1. Perama Cave
It is located only 5 km from the center of Ioannina, on the road to Metsovo, in the suburb of the same name Perama, on the hill Goritsa. It is the largest cave in Greece with 4.8 hectares and the 6th in the length of the passages with 1,700 meters.
The cave of Perama is geologically linked to the presence and development of Lake Pamvotida. It dates back to about 1,500,000 years ago and is part of a riverbed when the waters of Lake Pamvotida covered the entire basin of the city of Ioannina and the hill Goritsa was an island.
The first modern reports of the existence of the cave date back to World War II, when the inhabitants of Perama took refuge during the bombardment.
The cave of Perama belongs to the limestone caves and has 19 types of stalactites and stalagmites, an extremely large number.
It consists of many successive rooms and passages decorated with stalactites, stalagmites and impressive columns in magnificent complexes. In 1956, fossilized teeth and bones of the cave bear were found.
It occupies an area of 14,800 square meters and the tourist path is 1,100 meters long in total. The indoor temperature is 18° C, while the humidity reaches 100%.
2. The Cave of the Lakes
The "Cave of the Lakes" is located near the village of Kastria in the municipality of Lefkasia, Achaia, on the provincial road Patras-Kalavrita-Klitoria-Tripoli. It is only 17 km away from Kalavrita and 9 km away from Klitoria.
The cave is a rare creation of nature. Apart from the labyrinthine passages, the mysterious arcades and the strange stalactite formations, it has something very unique: the successive stagnant lakes (extending over three floors), which make it unique in its kind in the world! The used length of the cave is currently 500 meters.
The visitor enters the cave through an artificial tunnel that ends directly on the second floor. The dimensions of this section evoke awe, ecstasy and admiration. The lakes are crossed via elevated man-made bridges. On the lower floor of the cave, fossilized bones of humans and various animals, including a hippopotamus, have been found. This section is intended for an international bio-speleological laboratory.
3. Aggitis Springs Cave
The cave is located in the prefecture of Drama in the municipality of Prosotsani, near the village of Kokkinogeia, in a location covered with plane trees.
It is one of the few in Greece with a river(Aggitis) running through it. It is the second-longest cave in the country, after Diros Cave, with a length of 13 km and a height difference of 400 meters. It was explored by a team of French speleologists at a depth of 8.5 km.
Of this, about 2.5 km are accessible, with the first 500 meters being visitable. Inside the cave, there is a constant temperature of 17o C. The decoration is dominated by white and red stalactites in various shapes.
The cave is also called Maara, a name whose etymology comes either from Arabic, meaning small cave, or from Hebrew, meaning water from the mountain. The archeological excavations in this area brought to light important Paleolithic and paleontological finds, as well as a mammoth tusk, which is kept in the Archeological Museum of Drama.
At the exit of the river (entrance of the cave), there is a water wheel, which was in operation since the Turkish occupation, for the water supply of the surrounding settlements. The wheel system met the water supply needs of the area until the middle of the 20th century. Unique fish species have been found in the cave.
4. The Cave of Alistrati
In Prosotsani is the cave of Alistrati, and is one of the largest caves in Europe.
Its rich decoration includes giant stalactites and stalagmites of various colors, as well as the rare eccentrics. “Eccentrics” or “elitites” are rare formations that have formed against the laws of gravity and on irregular paths. The main feature of this cave - which makes it unique in Greece - is the very large variety of eccentrics.
It is also distinguished by the unique microscopic organisms (3 mm) found in it, such as Alistratia Beroni, a unique species of isopod. The visitable passages are about 3 km long. The cave, along with four other known caves, is part of the Aggitis River Gorge cave network. Alistrati Cave is located 6 km southwest of the town of Alistrati in Serres, at "Petroto" and is accessible from Drama and Kavala as well as from Thessaloniki (via Serres or Asprovalta). It has been in use since 1998 and can be visited.
5. The Cave of Agios Galaktos - Chios
The cave of Agios Gala is one of the two most visited caves of Chios (the other being that of Olympus). It is essentially two caves, one above the other. The lower one covers a large area and has a significant stone decoration. There is a small church built at its entrance.
On the way into the cave, the visitor encounters chambers and apartments decorated with dripping complexes that are very impressive.
It is an elongated passage of 220 m long, forming meanders and expanding locally, creating spacious rooms and labyrinthine chambers. Balconies, windows, bridges and caves are among its special features. There is high humidity, dripping and changing temperature.
The excavations in the two lower caves, carried out in 1938 by the British School of Archeology and in 2004 by the Ephorate of Palaeoanthropology - Speleology, brought to light important finds from the Middle and Late Neolithic periods (6th and 5th millennia BC. ). The cave also contained remains from all later periods. Food remains are also abundant, especially animal bones, fish and shells.
It is also worth mentioning the discovery of bones of bears, leopards, wild boars and deer, animals that have now disappeared from the island.
6. The Melissani Lake Cave in Kefalonia
This is a unique geological phenomenon.
