Butterfly Valley Fethiye Turkey

Butterfly Valley is located about 15 kilometers south of Ölüdeniz and 30 kilometers south of Fethiye. The Butterfly Valley is protected by the World Heritage Foundation. The valley gets its name from the exclusive butterfly species. Faralya was well-known simply as the “village on the cliffs of the Butterfly Valley” until recently, when travelers began to take a deeper look at the village, which was actually quite a pleasant sight to see, with its houses and gardens cascading towards the cliffs of the valley.

There are over 60 different species of butterflies in the valley, with several appearing during the day and others only venturing out at night. Butterfly Valley was actually discovered by hippies in the 1990s, when their beloved Blue Lagoon was lost to mass tourism. There are numerous rare butterflies, and for those who are enthusiasts, there is a small museum located in the valley dedicated to giving more in-depth information about the species that can be found in them.

A narrow and winding road connects the village to Ölüdeniz, although the distance is not too much where it joins the main highway towards Fethiye near the Blue Lagoon. Though the distance is not that huge, it takes about 30 minutes to drive this road because of the conditions. During peak season, June–August, there are boats three times a day from Ölüdeniz to the Butterfly Valley. Hiking is another activity in Ovacik, and most hikers do the 16-kilometer track in one day. But a two-day track is much more convenient, especially in the summer.

A very steep and dangerous path connected the butterfly valley with the village. In many places, there’s a need for mountaineering skills. Normally it takes one hour to do the entire path, depending upon your physical fitness, with two young backpackers having died when attempting the route in the last decade. It is highly recommended to never take shortcuts and always stick to the route marked with red dots because taking a shortcut was the reason for the death of one of the backpackers

The path starts from in front of the guesthouse George House up in the village and is marked with red dots all along with it.  Local residents used to know this area by the name Güdürümsü before the valley was rechristened with the rather romantic current name.  Faralya Market provides the only grocery store in the village, which offers a very meager selection of vegetables, snacks, and drinks. Although the prices are higher, even paying twice or three times more than elsewhere

In Butterfly Valley, only two options are available for a night’s stay: bungalows or camping in a tent. But if you choose to stay in the village, you have a number of guest houses and hotels. If you choose to stay in the village itself, you have a number of guesthouses and hotels to choose from.

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