Σπήλαιο Ζερβάτη

Zervati Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Karavomilos 280 80. In Karavomilos, 250 m from the southern city limits, there is a strange plaza, turn left to the fish restaurant Zervati. The site is fenced in, at the gate is an educational sign. (38.2525231, 20.6289105)
Open:	no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave Kefalonia-Ithaca UNESCO Global Geopark
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=235 m, Wavg=30 m, A=16 m asl.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Kefalonia-Ithaca Geopark, outavos environmental center, P.B. 222 28100, Argostoli, Kefalonia, Tel: +30-2671029258. E-mail:
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History

Description

Σπήλαιο Ζερβάτη (Zervati Cave) is located in the middle of the village Karavomilos. The cave entrance is a collapse doline, with a central pile of debris. The ceiling of the cave collapsed and formed a more or less elliptical hole with a size of 50 m by 30 m, and this 10 m high hill. A trail leads down over staircases to the hill, but while the cave extends into two directions, it is not possible to visit the rest of the cave because it is water-filled. But this chamber, or better this part of the cave passage, is quite spacious, mostly about 30 m wide and 75 m long. The brackish groundwater in the cave is blue when the sun shines into the opening, and so this is one of the thousands of caves which are called Blue Cave. The water in the cave is brackish because it is part of the Katavothres system. There is a connection to nearby Melissani show cave and the Karavomilos Lake, but the salt obviously originates from the inflow on the other side of the island near Argostoli.

The cave is a river cave, most of the cave is submerged, only some larger sections have an air-filled upper part. The cave passage is on average 30 m wide. The water flows very slowly, so it is generally called a lake, not a river, the surface is here about 16 m below the surface. This is more or less sea level, but marks on the walls show that it once was at least 1 m higher. The cave was explored by cave divers. To the southeast is a 4 m deep sump with a total length of 50 m. To the northwest, the passage forms a 5 m deep sump which leads to a second chamber measuring 85 m by 58 m. The cave continues to the north and the south, but both sumps soon become too narrow to be passable.

The small park with the doline has a special microclimate, temparature is lower and humidity is higher. As a result, the cave is home to many plants and animals, the water has also unique fauna. As a result is not only a geotope but also a Natural Monument.

Karavomilos Lake is Geosite No 32 of the Geopark Kefalonia-Ithaca UNESCO Global Geopark.