Attractions

The travel destination of Argostoli and Kefalonia Island is one of the most touristic areas in Greece, with significant growth in recent years. It offers unique experiences to the visitor, who has the opportunity to admire the natural beauty of the area and to tour a place that is the heart of Greek history.

Some of the attractions that can be seen in beautiful Kefalonia are:

Melissani Cave

Melissani Cave (Greek: Μελισσάνη) or Melissani Lake, also Melisani is a cave located on the island of Kefalonia, northwest of Sami, about 5 km (3.1 mi) Southeast of Agia Effimia, Northeast of Argostoli and Northwest of Poros. The Ionian Sea lies to the east with the Strait of Ithaca. Forests surround the cave and the mountain slope is to the west. Near the cave is the entry to the cave with parking lots and is passed almost in the middle of the main road linking Sami and Agia Efimia especially to the northern part of the island. Some say the water is so clear the boats look like they are floating on air.

Information

In Greek mythology, Melissani was the Cave of the Nymphs. It features a lake surrounded with trees and forest, and is located east of the mountains of Evmorfia and Agia Dynati. Tourism is common.
The lake's bottom is covered with stones. Plants grow at the opening of the cave. The color of the stone near the opening is stucco to honey-like brown.
The cave was rediscovered in 1951 by Giannis Petrocheilos.

Hydrogeology

Melissani cave is a typical feature of karst environment in coastal carbonate aquifer. It forms a kind of cenote, as described in the Yucatán peninsula (Mexico). The vertical shaft gives access to the water table (where you can do a round trip on a small boat). This groundwater is brackish, mixing between fresh water recharge inland and sea water intruded in depth in the island. Huge karst conduits have been explored by speleo-divers. The bay of Sami has many cenotes, with impressive shafts, that have been inventoried in a GIS Database [see external links]. The brackish water flowing through the cenotes outflows along the sea shore, forming brackish coastal and submarine springs. The groundwater of Melissani cave outflows at the "Fridi" beach. This brackish water is part of a famous hydrogeological phenomena : seawater is sucked in the west part of the island of Kefalonia, near Argostoli, and expelled in the bay of Sami. In Argostoli, the seawater flows into sinkholes, named katavothres, where water mill turns.

Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissani_Cave

Drogarati Cave

The Cave of Drogarati is located at a distance of 3 km from Sami, in the area of Haliotata in Kefalonia.

Its entrance is at an altitude of 120 meters and its depth reaches 95 meters, while its temperature is 18 degrees Celsius. It has been explored by the Hellenic Speleological Society.

It is considered one of the most suitable caves in Greece for cave therapy. Its room is very large (65 x 45 and a height of about 20 meters) and has excellent acoustics. For this reason, important concerts have taken place here, such as those of M. Farantouri and the vocal Ef. Karagianni.

Nature has created a unique sculpture, from stalagmites and stalactites that have been created for thousands of years.

The cave is a rare geological phenomenon and has been used for tourism.

Source
https://en.wikipedia.org

Mount Ainos

Mount Aenos or Ainos (Ancient Greek: Ὄρος Αἶνος; Modern Greek: Όρος Αίνος. Italian: Monte Nero or Montagna Nera) is the tallest mountain in the Ioanian island of Cephalonia, Greece, with an elevation of 1,628 metres (5,341 ft). Its bedrock is dominantly dolomite and limestone of Cretaceous age.

Most of the mountain range is designated as a National Park area and is covered with Greek fir (Abies Cephalonica) and black pine (Pinus nigra). Pine forests are found between the elevations of 700 to 1200 m. Semi wild ponies inhabit its forest.

On clear days, the view includes the NW Peloponnese and Aetolia along with the islands of Zakynthos, Lefkada, and Ithaca.

No ski resorts are found on this mountain range, but there are beautiful caves to be seen in the north. A highway passes over the mountain range connecting traffic from southwestern to the eastern part of the island is one of the few roads going into the mountain range. Approximately 3,000 to 4,000 people live on the slopes of Ainos.

Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ainos

There are several hiking trails on the mountain.
(We would recommend you if you decide to go hiking not to go alone but with an organized group of people who know the mountain.)