Rhodes butterfly valley is Petaloudes, a shaded ravine 25 km south-west of Rhodes town where hundreds of thousands of Jersey tiger moths gather on the oriental sweetgum trees from June to September. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
This page covers the visit: when the moths arrive, why silence matters, the entry fee and opening hours, how to get there, the walk itself, the museum and monastery, Filerimos, the Seven Springs, who it suits, the timing and how to book.
What is rhodes butterfly valley?
Petaloudes, a shaded ravine 25 km south-west of Rhodes town where hundreds of thousands of Jersey tiger moths gather on the oriental sweetgum trees from June to September, crossed by a 600-metre path of wooden bridges and stone steps.
The valley runs about 1.5 kilometres along the Pelekanos stream from the entrance at 30 metres to the monastery of Panagia Kalopetra at 240 metres. The rhodes butterfly valley site states this at the gate and on the ticket.
The insects are Euplagia quadripunctaria, the Jersey tiger, and they are moths rather than butterflies, which is the first thing every guide corrects. Every rhodes butterfly valley visit is planned around it before the coach arrives.
They come for the resin. The oriental sweetgum, Liquidambar orientalis, releases a vanilla-scented storax that draws the moths from across the island. A rhodes butterfly valley trip is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
The valley is a protected Natura 2000 site and one of the few places in Europe where the species congregates in this density. This is what rhodes butterfly valley delivers between the bridges and the monastery.
When do the moths arrive?
From the middle of June, peaking through July and August, thinning in September and gone by the start of October. Outside those months the valley is a shaded gorge with a stream and no moths at all.
The insects hatch in the spring elsewhere on the island and migrate to the valley as the summer heat builds, drawn by the humidity and the resin. Every rhodes butterfly valley visit is planned around it before the coach arrives.
They rest on the trunks with their wings closed, showing a dark brown and cream pattern that hides them against the bark until they move. A rhodes butterfly valley trip is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
In flight they show scarlet hindwings, which is the sight visitors come for and the reason the place is called a butterfly valley. This is what rhodes butterfly valley delivers between the bridges and the monastery.
They do not feed as adults, living on reserves built as caterpillars, which is why disturbing them matters. The rhodes butterfly valley season runs for it from mid-June to September.
Why must you stay quiet?
Clapping, whistling and shaking branches makes the moths fly, and every flight burns energy they cannot replace because the adults have no functioning mouthparts. Repeated disturbance kills them before they breed.
Signs at every bridge ask for silence, and the wardens intervene when a group starts clapping to make the moths rise. A rhodes butterfly valley trip is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
The population has fallen sharply since the 1970s, and disturbance alongside habitat pressure is the reason given in the monitoring reports. This is what rhodes butterfly valley delivers between the bridges and the monastery.
Photographs work without provoking flight, since the moths sit still on the trunks and the resting pattern is the interesting one. The rhodes butterfly valley season runs for it from mid-June to September.
Guides brief this at the gate, and any operator that does not is worth leaving. A rhodes butterfly valley walk starts with this settled at the lower entrance.
What does it cost and when is it open?
Entry is 5 to 6 euros in the moth season and 3 euros outside it, children under 12 free, open daily from about 08:30 to 17:00 in summer with the last entry an hour before closing.
The ticket covers the valley and the small natural history museum near the lower entrance. This is what rhodes butterfly valley delivers between the bridges and the monastery.
Parking at the lower entrance is free and fills by 11:00 in July and August, and there is a second car park at the upper gate. The rhodes butterfly valley season runs for it from mid-June to September.
A guided coach trip from the resorts runs 35 to 60 euros with the entry included, and the small-group versions run 55 to 90 euros. A rhodes butterfly valley walk starts with this settled at the lower entrance.
The combined tours that add Filerimos or the Seven Springs run 45 to 85 euros and take a half day. The rhodes butterfly valley timetable is built on it rather than on the clock.
How do you get there?
Twenty-five kilometres from Rhodes town, about 35 minutes by car on the west-coast road through Paradisi. Public bus services run from Rhodes town in summer, and the organised tours collect from the resort strips.
The turning is signposted from the coast road south of the airport, and the last four kilometres climb inland through pine. The rhodes butterfly valley season runs for it from mid-June to September.
A hire car costs 35 to 70 euros a day and lets you arrive at opening, which is the difference between a quiet valley and a queue. A rhodes butterfly valley walk starts with this settled at the lower entrance.
Taxis from Rhodes town run 40 to 60 euros each way, and the drivers wait for an agreed fee. The rhodes butterfly valley timetable is built on it rather than on the clock.
The coach tours are the simplest option and they are the reason most visitors arrive between 11:00 and 14:00.
What is the walk like?
A shaded path of wooden bridges, stone steps and gravel climbing 200 metres over about 1.5 kilometres, taking 45 to 90 minutes up and 30 down, with the stream and small waterfalls beside it the whole way.
The lower section is easy and level and most coach groups turn back at the first bridges, which is why the upper valley is quieter. A rhodes butterfly valley walk starts with this settled at the lower entrance.
