Melissani Cave Lake
Melissani Cave Lake things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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A beautiful little site to visit. With its electric blue, crystal clear waters set within a cave where the 'roof' has collapsed allowing sunlight in, you get rowed across the water into the extend area of the cave and back again. It only takes about 20 mins of your time and is certainly worth it. Get there early as the queue can get quite long. If later in the day parking can be tricky, which is free, there are toilets at the back of the car park. A gift shop and cafe are at the entrance of the cave site, which you must pass through to exit. It is all very clearly signposted as is the entrance to the cave. You purchase a ticket from the cabin near the entrance (get the double site ticket that includes visiting Drogarati cave) and immediately after take the steps down to the long, downward slopping, underground path to the lake. At the lake edge you will be assigned a small wooden paddle boat to board. Unfortunately, there is much variation in the local guide rowing the boat - ours was too interested in being the funnyman than telling us anything about the cave system itself. I think some do have much more to say about the actual cave system itself which would be interesting. There is a slight pressure to tip the oarsman when leaving the boat - you do not have to! They will paddle you across the lake, where you can capture some wonderful photos, and into the back of the cave system. It only takes about 20 mins for the whole journey before you are returned to the shore and you make your way up the path and out.
Angus CarpenterAngus Carpenter
10
The Melissani underground lake was created by the collapse of the cave's vault during an earthquake into an impeccably clean underground lake. The water is so clear and transparent that the boats on the water seem to float. You may also see large eels squirming close to the surface of the water. The experience is exceptional and this work of nature leaves an impression that is remembered. You will be driven by friendly guides who will inform you about all the facts related to Melissani. The water is a mixture of fresh water that comes from the central part of the island and sea water that has made its way to the lake because the lake is located very close to the coast. The lake has two areas that can be visited in about 20 minutes. Swimming in the lake is prohibited and nothing may be thrown into the lake. the best time to visit the lake is from 12:00 to 15:00, because that's when the sun best shines on the inside of the cave, but that's when, of course, it's also the most crowded at the entrance. You can wait up to 30 minutes in line for tickets, but no matter how long the line is, it moves quickly. The entrance ticket is €8 per person. Next to the entrance, there is an excellent souvenir shop, which seemed nicer to me than in other places, while the prices were average. There is free parking next to the entrance.
Zoran JovanovicZoran Jovanovic
50
My Honest review. Visit date early August 2023 You will read that you should get there between 12pm and 2pm. You need to be here earlier. We queued for 1.45hrs after arriving at 12pm. A lot of coach tours also arrive at this time. As we got in at 1.45pm I think we would have had the same experience if we got in at 11.45am, so go a little earlier and join the queue, your timing might be perfect, but if you you are hitting the front of the queue earlier than expected and really want to board the boat at 12pm, you could always let people pass you in the queue to get the boarding time correct. There is some shade whilst in the queue but not a lot if the queue is large. Be prepared for standing in the sun if it's hot or taking turns to got off to the shade whilst someone in you group takes turn to hold your place. Again, get there a little earlier than 12pm and you will be in the shaded area and heading down underground where the temperature drops. The ramp when coming back out is not overly steep but it's quite long if you have people that may struggle. Maybe 30mtrs, 40mts at most but steeper than a disability ramp. The boat rides last about 15 mins. The boat is very stable when boarding and not over packed. I would say each boat holds approx 12 people maybe 16 at a push. The tour guide....hmmm. our guide clearly had limited English. No disrespect, he spoke a million times more English than I speak Greek, however, I got the feeling he had been taught a number of things to say and repeated them at random. A bit like when you pull the string on the back of an action figure from the 90s and it says the catchphrase. I would personally have preferred a more informative recording being played whilst we moved around. Earthquake. Roof fall in. Water go to sea. Earthquake. Shallow here. Deep there. Water always running. Earthquake. Very clear. Water goes to Argostolli. Earthquake..... You get the idea It's pretty, interesting to see the rock formation and a must do. Cost was 8 euro per adult. Gift shop reasonably priced. Another 3 euro fridge magnet purchased for the wifes collection, I don't know why we have to get these, the fridge is built in with a wooden door but hey ho 😁 Food and drink available. Deli sandwiches and snacks, not a sit down area. Parking free. If you are going to the Drogarati Cave afterwards there is better food and drink available at the cafe opposite
