.).

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Caves and grottos

Intro

Hölloch

Boat ride on a subterranean lake

Moulins souterrains du Col-des-Roches

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Ebenalp

Stalactite cave and subterranean river

Höllgrotten Caves

Fairies' Grotto and underground waterfall

St. Beatus Caves

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The Mont Vully caves

Réclère - Grottos and Prehisto-Park

Kesslerloch

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