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CAVING IN BELGIUM
The longest and deepest caves
The longest caves in Belgium:
longer than 500 m.
Please follow this link to
see the table... (this way I don't have to maintain two web pages
with identical tables)
Recent important changes that
were made to this table:
* July '97 - Système Weron-Dellieux: development
has reached 3600 m after the discovery of the "Réseau de la Topo Foutue"
by SC Avalon..
* July '97 - Abime de Comblain-au-Pont: development now 807 m (=
growth of 123m) after discoveries by GRSC
* March '98 - Trou Ozer now features in this list (length 500m),
after discoveries bij CASA, Aywaille.
* Sept '98 - Réseau de Waerimont enters the Top 10 with a total length
of over 2400 m!
* Dec '98: Système Weron-Dellieux now officially reaches 3610 m.
* jan 1999: Trou du Moulin (Marenne): discovery by SC de Belgique.
Length testimates at >600m, depth -39m. See Regards 1997.
* July 1999: Réseau de Waerimont is already longer than 3600m and
it isn't finished yet!
* Aug 1999: Réseau de Waerimont, 4 km long, jumps to 5th place
in the list and is still going!
* Jan 2001: Complete review of this table! I have added a column
with the "source" and some details about the figures. Lots of changes,
due to new informations given to me by several people. Chawresse-Veronika
cave System enter topo 5: still an estimation, but 3/4 is now based on accurate
surveys.
new survey 830m. Grottes de Floreffe: new survey
688m. Chantoir des Fagnoules: 800m (new discovery by Avalon)
*Nov 2003: Chawresse-Veronika: after new
discoveries (Avalon) the cave system reaches 5 km!
* Dec 2003: Chantoir des Fagnoules approaches 1000m after recent
discoveries behind the terminal sump.
* Jan 2004: New discovery near Yvoir: Trou de la Chaise, underground
river for an estimated length of 1000 m.
* Jan 2004: Abime de Lesves, after the discovery of a new part (Reseau
des Sangsues) by GRPS and after the junction with Trou des Hyacintes, reaches
751m in length for a depth of -68m.
* June 2005: Chantoir des Fagnoules enters the top-20, the recent
explorations behind the sump have ported the total length to +/-1500m.
* Sept 2004: Grotte Bebronne has been connected with Chantoir de
Clisore in June 2004, after digging works by P. Dumoulin, JP Roosens, J.
London and F. Polrot. The cave now measures 1262m.
* June 2005: Chantoir des Fagnoules enters the top-50,
the recent explorations in the part behind the sump have ported the
length to +/- 1500m and the depth to -57m.
* May 2005: Grande Faille du Fonds des Cris (Chaudfontaine):
this beautiful discovery (2001-2002) by the clubs GRSC and Abyss, has a
respectable length of 1040m and a depth of -55m.
* Jan 2006: A new survey by J. Hosselet brings the total
length of the tourist cave Grottes de Pont d'Arcoles at 858 m.
* Jan 2006: And the same author mentions a length of 1500 m
for a new discovery in the Province of Namur, Abri du Risous.
* Jan 2006: 2250 m and -90m of depth for what is becoming one of
the biggest discoveries of the past 5 years: the Souffleur de
Beauregard, an underground river discovered by one of the most
active teams around: the GRSC.
* Jan 2006: Grotte du Chalet, 539m, na diverse duikexploraties
van J. Petit (Casa) en M. Pauwels (ESCM)
Remark: for the first time in history, the cumulated length of all
Belgian caves longer than 500m has passed the magical 100 km mark... we
are now at 102 km!
* Jan 2006: Grottes de Goyet: discoveries made by an
individual caver "Bibiche" (1997 till now) have ported the length of the
tourist cave to 1500 m; he also explored a new lateral cave system which
is +/- 200 m in length!
* June 2006: The Souffleur de Beauregard continues to climb in
the Top 50; the cave is now already 3389m lang.
* Dec 2006: The Souffleur de Beauregard has passed 3500 m!
