Vallon Marseillais and the Vieux Mounoï cave

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike. Pretty easy except for the small climb at point 3 where there is a cairn.
And where you have to climb up on the right.
To reach the cave, follow the small cairn and then turn left.
Large and beautiful cave.
Quite rocky throughout the hike.

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Date of your route : Mar 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike. Pretty easy except for the small climb at point 3 where there is a cairn.
And where you have to climb up on the right.
To reach the cave, follow the small cairn and then turn left.
Large and beautiful cave.
Quite rocky throughout the hike.

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Date of your route : Jan 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Well done on your route descriptions.

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Date of your route : Jul 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Please clarify access to the cave, which is located on the left of the path starting at the small cairn. The entire circuit takes a little longer than the time indicated if you visit the cave. Some sections are not shaded, so be careful in hot weather.

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Date of your route : Jan 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk with my dog. I didn't meet anyone. The cave is worth a visit!

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Date of your route : Dec 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This is an easy, short afternoon hike with the Vieux Mounoï cave as the main point of interest, along with its rich history.
The Vieux Mounoï cave was used as a sheepfold from Neolithic times (6000 BC) until the mid-20th century.
It was also used as a setting in 1986 for the film Manon des Sources, directed by Claude Berri, to shoot the sequence where Manon blocks the flow of water that feeds the Perdrix basin and the village of Bastides Blanches in order to take revenge on its inhabitants!

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Date of your route : Nov 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk through the woods, very quiet.
Be careful at the start/finish point, however, as there is very little parking space.
I recommend it.

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Date of your route : May 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk along a well-marked path that winds through a forest and sometimes quite dense copses. The trees provide shade from the sun without blocking out the light on this May afternoon. The place is quiet, disturbed only by birdsong, until... the testing of a few two- and four-wheeled racing cars begins on the Paul Ricard route, less than 2 km away, becoming increasingly noticeable as you approach the D2 at the end of the walk.
The most remarkable feature is obviously the "Grotte de Manon", which is very large and easy to access. Worth mentioning is a karstic cave about 4 or 5 metres in diameter that opens to the right of the cave like a deep well, which is quite impressive. If you are out for a family walk, keep a close eye on your children.
The landmarks on the map are accurate.
At point 3, pay attention to the start of the path on the right that leads to the cave (we missed it by about a hundred metres before turning back). It is not very visible and the climb up to the plateau shows that it is not very well used. The much wider descent between points 4 and 5 suggests that visitors to the cave tend to climb up this section.
- At point 4: the cairn mentioned in the description is indeed there. A small clarification: you have to turn left at the cairn to find the cave. We did this spontaneously, but as there are minor paths diverging to the right at point 4, it seems useful to point this out.
One last point: I was glad I wore my hiking boots with good soles because the path is quite rocky in places. With thinner soles, I think your feet would end up hurting, and of course, flip-flops and other open-toed or city shoes should be avoided.

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Date of your route : May 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A short hike that allows you to discover this magnificent cave in Vieux Mounoï. Note that the openings of the chimneys seen from inside the cave can be found on the surface (caution!).
At point 4, the cairn was still there, although a little disturbed. It is located on the left of the path, as is the cave, which can be found on the left, below.

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