Cave of Perama, Natural cave formation in Perama, Greece

The Cave of Perama lies beside Lake Pamvotida, four kilometres from Ioannina. It consists of successive chambers and corridors with stalactites, stalagmites, curtains and clustered columns. It covers 14,800 square metres, and the visitable route is 1,100 metres long.

Local people discovered the cave by chance in the 1940s, after which speleologists began systematic study in the following decade. These early expeditions revealed the full scale and complexity of the underground system.

The cave is not named after a person: it takes its name from Perama, the lakeside settlement 4 km from Ioannina where it lies. Its exploration is tied to Ioannis and Anna Petrocheilou, founders of the Hellenic Speleological Society, who mapped it so it could become Greece's first tourist-arranged cave.

The visitable route runs 1,100 metres through successive chambers and corridors, so allow time to walk it at an unhurried pace. The cave lies beside Lake Pamvotis at Perama, four kilometres from Ioannina, and is reached from the lakeside village. A light jacket helps, as cave temperatures stay cool even in summer.

The cave maintains a steady temperature year-round, allowing visitors to experience the same conditions regardless of season. This stability also allows scientists to study the system over long periods.