Melissani cave can be found on the east coast of the island
of Kefalonia 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, while a
mountain slope is located to the west. Below you will find a gallery of this
magical place along with additional information on the cave’s history as well
as the best time to visit and what you can expect to see.
The cave is 100 meters long and the lake takes about one
third of its length. It was first discovered in 1951 and was opened for the
public in 1963. The lake water is brackish, a mixture of sea water and
sweet water. The cave is about 500m from the sea and the water level is a meter
higher than sea level. The brackish water rises from a 30m deep cave system on
one side of the cave and flows to the other end of the cave. This was
discovered by dye tracing experiments in 1959.
The cavern, once two big chambers, caved in several thousand
years ago. Today the cave has the shape of a ‘B’, with two big water filled
halls and an island in the middle. The first hall has a big oval opening to the
surface where the sunlight shines in. The second is a huge cavern with an
arched roof and numerous stalactites and stalagmites. The best time to visit
the cave is in the middle of a bright sunny day. Tours are done by boats that
take you on a trip through both halls.
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