There are many reasons for wanting to visit the beautiful Greek island of Rhodes! For starters, it’s the largest island of the Dodecanese group and the fourth-largest in Greece. This is a destination with a rich history and vast cultural heritage – full of knights and castles. Here you can also discover wonderful beaches, picturesque villages, and delicious gastronomy. In addition to the medieval town, and the archaeological sites, you can take a walk through the valley of butterflies.
If you’re a nature lover, this is an absolute must! Even if you’re not that into nature – it is still a unique experience to have while on vacation. So, we highly suggest booking a ferry trip to Rhodes and adding this spot to your itinerary.
This island combines urban living with natural beauty. To begin with, you will definitely need few days to explore it, take in all of its beauty, stroll through the narrow streets of its villages, and experience some of its charm. You begin to sense the unique energy of the island as the ship approaches the harbor and you can see the deer monument with the old fortification of Agios Nikolaos in the background. There are regular ferries leaving from the port of Piraeus. The journey takes about 15 to 16 hours. For this reason it is advisable to book a cabin for more comfort. Finally, you can easily island-hop from Rhodes to close-by islands including Symi, Kos, Halki, Tilos, and others.
Visit to the Valley of the Butterflies
The Valley of the Butterflies is definitely a different experience when visiting Rhodes. If you are a nature lover and you like nature walks then it should certainly be on your list. For many visiting tourists and even locals it is considered a unique experience. It can be considered a scene from a fairy tale. Additionally, it is a great excursion for everyone, including families. This lush green valley with its waterfalls, wooden benches and small lakes with water lilies will transport you to another world. To discover this little paradise on earth, all you have to do is book your tickets easily and with free cancellation using Ferryscanner.
With a size of over 600 hectares, the butterfly valley is a unique ecosystem. Every year for six months, it is home to millions of butterflies, and the environment is of significant biological interest. It is located northwest of Rhodes, about 26 km from the city and halfway between the villages of Theologos and Paradisi.
Additionally, access is simple by car due to the rather good road network. Since buses run often, especially in the peak season, you can also travel by bus. In the heat of the summer, the park is a great place to relax and cool down under the shade of trees. The Pelican River, which covers the valley and flows through a waterfall into a lake, adds to the natural diamond’s beauty.
The park is open from 8 in the morning to 7 in the afternoon. Children under the age of 12 are admitted free, while adult entrance during summer season costs €5. The cost is approximately €3 for the rest of the year. Keeping quiet while making no noise when entering the park is a stringent requirement. This is to ensure the butterflies won’t be alarmed by noises like applauding, shouting, or whistling.
The Butterflies’ café bar is located in the beautiful valley with the plane trees and pine trees. Here, you may take a rest and enjoy your coffee while taking in this real-life fairy tale with the butterflies. There once was an Italian mill built where the refreshment area is now. Also, there’s on-site parking.
The Famous Butterfly
Panaxia Quadripunctaria, a rare species of butterfly, is located in the valley. This butterfly finds shelter in various parts of Europe, throughout the Mediterranean and Western Asia. Apart from Rhodes, these butterflies can be seen in Crete and Paros.
The butterflies rest during the day on the trunks of trees. This is because butterflies at this stage of their lives do not feed, but they do store energy by resting. It is necessary for the surrounding area to be quiet because of this. Bats, frogs, and lizards are some other predators of butterflies besides people. The number of butterflies has decreased due to climate change and rising tourism. The uncommon lime trees, or beggars, that thrive there are responsible for the valley of butterflies’ existence. They attract butterflies and provide an ideal environment for them because of the scents they emit.
From June through September, the valley becomes a breeding ground for this butterfly. The males sleep lower down in the tree branches than the females do. On the trees, they seem like paintings. They typically like little, colorful triangles resting on tree trunks. Their wings are unique and magnificent spectacle, as they fly in the colors of black, orange, and white. Keep your camera at the ready because, if you have any luck, you might be handed one. It’s best not to scare them with any unexpected movements.
These species of butterflies live in the valley from June to the end of September. In fact, work to improve and protect the ecology was done in 2020. If you want easy access to the valley, you can stay in the seaside village of Theologos. There you will find many accommodations and you will combine diving in the beautiful beaches of the area and exploring nature. Finally, the butterfly valley is included in the natura 2000 network.
Valley of Butterflies: Its History
Walking through the green valley of the butterflies in the trees, the small lakes and the beautiful bridges you end up on an uphill path. The top of the river is reached by traveling along the valley. At that location is Panagia of Kalopetra’s chapel. The temple’s iconostasis and the marble inscription with the name of Ypsilantis and the date of its construction are still preserved. When Alexandros Ypsilantis brought his daughter to the area in 1782 to be treated for illness due to the mild weather, she was cured. This led to the construction of the monastery.
He sent Pelican, a slave, to keep an eye on the area there. Although Ypsilantis prohibited it, his daughter loved the slave. In his honor, the river that flows through the valley of butterflies. Pelican committed suicide out of despair. You can see an incredible view of the island’s northwest from this place in the forest, the Aegean Sea and the western coast of Turkey. Worth going at sunset time.
One report claims that the butterflies arrived in the region during the Italian colonization of Rhodes. Professor Alessandro Chigi discovered the kind of butterfly that lives in the area in 1928. In addition, the phenomenon of butterflies being drawn to the valley became well-known in the middle of the 1950s. It received its name at this time.
Museum of Natural History
The Natural History Museum, located in a structure from the 1930s, is a must-see. You can view exhibits of Rhodes’ indigenous fauna and flora as well as rare butterfly species from around the world in the museum. It is a representation of the local surroundings. The exhibits inside the greenhouse showcasing live butterflies are among the most fascinating things to view. The possibility to closely examine the butterfly’s life is provided by this. Furthermore, you will witness different types of rocks and local plant species.
Contact with nature can help you relax if you wish to take a break from your busy life and modern lifestyle. A trip to the valley’s colorful environment will certainly make up for it. You’ll want to board the boat to the island for a number of reasons, including the presence of butterflies, trees, lakes, waterfalls, wooden bridges, and the tranquility of the surroundings. You are taken to a new world by the scent of the trees, the lush foliage, the clean air, and of course the park’s stars, the butterflies. Definitely more peaceful and beautiful.