Butterfly Valley

The valley, a narrow canyon of three or four kilometres below Babadağ, cuts inland from a shingle beach between walls that rise 350 to 400 metres, and the only easy way in is by boat from Oludeniz, roughly twenty minutes along the coast. Its name comes from its butterflies and moths - some 105 species have been recorded, alongside 147 kinds of plant - and above all the Jersey tiger moths that cluster on shaded rock through the summer, in numbers that vary a good deal from year to year. A rough path follows the stream, which carries water down from a spring at Faralya, inland through fig and oleander to two small waterfalls dropping some sixty metres at the head of the valley, about forty minutes of scrambling over wet stone. The beach itself has a small camp with bungalows and tents, no hotels, and power that comes and goes. Day boats leave in the late afternoon, and after that it is very quiet.

What's there

• The boat approach - the cliffs opening as you round the headland.
• The moths - Jersey tigers massed on shaded rock through summer.
• The streambed path - fig, oleander and wet stone inland to the falls.
• The camp - tents and bungalows on the shingle, no hotels.

When to go

Boats run daily from roughly April to October and stop when the sea gets rough. The moths are most reliable from June into September. Day trips land late morning and leave by five, so an overnight stay is the only way to see the valley empty. Sea conditions cancel crossings without much warning.

Before you go

The land route down from Faralya is a steep scramble on fixed ropes. The waterfall path is slippery and often part-flooded, and the falls thin out by August. Facilities at the camp are basic: cold showers, patchy power, one kitchen. In peak weeks the beach is loud with day boats.

Nearby

Oludeniz lagoon, the Faralya cliffs and the coastal path above them.

Key facts