Guide
Kelebekler Vadisi, the butterfly valley, is a rocky, pine-clad gorge at the foot of Babadağ, near Fethiye, where after a fairly tiring climb you find butterflies covering the rocks, the tree trunks and the leaves like a shawl. At first they are easy to miss, since they look like part of the scenery, but a sound or a movement sends them up into the air in clouds that cast a shadow over the valley. Among them are tiger butterflies, which are rare elsewhere in the world. The valley was declared a first-degree natural site on 8 February 1995 and closed to all building. Babadağ itself, a mountain of 2000 metres, is one of 100 mountains put forward for protection as world heritage because of their endemic species.
Two paths lead up the valley: one to the waterfalls, the other to the village of Faralya. The village path is so steep that in one or two places you can only get up with the help of a rope, but the view from the village is outstanding. Those without some hiking experience should go no further than the first waterfall. Visitors can stay in tents and bungalows, live on organic produce and watch the sunset over the valley.
Getting there
The valley is reached from Fethiye via Ölüdeniz, where you take a boat, hired privately or shared dolmuş-style on a return basis, to the valley's own beach; the cove is also known as Ködürümsü harbour. The boat trip takes half an hour, and some boats stop at the blue cave on the way.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Muğla as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 10.8 °C in January to 27.6 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in April, May, June, September, October and November; rainfall is heaviest in December (207 mm) and lightest in August (4 mm). Long-term means for 2001-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
