Top outdoor activities in Kefalonia

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Kefalonia is known for beaches, villages and Robola. It is also one of the better islands in the Ionian for getting outside. Mount Ainos, the highest peak in the island group and a national park since 1962, sits above forests and hills made for walking and biking. Melissani and Drogarati are the famous caves. The coast, cliffs and coves suit a kayak, a paddleboard or a dive tank.

Sea kayaking

The coastline switches between cliffs, beaches, sea caves and forest, which is why kayaking is the obvious start. You can hire a boat and go alone. A guided trip is the better bet if you do not know the coves.

In the south, tours run from Argostoli to Minies, about 10km and five to six hours with swim stops, and from Agia Pelagia to Trapezaki, about 12km. In the north, a favourite is the roughly seven-nautical-mile loop around Fiskardo, Emblisi and the islet of Daskalio. In the east, boats leave picturesque Agia Efimia for the small bays. On the west coast, organised routes run from Agia Kiriaki to Fteri and around Petani, under limestone cliffs.

Stand-up paddleboard

A SUP is the slower way to read the same coast. Hire one, or join a guided excursion that gets you into places you would not find from the road. Tours leave Antisamos, and there is a run from Agia Varvara to Kaminia in the south. Boards are also for hire at Antipata in the north, Xi in the south, and at Makris Gialos and Skala. If balance is not a problem, SUP yoga runs in the bay between Argostoli and Lassi, near Limanaki.

Scuba diving

Visibility and a broken coastline have given Kefalonia a serious diving reputation, from a first bubble to a technical dive. Sites include drop-offs, caves and Second World War wrecks.

At Skala, amphorae from a Roman wreck are still on the bottom. A centre at Agia Efimia runs trips toward Myrtos and to a hole linked to Melissani. Blue Canyon, near Lassi, is a standard site. Fiskardo and Lixouri have centres for PADI or SSI courses, and for a look at Posidonia seagrass. The prize wreck is HMS Perseus, at 52 metres between Kefalonia and Zakynthos. That one is not a beginner dive.

Caves

Kefalonia’s underground system is known for moving water from one side of the island to the other. Melissani is the one people photograph: half cave, half lake, best when midday light hits the water. A boatman rows you through the open chamber, where the roof fell centuries ago, and into a closed section with stalactites and stalagmites about 20,000 years old. Ancient finds have come out of the same cave.

Drogarati, nearby, is estimated at about 140 million years from the size of its formations. The main chamber sits about 37 metres down, roughly 65 by 45 metres and 20 metres high, and has been used for concerts. Technical cavers go to about 120 metres with guides. Near Poulata, Angalaki can be seen from a hole in the roof, or entered on a roped tour. The path starts at the Monastery of Themata toward Karavomilos.

Hiking

Trails cover the island. Mount Ainos is the one that matters. Most of it is a Natura 2000 reserve, fir and black pine, with birds of prey and, if you are lucky, semi-wild horses.

Five marked walks cross the mountain. A circular path from the Environmental Centre goes through the forest to the Hionistra viewpoint, with Argostoli, Sami, Ithaca and Lefkada in sight. The harder walk from the car park reaches Megas Soros, 1,628 metres, and on a clear day the Peloponnese.

Elsewhere, a marked path climbs to Assos, under the Venetian fortress. From Sami, one trail drops to Antisamos. A guided 17km hike from the main square runs through holly and oak to Paleokastro, thought to be one of the island’s four ancient city-states. In the west, a path goes from Atheras to Ammidi. Near Fiskardo, a short trail is the only land route to Dafnoudi. Longer organised walks run from Sami to Koutsoupia, and from Palea Vlahata to Themata Monastery, founded at the end of the 11th century.

Horse riding

The rides are good because the island is green. Pick a stable where the horses look looked after, and do not book the middle of a summer day.

From Skala, routes pass Mounda beach or climb to Old Skala, abandoned after the 1953 earthquake. Others look onto Ainos and the Koulourata valley. Around the Castle of Agii Fanentes, the bay of Sami and the views of Ithaca and Lefkada are the same scenery used in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Trips run from a short loop for children to all-day rides with a swim, olive groves and a riverbed, and a few multi-day treks.

Coasteering

If heights and cold water are not your idea of a holiday, skip this. Coasteering on Kefalonia is a mix of walking, scrambling, abseiling and cliff jumps on a coast that suits it. Guides supply the kit. The point is the jump, and learning how to enter the water from a height without getting hurt.

Tandem paragliding

No experience is required. An instructor flies. You watch Myrtos, the island’s show beach, from above, and the Ionian going blue to the horizon.

Cycling and mountain biking

Bikes are for hire in Argostoli, Fiskardo, Agia Efimia, Sami, Lixouri, Lourdata and Skala. Day and multi-day tours climb into the hills, stop at quieter beaches, or call at a vineyard for the Robola story.

Mountain-bike routes on Ainos cover more ground than the walking paths, with the whole island in view. From Sami, rides pass Haliotata and Poulata and take in Karavomilos, Melissani, Zervati and Drogarati. Another popular run goes from Agia Efimia to Komitata, with a view of Ithaca, then Assos, and ends at Myrtos. A separate tour crosses the Omala valley, the wine country, calls at the Monastery of Agios Gerasimos, and finishes in Argostoli.

Stay Active

Late summer brings Stay Active in Kefalonia, for mixed ages and fitness. Guided hikes, trail runs, kayak trips and bike tours run around the island, with the history attached. The centrepiece is a full marathon. There is also a 10km in the woods of Ainos, and family events, at the time of year when the island is at its best.

Ferries run from Patras and Kyllini, with extra summer sailings.

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