Valley of the Butterflies

Valley of the Butterflies

Valley of the Butterflies
3.5
About
Also known as Petaloudes Valley, this unusual nature park in northern Rhodes is known for the swarms of multi-colored butterflies between June and September. These creatures lay their eggs at the end of the wet season and are usually found clinging to the many Zitia or Oriental Sweetgum trees. This green valley is nice for an easy nature walk and has a small Natural History Museum worth checking out, too. The valley is a short drive from Theologos Village and is a popular stop on tours exploring the best of Rhodes. These tours usually cover admission and children under a certain age can enter for free. – Tripadvisor
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • Peter O
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Must have done
    A great experience even if the butterflies haven't hatched yet. Prices are totally acceptable, so anyone can come here. Make sure you start at the bottom - crayfish, lizards and many other animal species.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 29 April 2024
  • Debjjxx
    Bilzen, Belgium35 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Expected it to be nicer
    I personally expected more from it. When we went, it was extremely busy, which may have made it less fun. Such a narrow walking path. And people have to go back and forth on that path. When people stop to look around, the entire line cannot move forward. So sometimes you were forced to walk further. When you think you have reached the end, you have to walk the entire track back via the same path.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 30 April 2024
  • Dawn N
    37 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Tranquil enjoyable and cool area of Rhodes.
    Lovely peaceful cool area, I seen a few butterflies and goats, not recommended if you have walking restrictions or tire easy. I went with a coach tour so there was limited time. I'd recommend hire a wee car or moped and if you're an artist it would be ideally to sit and paint! Or even just sit and enjoy the peaceful area. Wee waterfalls but not gushing obviously you're in Greece! If you want big falls come to northern Scotland :-) Over all a lovely wee wander away from beaches!
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 19 May 2024
  • Chris&Janey
    Yoxall, United Kingdom580 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful Valley to walk through
    We knew that the Moths would not be seen at this time and that usually you have to wait until end of June to experience them. However it is a lovely green valley which was very quiet and peaceful as we arrived later in the afternoon. We did walk from the entrance at the bottom of the valley up to the top and back down which I think is preferable than the other way around. We actually only saw 2 butterflies during the visit and both were near the entrance!
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 22 May 2024
  • Littletravellers24
    65 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Ok
    We visited end of may. Ended up seeing 2 butterflies ! Apparently it’s due to the weather not being hot enough. But it only cost us 3 euros, so not a waste of money. The place itself is beautiful, be prepared for steps . It’s sheltered so very shady throughout.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 June 2024
  • Francesca D
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful valley
    Lovely place to go visit, saw quite a few butterflies (early June) but would recommend going even if it is not butterfly season for the beautiful views of the valley. We walked from the bottom entrance to the top, and back again. Steps can be slippery though and it us quite a tough uphill walk in 30+ degrees! Make sure you bring plenty of water with you.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 8 June 2024
  • Mathieu Marchal
    Gerpinnes, Belgium271 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We expected nothing from it... and it remains one of our best memories on the island.
    Superb walk in the hollow of this deep valley, you have to climb quite a bit to reach the summit where the monastery is located. You have two parts to climb. It is therefore not within everyone's reach. Calm reigns supreme there, however it is unfortunate to come across visitors who are not attentive to this rule. At first glance, you look for butterflies, but once you find or look, you will surprise yourself to discover some on the descent when you had missed them on the way up. This place is an incredible setting. Definitely worth the detour, 3 euros per visit. A very nice little restaurant is located at the downstream entrance. Ideal for recharging the batteries before the walk.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 11 June 2024
  • Nicola K
    Bradford, United Kingdom18 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful Walk
    Fab place, 3 euros per adult and children are free. Saw lots of lizards and crabs which were fun to spot. Only a few butterflies but it didn't matter as it's a beautiful walk and good to keep cooler in the shade of the trees.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 13 June 2024
  • Adventure30795375374
    52 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Valley of the butterflies and Chalki Island.
    Arranged tour to valley of the butterfly's and Chalki Island. Cost 55 euros which was good value as tour lasted all day. Took about an our to get to the valley. Cost of entry not included in tour but only 3 euro. It's a nice place quite a few steps over rough ground. Most of the butterflies were on trees but there were 10s rather than 1000s flying round. All one species. Nice and peaceful place and cool compared to the very hot coast. In truth probably not worth the hour drive to get there. There are toilets 50 cents and a quick mention to the lady taking the money.....she keeps them spotless. It was then a drive to the port and a sail of about an hour to Chalki Island. Boat was busy. Chalki is a small island with a few tavernas, fishing boats and a couple of tourist shops a step back in time to a slower pace of life that is quickly disappearing as sadly the big corporate hotels take over. A 10 minute walk takes you to a lovely beach great for swimming. Then back to the big corporate hotel on Rhodes.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 13 June 2024
  • Beep123
    Exeter, United Kingdom167 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Butterfly valley
    I was really looking forward to this. It’s was a bit more than I was expecting. We did manage to get to the top and had a well deserved slushie. If it hadn’t have been so hot we would have carried onto the monestory. But it was more up hill walking and the kids had had enough. The valley was beautiful, we saw lots of butterflies flying through. Also resting on rocks or leaves. We also saw a couple surprise 🦀 crabs. It was very lovely but lots of steps .
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 20 June 2024
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3.5
3.5 of 5 bubbles2,825 reviews
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dewaard
Birmingham UK105 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2024 • Family
We really enjoyed our visit here, a great way to get out of the sun for a few hours and at only €6 per person good value too. There are three entrances and I would definitely recommend not using the top one as you will have a really long walk back up 100’s of steps…bottom entrance is probably the best as this is where the main cafe and shop is (though there are limited refreshments at the other entrances). I was a little disappointed that there only seems to be one species here, though there are millions of them and they’re very impressive/scary if they swarm (depending on your disposition!). We had just as much fun watching the crabs which inhabit the pretty waterfalls and streams which cascade down the ravine. It was understandably very busy during our late July visit…probably a more pleasurable experience to visit out of the peak season. If you’re thinking of visiting the Seven Springs I’d say just stick with the Butterfly Valley as (unless you’re desperate to walk through a claustrophobic tunnel) this is similar and a much better experience.
Written 30 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Danny H
Telford, UK124 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Family
A lovely morning was spent exploring the Valley of Butterflies. Entry is cheap at just 6€ per person, and the trail from top to bottom took around 90 minutes, taking it easy and stopping to take photos. There are 3 cafes, one at the top, middle and bottom, and a restaurant at the bottom too, so you could easily spend longer if you wished although the cafes were expensive. We went early so it wasn’t too busy, but as we were nearing the end of our visit many more people were arriving and it became very difficult to manoeuvre. Ideally I think the trail should be one way, top to bottom, with a free shuttle back to the top.