Andy DaviesAndy Davies
10
The place itself is absolutely breathtaking and well worth a visit BUT do not go anywhere near this place if there is a cruise ship is Argostoli harbour. The coach companies that descend on this place are a joke! There were 15 coaches parked in a very small car park creating a queue that ran out of the site and beyond. On seeing this queue, we left and went to Sami. When we returned a few hours later in was no better. The coaches were one in and one out all day, ruining the experience. We queued for almost 2 hours whilst pushy and rude your operators tried to push past us to keep to their schedules. It was horrendous. When we did finally reach the front, the boat trip and views were spectacular BUT again, we were shoved onto a full boat, the staff member rowing our boat demanding to take our photo for a tip which he then immediately pocketed rather than putting in the tip box, and then said absolutely nothing about this history of the cave or how it was formed. Just towed us in and out in under 15 minutes. I understand they have a large queue to get through and are working super hard to row in and out hundreds of times a day, but to have queued for 2 hours in blistering heat with rude coach trips, having paid €8 per person to get in and queued even more for the boat, for it to only last 10-15 mins and have nothing said to us expect “photo” and “tip” was hugely disappointing. This site desperate needs separate queues for coaches and members of the public and needs to offer a better tour guide aspect to the boat trip. They also massively need to limit the number of coaches of the site at any one time. I know they have to make money, but everyone left feeling disappointed and agitated and I was very close to complaining or asking for a refund. Worth seeing, just not on a cruise day.
Katherine WilkinsKatherine Wilkins
20
After reading multiple negative reviews about long waiting lines, unpolite staff and tips, I was hesitant about visiting the cave. However, we did not experience any of this during our visit. We arrived at 11:00 and left before 12:00. We waited around 20-30 minutes in line, but later we saw the que behind us got bigger. I recommend coming early to avoid long lines but still around noon to experience the sun rays illuminating the cave walls and lake. The boat ride itself was around 15 minutes, the guide spoke about the history of the cave while steering the boat. They also offer to take pictures of You. The guide was polite and respectful and did not ask for tips as I read in certain reviews. There is a tip box on the boat for anyone who chose to tip. Unfortunately, it is not possible to see the cave lake from the top or in any other way than the guided boat tour, but I do not think that would be feasible with the large number of tourists visiting this place. I do not recommend buying tickets online in advance as there is no advantage to this. Overall, we had a good experience here. The caves are beautiful but it is one of the main tourist attractions on the island with many visitors so you have to keep this in mind.
Jakub JanasJakub Janas
00
By the time we got here it was only open for another half hour( closed at 2pm), but to our pleasant surprise it was no problem at all and they were more than happy to let us in despite potentially overrunning. We practically had no queue time in front of us. Onto the experience itself. The water was exquisitely calm, impossibly clear, and the sunlight cast upon it a beautiful turquoise blue hue. We saw the stalagmites from the top of the cavern hanging down, there were even some bats hanging with them. Water does occasionally drip from the stalagmites, it’s nothing more than a mild irritation but it did surprise one of us. We had no concerns for our safety as the man at the helm was very experienced and the aforementioned calmness of the water meant that practically nothing could bother us. The guide (we’ll call him the guide, he steered the boat and also talked about the cave as he took us around the water) was very friendly and kind, happy to take questions and had an arsenal of facts about the place. Overall a cheap experience that is visually stunning, waters as crystal clear as these are reserved for certain pockets of the globe and if you happen to be in the area I wouldn’t miss it. Highly recommended.
hoang mai Nguyenhoang mai Nguyen
00
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Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
Unnamed Rd, Karavomilos 280 80, Greece
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Phone
+30 2674 022997
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Website
sami.gov.gr
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4.6
(6K reviews)
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Description
Melissani Cave or Melissani Lake, also Melisani is a cave located on the island of Kefalonia, northwest of Sami, about 5 km Southeast of Agia Effimia, Northeast of Argostoli and Northwest of Poros. The Ionian Sea lies to the east with the Strait of Ithaca.
attractions: Melissani Cave, Karavomilos Lake, restaurants: Taverna Karavomylos, Tou kokora, Vitosquared Café-Snacks-Bakery
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