* Aug 2007: New cave, explo GRPS: Chantoir de Rostène with a
length of 700 m and depth of -81m.
* Oct 2007: A new survey of Trou Qui Fume (Furfooz) by
Interclub Hades, gives a total length of 923 m en a depth of 99,6 m (of
which 31 m diving).
* Oct 2007: Chantoire de Rostène passes the 1000 m mark.
* Oct 2007: Chantoir des Fagnoules makes a big leap forward,
after the discovery of at least 500 m of new galleries post S6.
* Dec 2008: New discovery by SC de Belgique: Grotte de L'isbelle
(+/- 850 m)
* Jan 2009: Chantoir des Fagnoules jumps to the 11th place with
2283 m
* Jan 2009: Souffleur de Beauregard passes the 4 km mark!
* April 2009: The junction between Chantoir de Buc and Chantoir
des Fagnoules (SC Avalon) results in the "Système Fagnoules-Buc"
with a length of 2600 m.
* Jan 2010: Grotte du Chalet (Aywaille): 969 m after
surveying the entire cave, including the part behind the S5
* Jan 2010: Trou des Côtes: New discovery by SC Avalon. Length
650 m.
* Aug 2010: Grotte de la Fosse aux Ours (Rochefort):
beautiful discovery by SC Cascade, already more than 1 km long.
* Aug 2010: Grotte de la Fosse aux Ours (Rochefort): the
connection (diving!) with Trou du Muret takes the length to appr.
+/- 1500 m.
*October 2012: Grotte-Mine & Grotte de l'Etang de la Villa
des Hirondelles: an exploration that goes back to 2006-2007 but the
total length was not communicated earlier. Collaboration between Flemish
cavers of Technico/Kempen and the Walloon club GRSC.
*December 2012: Grotte Sainte-Anne (Tilff): a new survey by SC
Avalon indicates that the cave is at least 1751 m long. And Trou des
Manants entered the table with a length of 1500 m. In the past this
cave was estimated to be less than 500 m!
* August 2013: New in this table: Trou du Parrain in
Rochefort, 587 m long.
* Januari 2014: the long awaited survey of Nou Maulin, by
Speleo Nederland, gives a new length of 2275 m.
* February 2014: a new cave, discovered by SC Avalon: Trou du
Bonheur in Eprave.
*January 2015: Chantoir de Morville (L=950 m)
added
* December 2015: new cave, the magnificent Nou Bleu in
Sprimont
* Dec 2016: Trou d'Haquin, one of the most underestimated caves,
makes a big jump. The new survey by GRPS indicates that the cave is at
least 3000 m long.
* Dec 2016: and also Grotte Sainte-Anne makes a big leap,
the new survey by Speleo NL nearly arrives at 3000 m.
*Oct 2018: The new survey by GRPS of Trou d'Haquin shows that the
cave is over 4 km long.
*Jan 2021: The Grande Grotte de Malacord (Ferrières) has
been entirely resurveyed by SC Avalon. The cave measures 1229 m.
*Jan 2021: The Système Wuinante-Haminte has been entirely
resurveyed in 2019-2020 and makes a big jump in the table. The length is
now 2544 m.
* Oct 2023: Diving explorations by SC Cascade resulted in
the connections between Grotte de Bellevaux, Grotte des Surdents and Résurgence des Croisiers.
The Système des Croisiers is 2725 m long and 40 m deep.
* Dec 2023: New cave by Continent 7: "Altitude 465" (Malmédy)
with a length of at least 650 m.
Comments:
Statistically:
Belgium has now 41 caves that are longer than 1 kilometre and 22 that are
longer than 2 kilometres! The past years (as from 1990) this table has undergone
dramatic changes. Some big discoveries were: Chantoir Dellieux and the junction
with Trou Weron, Chantoir de Beron-Ry, Grotte des Emotions, Système de Bretaye,
Réseau de Waerimont, Grand Faille du Fonds des Cris, Trou de la Chaise
and recently the Souffleur de Beauregard, Grottes de Goyet, Chantoir des
Fagnoules, Grotte Michaux....
