Le Regourdou

Welcome to Regourdou

The extraordinary story of the Regourdou began in 1954 when Roger Constant owner of a farm near the Lascaux cave, undertakes excavations on his land.

He hopes to find the original entrance to the cave. He digs at night after his work as a farmer.
It was after 3 years, on the night of 22 to 23 September 1957, that Roger Constant made an exceptional discovery. He uncovered a Mousterian deposit that revealed the burial site of a Neanderthal.  The 80 to 90,000 year old skeleton is the most complete and best preserved in the world today for this Middle Paleolithic period.
From that moment on, archaeological excavation campaigns followed one another... Archaeologists discovered a grave in which a Neanderthal was buried, as well as the skeleton of a brown bear. The site was classified as a historical monument in 1959.
But the story doesn't end there... Roger Constant continues his excavations a few metres away and uncovers a chasm where he discovers marine fossils and an important ochre deposit.

All these discoveries make Regourdou an exceptional site contributing to a better knowledge of Neanderthal Man and his way of life.

In 1988, to commemorate the presence of bears in the Mousterian, Roger Constant decided to build a large park and to reintroduce the brown bear. Today, you can admire four magnificent bears, Charly, Noisette, Cassy and Mishka, evolving in a natural environment.

Roger Constant died in 2002 at the age of 81 after devoting his life to the Regourdou. Today his niece Michèle CONSTANT welcomes you and offers you an exceptional guided tour of this unique place.

Le Regourdou is open from February to November, and you can admire its abyss, its deposit, its living bear park, and its farm transformed into a museum.

Also on the Regourdou site, the bears' restaurant will welcome you from Easter to All Saints' Day for lunch. all the info here.
You can also take advantage of the picnic area just opposite Regourdou.

Events 2023

Numerous events and activities such as bear feeding punctuate the life of Regourdou. We invite you to see our agenda

The Regourdou Neanderthal site hosts a free show for the general public.
Saturday, July 29 from 12pm in partnership with the festival
Montignac-Lascaux's "Cultures aux coeurs",
the restaurant de l'Ours honors the Ivory Coast.

We welcome the Compagnie Art et Culture d'Abidjan..:
The meal will be entertained by some fifteen young artists with a talent for dancing, singing and percussion. The Zaouli, a traditional dance of the Gouro people now classified by UNESCO, will be in the spotlight.

A €25 MENU WITH IVORIAN FLAVOURS HAS BEEN SPECIALLY CREATED FOR THE OCCASION - RESERVATIONS REQUIRED!
Ivory Coast menu:

Mignardise :

Alloco :

"L'alloco" means "sweet, ripe banana".

These are plantains fried in oil.

Entrance:

Bassamoise salad :

Its name comes from the town of Bassam, on the Ivorian coast.

Based on "Attiéké" (cassava couscous), this salad features tuna, tomatoes, cucumber, lemon and fresh herbs.

Dish :

Kedjenou:

This dish originates from the Baoulé people, an ethnic group in Côte d'Ivoire.

Traditional Kédjénou is cooked in a clay pot called a "canaris".

Food is stewed, covered hermetically with banana leaves.

Kédjénou means "to shake inside".

Dessert:

Disguised :

This dessert has been eaten in West Africa for several decades.

Its name varies from country to country. In Côte d'Ivoire, it's called dégué.

This frozen dessert made with millet, yoghurt and vanilla is very popular in this country.
It will be served with coconut fritters.