A tip for those visiting - book a taxi with Taxi Rodos to drop you off at the top, and ask them to pick you up two hours later from the bottom restaurant.
Written 11 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Courtney E
15 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Couples
We went on Sun 18th, and got a bus with prestige travel from our hotel (separate issue but you have to know in advance when you want to come back and book it on the same ticket.

Because of this and us underestimating just how hard the walk up would be, we unfortunately only had enough time to go up from the middle and back down to our starting point.

There were thousands of butterflies and at one point one decided it wanted to come along for the ride on my fiances bag strap!

Absolutely beautiful place, we were fairly early so going up was quite peaceful so I'd definitely recommend going as early as possible. On the way back down, people were having to queue for photos, and it was quite hard to navigate through the slew of people coming up.

The walk up was pretty tough, but gets increasingly harder the further up you go, with bigger steps and no handrails.

We got some water at the top cafe as the slushie machine wasn't yet ready :( but the cold water was much needed. When we got back down we got 2 icecreams which did come to 11 euros. I'll be honest, had we seen the prices we probably wouldn't have bothered but felt rude to put them back. Prices are to be expected though as its a simple case of demand. Would have been nice for a little sticker or sign with prices on though.

Last note would be that there is only one species of butterfly here but in thousands. They have a sign at the entrance to tell you which season you're in, June, July and Aug are the peak butterfly season. The rest will be the other lifestages such as cocooning etc.