Melissani Lake Cave is located 2 km northwest of Sami. The natural entrance of the cave is vertical (dimensions 40 × 50 m.) and was created by the fall of part of the roof. However, there is an artificial entrance with a staircase through which you can visit the cave. The cave was discovered in 1951 by Giannis Petrochilos.
The lake is located 20 m underground, is about 160 m long and the water is 10 m to 40 m deep. 20,000 year old stalactites with strange shapes decorate most of the cave.
It is worthwhile, if you visit Kefalonia, to take a boat trip in the cave. It starts in the uncovered part of the cave, where the light falls into the water and creates the most beautiful turquoise shades, and continues in the covered part.
In the middle of the lake, there is a small island where finds have been found that prove the cult function of the cave because in ancient times the prehistoric inhabitants worshipped the god Pan and the presence of female figures, the famous Nymphs. That is why the Melissani Cave is also called the Cave of the Nymphs.
7. The Koutouki Cave in Peania
The cave is a part of the underground system of Hymettus. Its formation is due to the high solubility of limestone in rainwater. This is the main cause of the formation of the caves.
This is how most of the cave of Peania was formed, with rich stone decoration, with a variety of stalactite formations and atmospheric, elements that urged to give different names to the halls, balconies, squares and passages. One distinguishes "Olympic Torch", "Altar", "Coral", "Harmony" and "Red Waterfall" from the iron oxides that enter the cave along with the water from the ground.
"Koutouki" is a cave with a vertical height of 38.5 meters and a corridor length of about 350 meters. The huge central chamber, which measures 60 x 60 m, is divided into other smaller chambers by stalagmites, stalactites and columns. The temperature inside is 17 C. Today, the visit is made through an artificial entrance built to facilitate access as part of the tourist development.
8. The Cave of the Dragon in Kastoria
Located in Kastoria, it is one of the most modern caves in the Balkans, equipped with the most modern systems for air recycling and maintaining climatic balance. Among other things, an electronic system has been installed in the cave to control the movement of rocks inside, so that there is information about geological changes at any time.
Special paths have been created, designed with respect for the environment, and a floating bridge from which you can see the 7 lakes that exist inside the cave. It is the only cave in Greece with freshwater lakes due to its proximity to the lake of Kastoria. The cave was discovered in 1940 by residents of Kastoria and got its name from its entrance, which is shaped like a dragon's mouth. Various mapping and explorations of the cave followed while the first attempt to design the entrance was made in 1985. Bear bones were also discovered inside the cave, estimated to be 10,000 years old.
9. The Kapsia Cave in Arcadia
The "Sinks of Kapsia" cave is located below the Ski Center of Mainalo, 1500 meters from the village of Kapsia, only 15 km from Tripoli.
It was discovered in 1887 by the French archeologist Gustave Fouzer, during his excavations in Mantineia and explored in 1892.
According to scientists, the cave of Kapsia is of worldwide speleological interest and has all the conditions to become an attraction of great tourist interest.
The cave is 380 meters long and straight and its decoration is a rare, majestic spectacle of a combination of colors, patterns and natural complexes.
To date, about 6,500 sq. m. of the cave have been explored, with fossils from the Neolithic period, traces of an ancient flood, human bones and skulls, and also clay lamps from the 4th and 5th AD found inside.
Inside the cave, there are small and large rooms, winding passages and unique complexes of stalactites and stalagmites that are well over a meter in size.
In the "wonder room" of the cave, you can see many white-colored stalactites hanging from the ceiling and colorful stalagmites in unique color combinations and patterns. Truly spectacular images that make Kapsia Cave a cave of unsurpassed value and beauty.
10. The Cave in Vlychada Dirou
Finally, the most impressive of the caves in Greece and one of the most impressive in the world.
It is located on the west coast of the Laconian Peninsula, in the bay of Diros. The Glyfada Cave (or Vlychada) of Diros was first explored in 1949, when the founders of Hellenic Speleological Society, Giannis and Anna Petrocheilou, began to explore it systematically. Its existence had been known to the locals since about 1900.
But no one suspected the wonder that lay hidden within. By 1960, 1,600 meters had been explored, while today the known length of the cave is more than 15 kilometers. In 1970, the first underwater exploration took place. The length of the visitable passages of the cave is 3100m. of which 300m. are terrestrial. The visit of the sea section is carried out by boats.
Because of its rich colorful decoration, it is at the top of the world list of lake caves, together with the Zeita of Lebanon and French Pandirak.
The land, as well as the underwater part, has a rich stone decoration. It is crossed by an underground river that flows into the sea about 23 m. to the right of its natural entrance, which is half a meter above sea level. Most of the cave is covered with seawater and the water level inside changes according to the external weather conditions. Bones of hippos, panthers, hyenas, lions, deer and other animals have been found in the cave, as well as prehistoric pottery.
The cave began to form hundreds of thousands of years ago. The stalactites and stalagmites that are now underwater formed when the sea surface was much lower than it is today. The water inside is brackish and has a high degree of hardness. Its temperature is about 14 C, while the air is between 16 and 19 C.
The natural entrance of the cave is only half a meter in diameter and is very close to the surface of the sea. In earlier times the cave had other entrances, which were gradually closed. Two new entrances were opened for their use.
