Butterfly Valley Turkey (Kelebekler Vadisi), a large canyon which can be reached by a taxi boat from Fethiye Oludeniz, is one of the best places to have a holiday in Turkey. The canyon, around 250 meters wide and 1 km deep and (practically) can only be accessed from sea by boat, was once called Gudurumsu, but then renamed as Butterfly Valley thanks to large swarm of endemic butterflies living around the waterfalls on the canyon wall furthest from the sea. Unfortunately it has become very popular recently and is far from its peaceful atmosphere in the late 90s and early 2000s but still it is a great place to have a summer holiday.
Accommodation is basic in Butterfly Valley. The most luxurious option you will have is a wooden hut without electricity and shower (showers are shared). You can also rent a tent for the night or you can sleep outside on the beach! Last time I have been there, I have just rented a space to put my sleeping mat outside and then slept 3 nights there just next to the beach. And actually I have simply slept on the beach at one of the nights. Here you will stay in bungalows without electricity. This basic but unparalleled holiday experience draws many international tourists here from as far as Singapore, Australia and USA.
If you do not want to stay there, you can stay in Oludeniz and visit Butterfly Valley for a day or two. But one of the best things to do in Butterfly Valley is to enjoy its otherworthly night.
The best way to get to Butterfly Valley is to use the official Butterfly Valley boat taxi which leaves Olu Deniz beach at 11:00 AM and 02:00 PM and valley at 01:00 PM and 05:00 PM. The other boats will try to sell you their boat trips and will be very annoying. Do not believe in what they say (they may even say there is no more taxi boat to Butterfly Valley) and wait for the official boat. It will approximately take 45 minutes boat ride from Olu Deniz to the valley and a round trip should cost 15 Turkish Liras.
The management who is running the butterfly valley has the monopoly in this small place and this will translate into expensive meals. For example a beer will cost you around 7 Liras while a fish-bread will be also around that price. If you are really on budget buy some canned food and snacks from a market in Olu Deniz so you can have some cheap.
There are not many things to do here except resting quite well. The valley has a decent beach and the sea is quite OK. You can hang out in the restaurant all day and make new friends from around the world. Nights may be passed by singing in front of the beach fire or in the bar and you should at least once track the canyon to the waterfall to see the butterflies of the valley. People usually go to Butterfly Valley to do absolutely nothing which is actually quite good way to charge your batteries before going back to work.
And the valley has its own legend: Once upon a time, there was a small village at the mouth of a large canyon opening to the sea. One day, a ship comes to the shores of the valley and a girl from the village falls in love with a sailor. But when time comes for the sailor to leave, he promises the girl that he will one day come back. He sails away and never comes back. But the girl waits with faith. Soon she has a baby from the sailor. Villagers abandon her and she shelters in the church of the village.
One day, a big storm blankets the valley. The villagers escape to the high grounds but the poor woman does not leave the church because she thinks if the sailor comes, he may not be able to find her there and may go back. Storm turns out to be a big one and the waves sweeps away the village and everything in the village. Today, there is only one stone structure in the valley and it is believed to be the church of the village where the woman died with her baby.
Accommodation is basic in Butterfly Valley. The most luxurious option you will have is a wooden hut without electricity and shower (showers are shared). You can also rent a tent for the night or you can sleep outside on the beach! Last time I have been there, I have just rented a space to put my sleeping mat outside and then slept 3 nights there just next to the beach. And actually I have simply slept on the beach at one of the nights. Here you will stay in bungalows without electricity. This basic but unparalleled holiday experience draws many international tourists here from as far as Singapore, Australia and USA.
If you do not want to stay there, you can stay in Oludeniz and visit Butterfly Valley for a day or two. But one of the best things to do in Butterfly Valley is to enjoy its otherworthly night.
The best way to get to Butterfly Valley is to use the official Butterfly Valley boat taxi which leaves Olu Deniz beach at 11:00 AM and 02:00 PM and valley at 01:00 PM and 05:00 PM. The other boats will try to sell you their boat trips and will be very annoying. Do not believe in what they say (they may even say there is no more taxi boat to Butterfly Valley) and wait for the official boat. It will approximately take 45 minutes boat ride from Olu Deniz to the valley and a round trip should cost 15 Turkish Liras.
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| Butterfly Valley Turkey – Source : Turkish Travel Blog |
There are not many things to do here except resting quite well. The valley has a decent beach and the sea is quite OK. You can hang out in the restaurant all day and make new friends from around the world. Nights may be passed by singing in front of the beach fire or in the bar and you should at least once track the canyon to the waterfall to see the butterflies of the valley. People usually go to Butterfly Valley to do absolutely nothing which is actually quite good way to charge your batteries before going back to work.
And the valley has its own legend: Once upon a time, there was a small village at the mouth of a large canyon opening to the sea. One day, a ship comes to the shores of the valley and a girl from the village falls in love with a sailor. But when time comes for the sailor to leave, he promises the girl that he will one day come back. He sails away and never comes back. But the girl waits with faith. Soon she has a baby from the sailor. Villagers abandon her and she shelters in the church of the village.
One day, a big storm blankets the valley. The villagers escape to the high grounds but the poor woman does not leave the church because she thinks if the sailor comes, he may not be able to find her there and may go back. Storm turns out to be a big one and the waves sweeps away the village and everything in the village. Today, there is only one stone structure in the valley and it is believed to be the church of the village where the woman died with her baby.
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