All in all would recommend, just go early!
Written 21 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marta G
141 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
Three very convenient and free car parks are located near the forest. To access it is possible to enter from three entrances: the main one, the one at the end of the route and the one in the "lower" part. The butterflies are visible from June to August while during the other months they are present in the form of eggs, larvae and caterpillars. We saw so many of them both perched and in flight, also because we went in the morning when the climate is cooler and more suitable for them. In addition to butterflies, or more precisely ivy moths, river crabs, spiders and dragonflies can also be observed. Tickets cost €5 for adults and people over 12 years of age, while children enter for free. I recommend visiting this place to those who want to live a particular and fascinating experience in Rhodes.
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Written 6 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rose T
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
Lovely walk and lovely surroundings, would definitely recommend to any one visiting the area. The snack shop at the bottom is ridiculous prices because of the captive audience.The restaurant at the top wasn’t too bad price wise two 800ml water and a 500ml Pepsi max for €6. But if you want food and are going to seven springs in the same day I would recommend eating at the seven spring taverna instead.

Toilets are at the top restaurant €0.50 to get in which is great unless you don’t have a 50cent coin and you are desperate.
Written 15 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nikos P
Athens, Greece132 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Couples
Very nice place and cared for and relatively cared for.
It is worth seeing and the ticket for the entrance is 6 euros per person but I think that for the Greeks it should have had another price!
Do not take absolutely anything from outside or water imagine we took two bottles and we charged them 4 euros,JUST UNACCEPTABLE even the visit to the toilet charge 50 minutes per person UNACCEPTABLE!
Automatically translated
Written 14 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

catherine s
3 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Family
The valley itself is very picturesque, a few waterfalls, and seeing the butterflies in their natural habitat is beautiful, fresh water crabs and terrapins seen in the waters too.
A few things to note,
6€ entry for those aged 12 and over.
We were (thankfully) dropped off at the top of the valley and walked our way down to the bottom, it is very uneven paths, some with no hand rails due to the type of place it is, wear suitable shoes! A little brutal in the humidity.
There are 3 cafes and places to get ice creams/drinks (top, Middle and bottom) food a little on the pricey side but to be expected, as there is no where else really around to get anything unless you prepare in advance.
Toilets are pay to use 0.50€ each.
Lovely couple of hours spent here.
Would recommend walking down the valley rather than up it, it’s a bit of a hike!
Rather busy in the middle of the day.
Written 27 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Christine C
Jeffreys Bay, South Africa24 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Friends
It is not clear in descriptions just how many steps it is to the top and then onto the Monastery. Unfortunately we caught the public bus so arrived with 50 other people plus hundreds on coach tours and we followed a snake line of non stop tourists up the valley. Once we list the crowds it was lovely to see the butterflies. It is not a sanctuary for butterflies though as most tourists were totally inconsiderate and ignored the no talking signs. They even ignored the No Smoking signs which was mad considering the recent fires!!

i would suggest the cheapest way to do the trip is to catch the bus no.12 or 55 but go DOWN HILL to see the bottom part of the waterfall first to let the crowds go ahead. Only get a single ticket as it is only €39 taxi back to Rhodes so just ask others at bus stop around 2pm if anyone wants to join you in a taxi that takes 25 minutes rather than over 1 hour of standing on the bus
Written 14 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Georgia K
Rhodes, Greece137 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Friends
We go every year with our daughter. From the baby we had in the trolley and has no access to the trolley and his access is prohibited, we stayed except because the baby was sleeping in the trolley and we waited for the rest to finish their ride to leave. When the little girl started walking until now you make a contest who will manage to stay up without falling from the sliding street as so many people pass every day and the stone has started and glitters and slides a lot!!!
Very nice place, in nature, waterfalls, rivers with running water and full of butterflies when the right season! The ticket for locals is the same price as for tourists.
Automatically translated
Written 7 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nadia C
14 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Couples
Very interesting visit and cool place, never seen such a concentration of butterflies in one place! Striking views with waterfalls and stream characterize the route. More than valley I would call it hill, given the countless steps to climb especially in the upper part of the park. There are three (rather expensive) dining options and two gift shops. The bathrooms are for a fee (€ 0.50) but reaching the Kalopetra monastery, just ahead, there are two free bathrooms and kept better than the two for a fee.
Automatically translated
Written 19 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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