Melissani Cave Lake
Melissani Cave Lake features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Kefalonia. Give it roughly ~45 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type nature
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Kefalonia Kefalonia guide
About Melissani Cave Lake
A lake in a cave whose roof has partly collapsed, near Sami, where boats glide over clear blue water lit by sunlight from above, once a cult place of Pan and the nymphs.
Melissani is a cave lake at Karavomylos, just north-west of Sami, about 500 metres from the sea. The cavern is about 150 metres long, and part of its roof has fallen in, leaving an opening to the sky about 50 by 30 metres; around midday the sun lights the water a brilliant blue. The brackish lake, up to about 30 metres deep, is fed partly by the seawater that sinks at the Katavothres near Argostoli.
The speleologist Ioannis Petrocheilos explored the cave in 1951, and finds on its small central island, among them lamps and figurines of Pan and the nymphs, show that it was an ancient cult place. A tunnel was cut and the cave opened to visitors in 1963. The visit is by rowing boat only and takes about fifteen minutes. The cave keeps seasonal hours and opens on fewer days in winter.
Did you know? When the speleologist Ioannis Petrocheilos explored Melissani in 1951, he found an ancient oil lamp on the small island in the lake. It is now in the Archaeological Museum of Argostoli.
How long is a visit to Melissani Cave Lake?
Set aside roughly ~45 min for Melissani Cave Lake. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Melissani Cave Lake worth your time?
Melissani Cave Lake is among the 13 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Kefalonia, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Kefalonia
Day 1 of the Kefalonia in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Melissani Cave Lake
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