If there is one place that you have to visit before you die this will be it!
Melissani Lake, Kefalonia Greece
One of my close friends Dafi moved to Kefalonia – an Island in the Ionian Sea in Greece to work for Thompsons Tours.
Envious of all her Facebook posts of all the amazing places she had visited, I felt inspired to hop on a plane to explore these places with her.
The Melissani Lake was one of those natural wonders that she raved about, and I can see why.
This lacustrine cave of unique beauty is surrounded by forests on the outside, and on the inside, you can find a hole in the top of the cave that when the sun shines through illuminates the crystal-clear turquoise waters of the lake. If you visit the cave at midday when it is sunny you will notice that the sun lights up the cave with blue light which is just fascinating to see.
The lake water is brackish, a mixture of seawater and sweet water. The cave is about 500m from the sea, and the water level is a meter higher than the sea level, and the brackish water rises from a 30m deep cave system on one side of the cave and flows silently to the other end of the cave, flowing through narrow crevices into the sea. The water is so clear that the boats you explore it on seem like they are floating in the air.
This picture doesn’t do it much justice. It’s one of those places that look better when you see it!
In Greek mythology, the site is known as the Cave of the Nymphs. You should read up about this – this is fascinating.
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.
I am hoping that these images will inspire you to visit this amazing Island.