The upper section is steeper with irregular steps and no handrail in places, and it needs proper shoes rather than sandals. The rhodes butterfly valley timetable is built on it rather than on the clock.
The Panagia Kalopetra monastery at the top was founded in 1782 by Alexander Ypsilantis and has a terrace with a view over the valley. Guides brief it at the gate before a rhodes butterfly valley group sets off.
Shade covers almost the whole route, which makes this one of the few Rhodes walks that works at midday in August.
What else is in the valley?
The natural history museum at the lower entrance, the stream with its pools and small falls, a water mill, tavernas at both gates, and the monastery terrace at the top.
The museum holds displays on the moth’s life cycle and on the island’s other fauna, and it takes fifteen minutes. The rhodes butterfly valley timetable is built on it rather than on the clock.
The stream runs year round from springs above the valley, and it is the humidity from it that holds the moths. Guides brief it at the gate before a rhodes butterfly valley group sets off.
Oriental sweetgum grows wild in only a handful of places outside Turkey, and this valley is one of them. It decides which rhodes butterfly valley format fits the party.
The tavernas at the gates serve a simple card, and the upper one sits beside the monastery with the better view.
What is Filerimos and why is it paired with the valley?
A 267-metre hill 15 minutes from the valley with the acropolis of ancient Ialysos, a fourteenth-century Knights’ monastery, a Doric fountain and a 16-metre cross with a stair inside it to a viewing platform.
The pairing exists because the two sit close together on the same side of the island and fill a half day between them. Guides brief it at the gate before a rhodes butterfly valley group sets off.
The Way of the Cross runs along the ridge with bronze reliefs of the stations, ending at the cross itself. It decides which rhodes butterfly valley format fits the party.
Peacocks wander the site freely, which is the detail children remember, and they are as much a fixture as the ruins. The rhodes butterfly valley ticket reflects it, season by season.
Entry is 6 euros in summer and the site closes on some weekdays out of season, which the tour listings state.
What are the Seven Springs?
Epta Piges, a wooded valley 30 km south of Rhodes town where seven springs feed a lake through a 186-metre tunnel, with peacocks, a taverna and a shaded path, 30 minutes from the Butterfly Valley by road.
The tunnel was cut by the Italians in the 1930s to carry water to the plain at Kolymbia, and walking through it ankle-deep in cold water is the reason people come. It decides which rhodes butterfly valley format fits the party.
It is 1.2 metres wide and dark in the middle, and it is not for anyone uneasy in confined spaces. A path over the top reaches the same lake. The rhodes butterfly valley ticket reflects it, season by season.
The lake at the far end is small and green under plane trees, and swimming in it is prohibited. A rhodes butterfly valley tour fills first on that count in July and August.
Entry is free and the site is open daylight hours, which is why the combined tours pair it with the ticketed valley.
Who does rhodes butterfly valley suit?
Families with children, walkers wanting shade in high summer, photographers, and anyone on a hot day looking for somewhere 5 to 8 degrees cooler than the coast.
Children respond to the moths, the bridges and the stream, and the lower half of the valley is short enough for small legs. The rhodes butterfly valley ticket reflects it, season by season.
Photographers come for the resting moths on the trunks, which need a close focus and no flash. A rhodes butterfly valley tour fills first on that count in July and August.
It is the wrong destination outside the season, when the valley is pleasant and empty of the thing it is named for. The rhodes butterfly valley route is set by it more than by distance.
Visitors with limited mobility manage the lower bridges and not the upper steps, and the site says so at the gate.
How does it fit a day on Rhodes?
Valley in the morning at opening, Filerimos before lunch, lunch at Ialysos or Kremasti, and the Seven Springs or Rhodes old town in the afternoon. That is the standard west-coast day.
Arriving at 08:30 gives an hour before the first coaches, and it is the single best decision a visitor makes here. A rhodes butterfly valley tour fills first on that count in July and August.
The valley takes 90 minutes to two hours at a proper pace including the upper section. The rhodes butterfly valley route is set by it more than by distance.
Filerimos takes an hour and the Seven Springs another hour with the tunnel. Visitors to rhodes butterfly valley meet it in the first ten minutes.
The wine villages on the Attavyros slopes sit 40 minutes further and make the alternative afternoon, at Rhodes wine tasting.
What do you wear and bring?
Closed walking shoes for the upper steps, insect repellent, water, a light layer because the shade is cool, and a camera. No flash and no loud voices.
The valley runs 5 to 8 degrees cooler than the coast and feels cold at the top on a breezy morning in June. The rhodes butterfly valley route is set by it more than by distance.
Mosquitoes are present near the stream in the evening and are not a problem in the middle of the day. Visitors to rhodes butterfly valley meet it in the first ten minutes.
Water is on sale at both gates and nowhere in between, and the climb is thirsty work in August. That is the rhodes butterfly valley difference against a beach afternoon.
Drones are prohibited over the site, as they are over most Greek protected areas.
