What Grama Cave Is
Grama Cave (Shpella e Gramës) is a smaller sea cave at the southern end of Grama Bay on the Karaburun Peninsula. The cave is part of the same limestone cliff system that bears the bay's roughly 1,500 ancient inscriptions, but the cave itself is more about geology and water clarity than carved history — the famous inscriptions are on the bay's cliff faces, not inside the cave.
The cave is reached from within the 50-minute Grama Bay swim stop rather than as a separate destination. Operators handle it differently:
- Some drift the boat over to the cave entrance once swimmers are aboard, for a closer look on the way out of the bay
- Some allow strong swimmers to reach the cave independently from the anchor point
- Most treat it as an optional bonus — not a required item on the itinerary
What's Inside
A small but dramatic sea cave with:
- Deep, exceptionally clear water (Grama Bay averages 200 m depth)
- Limestone walls with karst formations
- Cooler, shaded interior than the open bay
- Decent snorkelling along the cave wall — small reef fish, occasional larger species
It's not Albania's largest cave (that's the Blue Cave / Haxhi Ali on Karaburun's western flank), and it doesn't have the cathedral-arch theatre of Pirate's Cave. What it offers is bonus exploration during a stop where most visitors are already in the water.
Position
Grama Cave sits inside Grama Bay at approximately 40.214°N, 19.474°E — at the southern cliff line of the bay itself.
Practical Notes
- Bring a snorkel mask and use it
- The cave is a swim from the boat — operators don't typically run a tender
- Don't go alone if you're not a confident swimmer; the bay is deep
- Time it so you're back at the boat with 5 minutes to spare before the operator's cutoff
