Rock Art You Can Actually Visit
142 sites in the atlas let you stand in front of the original art. Others admit no one at all — the atlas tracks the difference rather than blurring it.
Access is recorded per site as one of three states: the original art is open to visitors, only a replica can be seen, or the site is closed to the public. Closure is usually conservation, not bureaucracy — human breath raises humidity and carbon dioxide, and the microbial blooms that follow have damaged some of the most famous painted caves in the world. Open sites are grouped below by continent.
Europe · 74
Africa · 17
Asia · 21
Oceania · 7
Americas · 23
Replica only · 11
The originals are sealed, but faithful facsimiles let you see the art at full scale. Several of these replicas are extraordinary works in their own right, built from millimetre-accurate scans of the sealed chambers.
Closed to the public · 16
No visits, and in most cases no replica either. They are listed here because they are part of the record — and because knowing a site is closed saves a wasted journey.
Opening hours and prices change; always confirm on the site’s official page before travelling. Each site page links its official source where one exists.