How do you book a rhodes butterfly valley trip?
Independently by hire car with the ticket bought at the gate, or on a half-day tour booked one to three days ahead in July and August. Free cancellation to 24 hours is standard on the organised trips.
Confirm whether the entry ticket is included, because the cheaper listings exclude it and the difference is 6 euros a head. Visitors to rhodes butterfly valley meet it in the first ten minutes.
Ask how long the group has in the valley, since some coach itineraries allow only 45 minutes and that covers the lower bridges alone. That is the rhodes butterfly valley difference against a beach afternoon.
The small-group tours cap at 8 to 16 and reach the upper valley, and they cost 20 to 30 euros more for that reason. A rhodes butterfly valley walk carries the water and the shade for it.
Pickups run from Rhodes town, Ixia, Ialysos, Faliraki and Kolymbia, and the confirmation names the window. The island’s other half sits at Rhodes old town.
What is the Jersey tiger moth?
Euplagia quadripunctaria, a day-flying moth of about 55 millimetres wingspan with cream and dark brown forewings and scarlet hindwings marked with black spots, listed as a priority species under the European Habitats Directive.
The species is common across Europe and rare only in this behaviour, because nowhere else does it gather in these numbers in one ravine. That is the rhodes butterfly valley difference against a beach afternoon.
Adults emerge in June, fly to the valley through the summer, mate at the end of the season and lay eggs on the ground vegetation before dying. A rhodes butterfly valley walk carries the water and the shade for it.
The caterpillars overwinter and feed in spring on nettles, brambles and other low plants across the island rather than in the valley itself. The rhodes butterfly valley population turns on this more than on the weather.
The adults take no food at all, which is the single fact that explains every rule posted on the bridges.
Population counts have fallen since systematic monitoring began, and the site managers publish the trend rather than hide it.
What is the oriental sweetgum tree?
Liquidambar orientalis, a deciduous tree of the witch-hazel family growing to 20 metres, native to south-west Turkey and Rhodes, whose bark releases a fragrant resin called storax that draws the moths.
The species survives in a handful of relict populations, and the Petaloudes valley is one of the few outside Anatolia. A rhodes butterfly valley walk carries the water and the shade for it.
Storax has been traded since antiquity for incense and medicine, and the resin is what gives the valley its smell on a warm afternoon. The rhodes butterfly valley population turns on this more than on the weather.
The trees need permanent moisture, which is why they grow along the stream and nowhere else on the dry island. The rhodes butterfly valley site states this at the gate and on the ticket.
Their leaves turn red and yellow in November, which makes the out-of-season valley worth a visit for a different reason.
Protection of the valley is as much about the trees as the moths, since one cannot persist without the other.
How busy does it get and when do you go?
Quiet at 08:30, filling from 10:30 as the coaches arrive, busiest from 11:00 to 14:00 in July and August, and quiet again after 16:00. The upper valley stays quiet all day because most groups turn back.
The site takes around 300,000 visitors a year and almost all of them arrive in the four-hour midday window. The rhodes butterfly valley population turns on this more than on the weather.
An early arrival means the moths are settled and silent and the path is empty, which is a different experience from the same place at noon. The rhodes butterfly valley site states this at the gate and on the ticket.
Late afternoon works nearly as well, with the last entry an hour before closing and the light better for photographs. Every rhodes butterfly valley visit is planned around it before the coach arrives.
Weekends are no busier than weekdays because the visitors are almost entirely on holiday rather than local.
Cruise-ship days fill the morning coaches, and the port schedule is public if you want to avoid them.
What are the alternatives if the moths are gone?
Outside mid-June to September the valley is a shaded stream walk with a monastery at the top. The Seven Springs, Filerimos, Kallithea Springs and the Rodini park cover the same kind of half day.
Rodini park on the edge of Rhodes town is a wooded valley with peacocks and a Hellenistic rock-cut tomb, and it is free. The rhodes butterfly valley site states this at the gate and on the ticket.
Kallithea Springs is the restored 1929 Italian spa on the east coast with domed pavilions and a swimming cove. Every rhodes butterfly valley visit is planned around it before the coach arrives.
The Seven Springs gives the tunnel walk and the lake without an entry fee, half an hour from the valley. A rhodes butterfly valley trip is sold on that, and the listing says so plainly.
Filerimos gives the acropolis, the monastery and the view, and it pairs with any of them.
Visitors set on the moths book between the last week of June and the end of August, when the numbers are reliable.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can you see the butterflies at Petaloudes?
From the middle of June through July and August, thinning in September and gone by October. Outside those months the valley is a shaded stream walk with no moths at all.
What does entry to Rhodes butterfly valley cost?
Five to six euros in the moth season and three euros outside it, with children under 12 free. The ticket covers the valley and the natural history museum at the lower entrance.
Are they butterflies or moths?
Moths. Euplagia quadripunctaria, the Jersey tiger, a day-flying species with cream and brown forewings and scarlet hindwings, drawn to the valley by the storax resin of the oriental sweetgum trees.