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The chasm itself is 103 m (338 ft) deep, with a diameter of approximately 33 metres (108 ft). Visitors descend 75 m via a lift or a staircase before entering into the cave system. The cave contains a subterranean river system that is partly negotiable by boat, and it is regarded
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The chasm was created at an undetermined point in time when the roof collapsed into a large internal cavern. It is known that the cavern existed in the 3rd century, and was inhabited during the 15th and 16th centuries, when
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Padirac is the most frequently visited underground tourism facility in France, with more than 350,000 visitors annually, and a record of 460,000 in 1991.
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Since the 1930s, visitors can access the cave system by descending 75 m by lift or stairs, and then exploring the chasm system on foot and by boat.
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The first tourists visited the cave on 1 November 1898; however, the site was officially opened for tourism on 10 April 1899 by
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in 1938 and managed to penetrate 15 km (9.3 mi) of the passages.
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as "one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena of the
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Pit cave near Gramat, in the
Occitanie region, Franc
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165:The chasm was first explored, in 1889, by
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267:Tourist attractions in Lot (department)
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242:Le Gouffre de Padirac official website
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225:Padirac Chasm and Underground River
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204:, Green Guide, Michelin, 2000,
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127:was excavated from the area.
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114:at the Montvalent Cirque.
272:Caves of Lot (department)
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180:(1903–1986), who came to
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167:Édouard-Alfred Martel
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161:Exploration
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