Savvas Dimitropoulos, Rhodes Travel Advisor, Thursday 13-10-2022
Rent a car in Rhodes and visit the butterfly valley, definitely a place to visit between July and the end of September with millions of butterflies.
Visiting the butterfly valley by renting a car in Rhodes is the best and easiest way.
With your rental car you will be able to visit all the attractions of the area by making a day trip to the west side of Rhodes and combine more than one destination in the same day.
The Valley of the Butterflies - also known as the Valley of the Butterflies (Butterflies in Greek). This is one of the most attractive destinations on the island of Rhodes.
You will be amazed by the natural beauty of the valley and the walk through it is really worth it.
The main reason that makes this place unique is that it hosts millions of butterflies during July August and September every year. This type of butterfly is called Jersey Tiger or Panaxia Quadripunctaria and it is a nocturnal moth. The area is very important to them as it is their breeding ground.
During the rainy season, the butterflies, still in the caterpillar stage, remain on the Mediterranean shrubs (tamarisk, myrtle and moss) and feed on the leaves. As the end of the wet season approaches, towards the end of May, the final stage is completed and the butterfly in all its perfection emerges in the form we all recognise. They continually move towards areas of high humidity, always following the "waterways", and as the dry season progresses, they finally reach the valley.
You will fall in love with the peaceful walk through this shady green valley with its beautiful waterfalls and a small river. Observe the butterflies around you camouflaged in the tree trunks and stop for a quick rest on one of those wooden benches scattered along the trail.
Observe the unique freshwater crabs in the ponds. That mimic the shapes of butterflies in their shells to attract them! In the same lakes you will encounter the champion survival fish called the gizani fish. The valley is one of the few areas where this small fish can be found.
You will also see turtles, a wide variety of birds and if you are very quiet you might even see a few deer.
The valley is also home to moths the biggest enemy that hunts them at night, bats.
