Melissani Cave

Melissani Cave is located on the east coast of Kefalonia Island in Greece. It is located about 2 km from the town of Sami and 10 km from the town of Argostoli. The caves are surrounded by forests, and a mountain slope lies to the west. We invite you to take a look at this magical place.

The length of the cave is 100 m, and about a third of its length is occupied by a lake. The cave was first discovered in 1951, and it was opened to tourists in 1963. The water in the lake is brackish — an unpleasant mixture of sea and sweet water.

The cave is located about 500 m from the sea, and the water level in the lake is one meter above sea level. Water rises from the cave system at a depth of 30 m on one side of the cave and flows to the other end of the cave. This was calculated in 1959 with the help of special experiments with paint.

The cave, which once consisted of two large grottoes, collapsed several thousand years ago. Today the cave has the shape of the letter "B" and two large flooded halls with an island in the middle.

In the first grotto there is a large oval hole on the surface where sunlight penetrates. The second cave is a huge grotto with an arched roof and numerous stalactites and stalagmites.

There is a lake of the same name in the cave, and its main feature is a huge hole in the ceiling through which bright daylight penetrates into a corner of the underworld. A beautiful legend about the nymph Melissini is connected with the cave and the lake hidden in it. She was secretly in love with the god Pan and, not getting reciprocated, lost the meaning of life and drowned herself in a cave lake.

According to scientists, the cave was formed about 20,000 years ago due to the leaching of rocks. During one of the earthquakes, the upper part of the cave collapsed, giving way to daylight. It paints the crystal clear waters of the cave lake in a bright azure color and makes the walls of the cave painted in a variety of shades, boat trips on the cave lake are incredibly popular with tourists.

At different times of the day, the light paints the cave in different colors, making it one of the most amazing natural attractions on the planet. It is important to note that the Melissani Cave is an important historical site. Thousands of years ago it was used for religious ceremonies, unique religious artifacts were discovered in the cave. Figurines of the god Pan, clay discs and plates depicting nymphs are now kept in the Archaeological Museum of Argostoli.

It is best to visit the caves in the midst of a bright sunny day. Excursions are conducted by boat to both grottoes.