Melissani Cave is a natural phenomenon found on the island of Kefalonia, Greece. It is located on the east coast of the island close to the town of Sami, which incidentally gained fame when the Hollywood film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin was filmed there.

If you’re on Kefalonia, the cave is definitely worth a visit. Seven euros buys you a ticket on a row boat which takes you on a 15 minute ride around the cave. You enter from an underground tunnel and in the heat of the Mediterranean summer the cool cave is a welcome relief!

There are two sections to the cave, one is a wide open expanse of turquoise blue crystal clear waters which is a cool 15 degrees celcius all year round and is a mix of fresh and saltwater. Look closely and you can spot eels swimming around!

There are stalactites hanging from the roof of the cave which are quite large but look small in comparison to the size of the cave itself. The second section of the cave has a small island which has vegetation and is home to a small population of wild pigeons.

The cave was first explored in 1951 and during excavations in 1962, several ancient artifacts were discovered. When you’ve finished your tour, the famous beach of Antisamos (where Captain Corelli’s Mandolin was also filmed), beckons for a swim and a lunch of grilled octopus and salad.

Photography by Ms Gingham and Eleni Spyropoulou