The karstic caves and caves at the start of Siou Blanc

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A wonderful opportunity to discover (overlook) some of the karstic caves on the Siou-Blanc plateau, which has 900 listed karstic caves

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Date of your route : Oct 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk for families with children aged 7 to 14.
Varied and entertaining, it offers beautiful views and a few karstic caves that everyone enjoyed

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Date of your route : Mar 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this hiking idea!
We had no trouble following the route, as clearly visible cairns guided us along the way.
It's true that we know Siou Blanc quite well and at times found ourselves back on sections we had already covered.
The rocky landscape is as beautiful as ever, decorated with a multitude of violets...

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Date of your route : Mar 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this hike!
We had no trouble following the route, as we know Siou Blanc quite well... Lots of flowers, especially violets, and the rocky landscape is as beautiful as ever...

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Hello, as mentioned previously, I will do this hike again and make the necessary changes. Many trails have certainly changed following the re-routing of firebreaks.
Thank you for your feedback, and enjoy more lovely hikes.

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Date of your route : Mar 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An interesting hike, which preferably requires a GPS or Visorando app as part of it is on poorly visible but cairned paths. We found the description of the sights to be rather brief; in particular, is the Palan karstic cave really at the bottom of a fairly long crevasse? The W/E route to point 3 seemed to us to be off the correct path. The climb between points 4 and 5 (Garoutte, Pas du Pilon) is very difficult to see. We missed the path, only found it further up and had to go back down to find it again. At point 9, we searched in vain for the karstic caves that were mentioned!
Otherwise, the trails are very beautiful and the hike is easy, except for the climb to Pas du Pilon.
Thank you very much.

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I will have to go back to this trail, which seems to have disappeared due to changes in the terrain (firebreaks). I have already posted a response, which I invite you to read. (Post from Monday, 28 November 2022 at 7:02 p.m.).
Thank you for your feedback, and I apologise for this inconvenience.

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Date of your route : Dec 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Problem with route description.
We found ourselves stuck at one point because there was no longer an open passage.
We had to turn back and cut our hike short. What a shame.

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Hello,

Allow me to give you the names of the caves... There is the Paradis cave, the Aven des Cistes, and the Baume bâtie, known as the Baume des Lumes... It is an old sheepfold, very well preserved, where excavations have taken place. There are other karstic caves and grottos nearby. Follow the cairned path (red dots).

Enjoy your walks, everyone!

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The terrain has clearly undergone significant changes. These explain many of the difficulties in locating the trails.
Thank you in any case for your work in creating and updating the walks!

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Thank you for your feedback, and apologies for the roadblock.
It's been a while since I've been back to the area, but from the comments, it seems that there have been some changes.
In my last hiking post, I mentioned that road bock is becoming increasingly difficult to write. The number of "false trails" created by bicycles, motorcycles and forest protection vehicles are causing us to lose our way.
Using a map is becoming really difficult in our region; it's becoming a sport to stay on the right trail.
I therefore recommend using a GPS, and for those who don't have one, the VISORANDO app is sufficient for following a trail or finding your way with the preloaded map.
Everyone has a smartphone, and younger people tend to use it rather than a GPS. Personally, I use both when I lead hikes.
In any case, thank you for your opinions and comments, which will be useful to me the next time I lead a group. I will then make changes based on your comments.

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Date of your route : Nov 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with moderate slopes that could be better promoted.
As previous reviewers have pointed out, the description is seriously unreliable and the extensive forestry work in various places does not help matters. Having to do it for the first time without a GPS, we got lost and had to turn back, at the risk of being caught by nightfall. The second time, it was only thanks to the GPS that we were able to complete it. There is a lack of signposting, particularly at point 3 and beyond point 6. Information about points of interest such as the stone arch at point 5 and the viewpoints mentioned in previous reviews would also be appreciated.
However, once you are aware of these difficulties, it is still a beautiful hike, peaceful in a busy area, which everyone can improve by reading the reviews!

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Shouldn't the Cuchnaud karstic cave be called the Cistes karstic cave?
In the Var karstic cave database, karstic cave Cuchnaud does not exist, whereas karstic cave des Cistes does.
The name of the Cistes karstic cave is written in red, now faded, on the rock above its entrance.
From the karstic cave, be sure to go behind a grove of trees to a flat rock decorated with cairns to admire the view of the mountains (a good spot for a picnic?).
From the suggested route, a cairn marks the start of the path leading to the karstic cave.
Another karstic cave is located before, between 6 and the rock shelter of Les Lumes*: this is the Sortilège karstic cave, located on the right about 220 metres after leaving the track and a little before reaching the remains of a charcoal burner's hut (two sections of wall remain).
Between 6 and the rock shelter of Les Lumes, I improved the cairns in September.
To descend to the Paradis cave, you will need to look for the start and the red dots.
Then it's a straightforward descent to the cave with no risk of getting lost, as it is well marked.
(*sometimes called Baume Bâtie or other names, but we are in the Les Lumes area).

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Thanks for the information about La Roche Cuchnaud. I'll be sure to visit next time.

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Date of your route : May 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful circular with minimal elevation gain that I discovered a long time ago. GPS is highly recommended.
It's a shame that forestry work has spoiled the landscape in some places, although it's undoubtedly for the good of the forest.
Don't miss the section between points 6 and 7, about 150 metres after the Baume Bâtie, to the right of the path (cairn), where a short 50-metre climb between the rocks leads to the Cuchnaud karstic cave, which is magnificent with its superb stalactites visible from the surface.

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