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The Gorges de l'Ardeche begin at the Pont d'Arc, an extraordinary and very beautiful arch that the river has cut for itself through the limestone, just downstream from Vallon, itself 39km south of Aubenas. They continue for about 35km to ST-MARTIN-D'ARDECHE in the valley of the Rhone. The gorges are fantastic. They wind back and forth with reptilian sinuosity, much of the time dropping 300m straight down like a knife cut in the almost dead-flat scrubby Plateau des Gras. But they are also an appalling tourist trap; the road which follows the rim, with spectacular viewpoints marked out at regular intervals, is jammed with traffic in summer. The river, down in the bottom, which is where you really want to be to appreciate the grandeur of the canyon, is likewise packed with canoes in high season. It is walkable, depending on the water level, but you would need to bivouac midway at either Gaud or Gournier. Generally speaking, if you can't go out of season, you're better off giving it a miss. The plateau itself is riddled with caves. Aven Marzal , a stalactite cavern north of the gorge (daily 11am-5.30pm; 43F/?6.55, joint ticket with zoo 72F/?10.98), has a prehistoric zoo , which consists of reconstructions of dinosaurs and friends (April-Oct daily 10am-7.30pm; 43F/?6.55, joint ticket 72F/?10.98), but the frequency of visits to the cave depends on the number of visitors waiting - they are approximately every twenty minutes in July and August, falling to four per day in other months. Best of the area's caves is the Aven Orgnac , to the south of the gorge (daily: March-June & Sept to mid-Nov 9.30am-noon & 2-6pm; July & Aug 9.30am-6pm; 47F/?7.20), one of France's most spectacular and colourful stalactite formations. There's also a very good prehistory museum (daily: March-June & Sept to mid-Nov 10am-noon & 2-6pm; July & Aug 10am-6pm; 31.50F/?4.80, joint ticket 57F/?8.69). Further upstream near VALLON-PONT-D'ARC , a complex series of cave paintings was discovered in December 1994, after being left untouched for 30,000 years, making the Chauvet-Pont d'Arc cave the oldest-known decorated cave in the world. The cave system is currently being investigated by archeologists and causing a major rethink about the history of art. The paintings depict woolly rhinos, bison, lions and bears, and display a remarkable mastery of perspective. It's unlikely that Chauvet-Pont d'Arc will ever be open to the public. However, there is a small but rewarding exhibition on the cave complex at Vallon, behind the Mairie. The highlight is a video taken inside the caves, showing many of the paintings close up (Tues-Sun 2-5.30pm; 25F/?3.81). Accommodation in the area can be a problem during the high season. The cheapest place in Vallon itself is the Hotel du Parc , on boulevard Alizon (tel 04.75.88.02.17; 160-220F/?24-34), but by far the best is Le Manoir du Raveyron , rue Henri-Barbusse (tel 04.75.88.03.59, fax 04.75.37.11.12; 220-300F/?34-46; closed mid-Nov to mid-March), with a good restaurant from 100F/?15.24. The river is lined with campsites , the cheapest being the municipal one (tel 04.75.88.04.73; closed Oct-March). There's a gite d'etape on place de la Mairie (tel 04.75.88.07.87), and a tourist office on the south side of town (June to mid-Sept daily 9am-1pm & 3-7pm, Sun 10am-noon; rest of year Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 2-6pm, Sat 9am-noon; tel 04.75.88.04.01, www.vallon-pont-darc.com ). Eight kilometres upstream, there is a well-priced municipal campsite at RUOMS (tel 04.75.93.99.16; closed Oct to mid-May).
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