How To Get To Melissani Cave Lake & What To Expect

Melissani Cave Lake with its sunbeams streaking down to its ethereal blue waters is a unique geological phenomenon and a cool little tourist attraction. This fascinating lake became a stunner when the 1953 earthquake that wreaked havoc on most of the Ionian islands caved in part of the roof on top of it. Now sunlight streams in, illuminating the lake’s icredbily vibrant shades of turquoise and blue and makes the boats paddling in it look like they’re levitating above the water. The visit here is a short one, but worth the trip if you’re in Kefalonia. This post covers Melissani Cave Lake, how to get here, and what to expect.

How Was Mellisani Cave Lake Formed?

Melissani Lake is crystal clear and a mix of fresh water and salt water. It’s so clear, you can see all the way to the bottom in the sunlight, which is up to 98’ (30 m) deep. The water near the center of the cave, however, is the most shallow as this is where the roof caved into the lake.

Melissani Cave was created through a process where water here dissolved and eroded the rock, a process called karstikopoiisi. It’s 20 meters underground and has an islet inside and stalactites that are about 20,000 years old.

Learn how to get to Melissani Cave Lake to see this stunning sight. — Melissani Cave

Another really interesting feature of this lake is that the water here flows directly from the water at the Katavothres (sinkholes) in Argostoli on the opposite end of the island. This rare geological event takes fresh seawater into the sinkholes near Argostoli and flows out at the springs of Karavomoles and the cave as brakish water.

They’ve even conducted tests, adding dye to the water at the sinkholes in Argostoli, and witnessed the same dye in the cave after traveling under the island!

The Legends Of Melissani Cave Lake

Melissani Cave is also called Nymphs Cave due to a legend from Greek mythology. Archeologists found an ancient clay figure of the Greek god Pan along with several carvings with dancing nymphs in the cave. Because of this, researchers think Melissani Cave was an ancient sanctuary and place of worship for Pan.

If you cannot remember who Pan is, he is the god depicted as half man and half goat, the god of shepherds and hunting. Also connected with fertility, he usually plays a reed flute and chases after nymphs.

According to the legend, one of these nymph’s, Melissani, plunged to her death in the lake as her love for Pan was not returned.

Locals also believe a more modern tale. This story tells of a shepherdess, Mellisanthi, that was chasing her lost sheep and accidentally fell into the lake here and drowned.

What To Expect At Melissani Cave Lake

Melissani Cave is underground, so to get to the opening of the cave, you walk down some steps and through a short tunnel located near the parking area.

The entrance to the cave is where the boats arrive to take you on a tour of the cave. The guides use paddles to propel the boats, so there are no engines to pollute the water.

First you cross the cave, riding under the opening of the roof. Then you move to a very narrow part of the cave. A part so narrow, our guide couldn’t even use his paddles. There was a cord attached to the wall and the guide pulled on the cord to move the boat along. Beyond this, you’ll paddle past the small islet where the ancient clay artifacts of the god Pan were discovered. This is also where you’ll see the stalactites.

The boat ride is quite short, about 10-minutes, but definitely worth it. Your guide will explain details about the cave and may sing (ours did), which sounded beautiful in the cave.

Melissani Cave Lake entrance to narrow part, where the islet is — Melissani Cave

If it’s peak season, and a tour arrives before you do, however, there could be a long line. I’ve heard that the line can be as long as an hour or more, which would be very frustrating for such a short boat ride.

I visited in late September and even though I arrived at peak time, around noon, I only had to wait about 5 to 10 minutes.

After the boat ride, you exit to a small cafe and souvenir shop.

There is a railing above the opening of the cave at the roof (upper right in image below). I asked if you can walk to it and look down into the cave, but, sadly, was told it was closed.

How Much Is Melissani Cave Lake?

The entrance fee for Melissani Cave Lake is 8€ as of November 2023. There is also a combined ticket with Drogarati Cave for 10€, which is about a 10-minute drive south of Melissani. This is more of a traditional cave. I opted not to visit Drogarati, but it gets fairly good reviews on Trip Advisor. If you love caves, it’s probably worth the 2€ extra.

If you choose to take a tour, there are several options. At this link on Viator you can see a variety of tours starting with tours of just Melissani and Drogarati Caves to full day tours of the island of Kefalonia (often including famous Myrtos Beach) with a stop at Melissani. The cost of these tours range from around $60 to about $150, depending on what all is included.

Melissani Cave Lake Hours

During the main tourist season, from May through October, Melissani Cave Lake is open from 9 AM to 7 PM. Outside of this, the cave is only open from 10 AM to 4 PM on Thursdays and weekends. It’s always a good idea to double check the hours if you’re visiting off-season.

Best Time To Visit Melissani Cave Lake

The best time to visit is from around noon until 2 PM, when the sunlight filters through the opening in the roof and lights up the brilliantly blue water in the lake.

Keep in mind that the sun shifts from spring to fall, so visiting around noon gives you the best chance you will get maximum sunshine. Unfortunately, this is also when the cave is the busiest. Especially during peak season.

My photos are from noon at the end of September.

How To Get To Melissani Cave Lake

As noted above, there are a variety of tours that visit the cave and take a short boat ride around on the lake, but it’s also easy to drive here and visit on your own.

Melissani Cave Lake is located 1.8 miles (3 km) west of Sami Port, which is on the eastern side of Kefalonia. It’s a 5-minute drive or taxi ride away from the port. Note that if you land on Kefalonia at Sami (which is the main port), this may be the best way to start your trip here as it’s not far away.

If you’re staying in Argostoli, which is a popular place for tourists to stay in the island, it’s about 17 miles (28 km), which is about a 40-minute drive to Melissani Cave.

Famous Myrtos Beach is on the west side of the island, about a 35-minute drive away. I’ll be adding a post on visiting this beach and its viewpoints soon.

If you’ve visited Melissani Cave, add a comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Want More Of Greece?

Greece is such an amazing country. Amazing history, beautiful beaches, stunning sites, great food, and warm and friendly people.

I’ve visited Greece several times and there’s just so much to explore. I’ve listed my favorites below along with some stories that happened along the way.

Mainland Greece

Corfu Island

Crete Island

Ios Island

Top 15 Things To Do On Ios Island

Kefalonia Island

Zakynthos Island

Other

For an overview of all the best places in Greece, as well as how to get around, safety, tips, and more, see my Greece Travel Guide.