Drogarati Cave

Drogarati lies about 3 km from Sami, in the same limestone landscape that created Melissani. Rainwater seeping through the rock dissolved a large cavern underground, and over a very long time dripping water built up the stalactites hanging from the roof and the stalagmites rising from the floor.

Nobody knows exactly when the cave was first seen. Local tradition says that an earthquake around three centuries ago collapsed part of the roof and revealed the entrance; the rubble from that collapse still fills the entrance hall. The cave was prepared for visitors and opened to the public in 1963, the same year as Melissani.

From the entrance, steps lead down past a man-made balcony to the main hall, known as the Chamber of Exaltation (sometimes called the Hall of Apotheosis). It measures roughly 40 by 30 metres, with a ceiling 15 to 20 metres high, and its floor lies about 60 metres below the surface. A rocky ledge above the hall is known as the Royal Balcony.

The temperature stays at about 18 °C all year, with humidity around 90%. Warm lighting picks out the formations — curtains, columns and clusters of stalactites in shades from cream to rust. Some of the formations near the paths were damaged in the decades before the cave was protected, but the scale of the main hall is what stays with most visitors.

Concerts underground. The great hall has remarkable natural acoustics and room for several hundred people, and it has been used for concerts and cultural events. Even with a group of visitors talking quietly, you notice how the sound carries.

Drogarati is one of the geosites of the Kefalonia–Ithaca UNESCO Global Geopark, and part of a wider network of caves and underground water channels around Sami.

The visit is self-guided: you walk down a built staircase with handrails into the main hall, wander around it on paths, and walk back up the same way. The steps can be damp, so wear shoes with a good grip; the cave is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.

Entrance fee. In 2026 the ticket costs €6 for adults and €3 reduced, paid on site. Opening hours are longest in summer; in winter, check before you go.

Bring a layer. After the heat outside, 18 °C feels cool — a light top is welcome, especially for children.

• By road: Drogarati is signposted from the road between Sami and Argostoli, a few minutes from Sami, with parking at the entrance.
• Combine it: Melissani Cave is on the other side of Sami, and many visitors see both in one morning.
• On an excursion: Drogarati is a regular stop on island tours of the east side; the entrance fee is paid separately at the cave.

• Photography is allowed.
• The climb back up is short but steady — take it slowly in the heat of summer.
• Melissani is about the light; Drogarati is about the formations and the space. They are different experiences, and both are worth it.