Poros, Avithos and Tzanata lakes - another amazing day on Kefalonia

Our beloved Kefalonia has so much to offer to the wonderer traveler. From beautiful sandy beaches to green mountains, lakes and caves, the island needs more than just a few days of planned holiday in order to be fully discovered and appreciated.

Today I'm going to let you know about couple of beautiful lakes and the wonderful Poros village.

Beginning of September 2020 started with another one day trip to the south east part of Kefalonia. Early in the morning me and my friends started driving towards Ainos Mt.. After a few stops to admire the view of Ainos Mt. and Omala Valley we arrived to the not so well known Avithos Lake.

Avithos stands for "bottomless lake" and many stories gave it an aura of mystery. In fact it is 11m deep and an underground river connects it to the sea many km away. It is surrounded by green, lush vegetation and it is situated close to Poros.

It is a gorgeous lake that is sadly not open to the public. In order to avoid accidents and because the lake provides water to the surrounding area, it is protected so as to deter visitors that might want to explore it or take a swim. That didn't stop us considering that no one was guarding in and going inside is pretty easy but we do not recommend you do the same. Our only purpose was to take some pictures and enjoy the view.

Close by on our next stop we found Tzanata Lakes or rather reservoirs. There is almost no information online about them, except the fact that they provide water for the surrounding areas. Despite that I can tell you that in Tzanata village you can visit the Mycenaean Tomb of Tzanata. 

This tomb housed Mycenaen kings in their afterlife and dates back to 1300 BC. One of the biggest beehive-type tombs reserved for Ancient Greek royalty in the region, it measures almost 7 meters in diameter, and is thought to be the grave of Odysseus himself. 

Also in Tzanata you can visit and enjoy the stately home Kampitsi, built in 1766, considered piece of architecture of the 18th century, the Byzantine church of the Savior in Levantata, dating to the 13th century, the church of St. John the Lampadiaris, celebrated on 24th of June, with bonfires and a great festival, the traditional celebration of meat pie, famous food in Kefalonia, at the end of August. 

On the way to Poros we wanted to turn left and go up to visit Μονή Υπεραγίας Θεοτόκου Άτρου but the road is mainly made for 4X4 cars. Just in case I would like to mention that close to Atros mountain, at the end of this dirt road, you can find the monastery of the Virgin Mary of Atros. It sits at the top of an impressive triangular hill, 500 meters high. It is the oldest monastery of Kefalonia. The view from the monastery is stunning especially during sunrise. Read more HERE.

Leaving Tzanata behind we drive through the gorgeous Gorge of Poros. The ravine of Poros is one of the most beautiful geological phenomena of Kefalonia. It is an 80m deep precipice, with steep slopes. This wild and imposing landscape is connected to a strange legend, that claims that the hollows in the rocks are the footprints of the huge supernatural feet of the hero Hercules.

We arrived in the middle of the day to the quiet village of Poros. We take a short stroll along the harbor and we decide to have lunch in this wonderful restaurant called Remetzo. As most of the reviews on TripAdvisor say, the food here is poor, but there there is some excellent waterside seating hidden to the right of the coffee shop. Go past the tables on the street and up a few concrete steps. 

There is a bar in a cave and lots of seating on decking fitted between the rocks down to the waters edge. There is a beautiful almost heart shaped islet on its left side and you can explore the coast by foot.

Our day continued driving along the beautiful coastal road between Poros and Skala. There are so many amazing places for swimming and great photos. Take Kato Lagadi for example, a hidden bay with imposing caves and crystal clear water.

We stopped to watch the sunset on Makris Gialos/ Costa Costa beach. Are you a sunset lover as I am, then check out these exceptional places for amazing sunsets on Kefalonia.

'till next time, take care.

Beldi