HUMAN ORIGINS: SOUTHWEST FRANCE AND NORTHERN SPAIN TRACE THE FOOTSTEPS OF EARLY HUMANS as we explore the cradles of
civilization in southwest France and on Spain’s northern coast. On an expedition designed with paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson, examine carvings and cave paintings that illustrate life up to 40,000 years ago. From the Dordogne to Basque Country, stay in beautiful medieval towns that dot these long-inhabited landscapes. EXPEDITION HIGHLIGHTS
• Examine the Paleolithic art of two UNESCO World Heritage–listed cave regions: France’s Vézère Valley and the northern coast of Spain. • Meet leading archaeologists for talks and private tours of cave sites. • Visit Castel-Merle with Isabelle Castanet, whose family has excavated the site for generations. • Explore Sarlat, France, and Santillana del Mar, Spain, two of Europe’s bestpreserved medieval villages.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPERT National Geographic grantee Ana Pinto is a Spanish archaeologist who worked with Donald Johanson at Arizona State University’s Institute of Human Origins. She specializes in fossilization processes, early human diets, and the origins of modern human behavior. Her fieldwork has brought her to England, South Africa, and Armenia, as well as caves and rock shelters in Spain, Tanzania, and Kenya. In 2001, she discovered Spain’s Sopeña rock shelter, which bears evidence of Neanderthal and Cro-magnon life. She and her team made major finds at the World Heritage site of Atapuerca and were awarded the prestigious Prince of Asturias Prize.
I T I N E R A RY
| 10 DAYS
DAYS 1 AND 2 U.S./BORDEAUX, FRANCE/ VÉZÈRE VALLEY
Depart on an overnight flight to Bordeaux. Journey to the beautiful Dordogne region—still commonly known by its pre-revolutionary name, Périgord. Here, rivers have carved up the limestone landscape, leaving cliffs and caves where humans have built their homes for tens of thousands of years. Settle into your country hotel in the Vézère valley, and gather this evening for a welcome reception and dinner. HOSTELLERIE LA ROSERAIE OR LA VILLA ROMAINE (D) DAY 3 PREHISTORIC SITES OF THE VÉZÈRE VALLEY
ings. After lunch on your own in the nearby town of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, see the majestic sculpted frieze of horses and bison in the shelter of the cliffs at Cap Blanc before finishing our day at Rouffignac Cave, the “cave of a hundred mammoths.” (B, D) DAY 4 LASCAUX II/SARLAT
Meet prehistory expert Denis Tauxe for a tour of Lascaux II, a painstaking recreation of the two primary chambers of the original Lascaux cave, whose famous paintings have been off-limits to visitors since 1963 to prevent deterioration. Travel to picturesque Sarlat, whose original half-timbered, golden-stone buildings and narrow cobbled streets make it one of the best-preserved medieval towns in France. After time to explore on your own, gather for a unique “prehistoric” lunch, made with the same ingredients used by Neanderthals. In the afternoon, join archaeologist Isabelle Castanet for a visit to Castel-Merle, a complex of prehistoric stone shelters more than 300 feet long, excavated and preserved by several generations of the Castanet family. (B, L, D)
ANA WILL ACCOMPANY THE SEPTEMBER 5 DEPARTURE. SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR EXPERTS ON OTHER DEPARTURES.
Begin the day at the National Museum of Prehistory with an introduction to Paleolithic art by one of the world’s leading experts, Christine Desdemaines-Hugon, author of Stepping Stones: A Journey through the Ice Age Caves of the Dordogne. Then join Christine for a visit to Bernifal Cave, known for its tectiform images and engrav-
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Above: At the Altamira Museum in northern Spain, visitors get an up-close view of the breathtaking images found at the Cave of Altamira.