Escoural Cave has been on our wish list for months now and we finally got a chance to visit a unique place with vestiges of human occupation dating back to 50,000 years B.C.
History
Discovered in 1963 it quickly became clear the importance of this site and a series of archaeological investigations began that very year. Now you can visit the interpretative centre of the Escoural Cave to learn more about its history and see it’s permanent exposition.
It’s quite remarkable that traces of the Upper Paleolithic and end of the Neolithic period can be found here. The cave is quite small but certainly beautiful with a large room and multiple galleries you will not be disappointed. The main attraction is the rock art elements present in the cave, especially animal figures like horses, bovines and other animals but also abstract figures.
Visit
You need to book a visit in order to go to the cave and you must do so at least 24 hours in advance. There are some restrictions in place to ensure the safety of the visitors and the preservation of the site so to visit the limit of people at any time in the cave cannot be higher than 10. The walkways are very well-designed considering the limited space they are well maintained and get you as close to the rock art as possible.
Also of note is that photos and video are not allowed except if you have an authorization from DRCALEN.
The guide speaks English and is very knowledgeable about every aspect of the site and as a lot of peculiar information about the discovery and study of Escoural Cave.
What about kids?
Well, we took our 3-year-old and we can say that he didn’t really enjoy it that much, the space is quite limited and for obvious reason, you can’t go around touching everything you see, both of which are some of his favourite things. After a couple of days, he did talk about it and we noticed being in a cave left a strong impression but during the visit not that much.
Unless your child is quite calm and enjoys listening to this might not be the most enjoyable experience for both him and you. We had to be constantly keeping him entertained and that meant we couldn’t really pay full attention to the guide.
If you had a different experience let us know.
Location
Just 3Km from Montemor-o-Novo or 27Km if you are coming from Évora.
Prices
- Free for children up to 12 years
- +13 years – €3
- +65 or students – €1,5
The prices are extremely affordable for what you get, a guided tour for €3 is not common.
Schedule
The visits are conducted within Tuesday to Saturday except for the last Saturday each month and holidays.
You must schedule in advance using this email:
[email protected]
or phone:
266857000