Melissani Cave

Melissani Lake is located on the island of Kefalonia, which is in Greece’s Ionian Islands group, located just to the west of the Greek mainland about an hour’s flight from Athens. It is a lacustrine cave of unique beauty and fully developed cave, which is 3.5 km long, 40m wide and 36m high. The depth of the lake is 20 to 30 meters. Melissani cave constitutes a unique geological phenomenon. It was created by a mechanical and chemical process called Karstikopoiisi (dissolution of rocks) during which water enters the calcareous rocks, erodes them and creates hollows. The cave is host to stalactites and stalagmites over 20.000 years old.
The underground Melissani Lake was discovered in 1951 by Giannis Petrochilos. A big part of its roof has fallen down revealing an amazing sight and allowing sunlight to filter through the overhead vegetation and giving the water a brilliant turquoise color. During antiquity the lake was a place of worship dedicated to Pan and Nymph Melissani. Myths mention that Melissani committed suicide and fell in the lake because Pan was not responding to her love for him. The excavations carried out in 1951 and in 1962 brought to light artifacts (an ancient lamp, plates and figures of the nymphs and of the God Pan) dated to the 3rd and 4th century BC that were used during the post classical periods. Another version tells of a shepherdess called Melissanthi who accidentally fell into the lake and drowned while searching for a lost sheep. In the lake lies a small isle on which the archaeologist S. Marinatos discovered a shrine dedicated to Pan. The finds, which are now displayed at the Argostoli Archaeological Museum, include a clay figurine of Pan, a plate depicting dancing nymphs, a clay tablet depicting a procession of nymphs and a small tablet with a relief carving of a female figure.
In Greek mythology the site is known as the Cave of the Nymphs. It has two big halls and an island in the middle. One of the halls opens on the surface and lets the light in, which makes the water so clear it seems that the boats are gliding through the air.
A balcony was built on top of the cave for tourists to get a spectacular view of the inside from the top. The first chamber is sun-lit and the second chamber is dark and has many stalactites covered with algae and moss. Even though they are big in size, they are dwarfed by the huge dome. Surprisingly, many of the stalactites resemble dolphins, the companions and messengers of the nymphs as the legend goes. This chamber is lit with electric lights.
Although the cave is about 500m from the sea its water level is a meter higher than sea level, and the brackish water rises from a 30m deep cave system on one side of the cave and flows to the other end, through narrow crevices, into the sea. For a long time, people had tried to figure out where the seawater flows to, until in 1963 Austrian geologists found out by pouring dye into the water, that the seawater which disappears in the ground, crosses the island underground and reappears after 14 days on the other side of the island, flowing through lake Melissani at one meter above sea level and from there, back into the sea.
Melissani Lake opened to the public in 1963 and is located northwest of Sami village near Karavomylos. The cavern caved in several thousand years ago creating an amazing sight. In 1963 also a short tunnel was created to give visitors access to the lake. Rowing boats are waiting for you when you reach the lake at the end of the tunnel. By boat you will be taken over the lake to the closed part of the cave, passing the islet where the excavations had taken place. At the walls, there are Stalactites and flowstones with bizarre shaping, some with a resemblance to dolphins, as the boatman will point out, as dolphins play a role in mythology. The water in the lake is a mixture of freshwater and seawater. It is about 500m away from the sea. The seawater, coming from Katavothres, is enriched by the many underground freshwater deposits in the karsts and enters Melissani Lake, flowing through the lake to the closed part of the cave, where it exits the cave on its way back into the sea. The brackish water enters the Cave of Melissani from one end and flows out from the other. Water is replenished by the springs gushing underneath the 30m in-depth water inside. The Cave of Melissani leaves a memorable and lasting impression on everyone who visits it.
The central bus station of the island is located at Argostoli. There are buses from Argostoli to Sami during the day. Consider that time schedules might change according to the season.
Visitors reach the lake by an underground tunnel and have the opportunity to explore it with a boat and a guide. They can take a guided tour of Melissani Cave Lake in small rowing boats and enjoy the magical spectacle of its stalactites and sunlit turquoise waters. You first enter the open-air chamber and then you pass through a narrow channel to the second chamber that is a big cavern with numerous stalactites and stalagmites. Melissani Lake is officially “open” to tourists from May through October and during daylight hours on days that fall during those months. The best time to visit the cave is in the middle of the sunny day. Slanting rays in the morning and evening have the magical quality of their own. One gets an ethereal feeling of boats hovering in the light! When the sun is right overhead at noon, the sunlight hitting the turquoise-blue waters create a magical illusion and the whole Cave of Melissani suddenly feels lit with blue light. However, it is said that the morning and evening visits have their own advantages.