Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Mystical, magical, underground lake |
| Disadvantages: |
You might need a jacket as it is a bit cold undergorund |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
I visited Kefalonia in May/June 2007 and part of an island tour we did included a visit to the wonderful underground lake of Mellisani. The 'red' carpet we walked down towards the underground lake was actually green astro-turf which did seem a little odd but the view and tour that followed had nothing artificial about it and was magical!
At the end of the green carpet the boatmen were waiting for visitors to get onboard. I recommend a cardigan or light jacket as the water temperature and the cave itself are cold. You also need good grip on your shoes as the painted wooden boats can be a bit slippy.
The boatmen use oars to propel the boat around the lake, some giving renditions of 'Just one cornetto' during the 15 minute trip. The boat is guided through a very narrow gap into an adjoining cave where the roof is still intact and birds can be seen nesting in the rocks high above. Out boatman offered to take photos of people on the boat but most couples on our boat went a bit camera shy and missed out on a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Our boatman was fantastic and spoke in good English about the background and history of the underground lake. The roof fell in over 50 years ago revealing the beautiful blue and turquoise waters beneath. The waters are so clear you can still see the fallen roof beneath the waters as you look down. The sun was shining through the open roof onto the stone wall of the cave giving a rippled effect and making the water in direct sunlight a beautiful turquose blue with other parts of the water a very dark blue. (I recommend visiting on a sunny day to get the best effect).
Our boatman said the water is too cold for most fish but mullet and eels co live in the lake. There are stalactites and stacmites around the cave which are thousands of years old and gave us a taster for the next stop on our tour - a visit to Dragorati cave. (How I remember which is which = Stalactites hold tight to the roof and Stalagmites might one day reach them to form a pillar).