Access:
- only 12 of the 75 biggest Belgian caves are still freely accessible!
- 9 caves are gated and locked with an UBS-gate. The key is in possession
of all serious clubs and can be borrowed from the Federations (VVS and UBS).
- Most caves can be visited after having obtained a permission. In general
they are gated as well. You can find access conditions in our Homepage.
Don't forget that in some cases the regulations are very strict and that
access permissions could be difficult to get without a valid motivation.
- In some cases, access conditions are not known by us.
The deepest caves in Belgium:
deeper than 50 m.
Source: K.I.W.I. (Karst Inventori?en Wallonie et Informatis? en
J.L-De Bock. Additions by Paul De Bie. This table may not be published
without mentioning this source!
Legend:
Column 1 = total denivelation (in m)
Column 2 = highest point above entrance (in m)
Column 3 = deepest point under entrance without diving (in m)
Column 4 = deepest point, under entrance, diving (in m)
Please follow this link to see the
table...
Recent changes made in this
table:
* July '97 - Abime de Comblain-au-Pont: depth is
now -82 m (is 30 m deeper than before), of which -10 diving . Discovery
by GRSC.
* March '98 - Trou OZER moved one place upwards, after discoveries
by CASA Aywaille that made the cave 5 metres deeper.
* June 1999 - Reseau de Fresnes (Lustin): a new entrance (Trou de
la Belle Casquette) has changed the depth a little bit: it is now 81 m (+15/-56m)
* Jan 2000 - Chantoir Valentin (Morville): a new discovery, made
by our Dutch neighbours, that reaches the depth of -76 m.
* Nov 2002 - Reseau de Waerimont: has been added (depth 58m)
* Jan 2004: Abime de Lesves, after the discovery of a new part (Reseau
des Sangsues) by GRPS and after the junction with Trou des Hyacintes, reaches
751m in length for a depth of -68m.
* June 2005: Chantoir des Fagnoules enters the top-50,
the recent explorations in the part behind the sump have ported the
length to +/- 1500m and the depth to -57m.
* May 2005: Grande Faille du Fonds des Cris (Chaudfontaine):
this beautiful discovery (2001-2002) by the clubs GRSC and Abyss, has a
respectable length of 1040m and a depth of -55m.
* Jan 2006: 63 m of depth for a new discovery in the Province of Namur, Abri du Risous.
* Jan 2006: 65m of depth for a new discovery by SC Avalon,
Chantoir de B. (Province of Namur)
* Jan 2006: 2250 m and -90m of depth for what is becoming one of
the biggest discoveries of the past 5 years: the Souffleur de
Beauregard, an underground river discovered by one of the most
active teams around: the GRSC.
* July 2007: Chantoire du Fond de Rost?e, new discovery (J. Simus),
L= 300m, D=-60m
* Aug 2007: New cave, explo GRPS: Chantoir de Rostène with
a length of 700 m and depth of -81m.
* Jan 2009: New cave explored by GRSC: Douve aux Salamandres, 83
m deep.
* Feb 2013: Grotte La Merveilleuse (Dinant) makes a big leap to
the 13th place, after an artificial climb of 34 m, performed by the GSCD.
* Dec 2016: Trou d'Haquin makes some progress now that the new
survey by GRPS, indicates a depth of -70 m.
* Jan 2021: Système Wuinante-Haminte has been resurveyed
in 2019-2020. Because of the discovery of a new part (Réseau du Flair)
the total depth is now more than 50 m.
Dec 2021: Chantoir Faweu-Mika, discovered by GRSC, reaches -100 m
after a dive in the terminal sump.
Comments:
Statistically:
8 caves already are now over 100 m deep. This is due to the performances
of our cave-divers. Looking at column 3 shows that in only 2 of these 7
caves, non-divers can reach a depth of >100 m: Trou Bernard and Système
Weron-Dellieux.
Access:
Here also we see clearly that, without knowing the right people or without
having the famous "UBS-key" you won't go very deep into our Belgian caves
anymore. In some of the listed caves, exploration is only possible when
you are a cave diver.
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