BUTTERFLY VALLEY BY BUS – FROM FALIRAKI

Wir waren gleich um 9.30 Uhr dort, was sich als sehr sinnvoll erwies. Unser Parkplatz war unten im Tal, so dass wir die Tour von unten nach oben und wieder zurück durch den Wald machten. Auf dem ersten Teilabschnitt gab es noch nicht so viele Schmetterlinge und um 9.30 Uhr so gut wie keine Besucher. Beim zweiten Teil war dann schon deutlich mehr los, denn die meisten Touristen kommen wohl von oben und gehen die Wege nur runter. Hier gab es dafür wirklich sehr viele von den Faltern. Einige Baumstämme waren übersäht, so dass man von der Rinde nichts mehr sehen konnte. Leider gibt es immer noch Leute, die sich nicht an die (wirklich wichtigen) Regeln halten und an Bäumen schütteln oder klatschen. Die Schmetterlinge werden dadurch aufgeschreckt und gestört.
Wir empfanden den Ausflug als recht nett und mit 5 Euro Eintritt auch erschwinglich. Man geht auf Holzpfaden durch ein schattiges Tal an einem Bach entlang.

Dieses Tal mit seinem kleinen Bach, den unzähligen Schmetterlingen, den schattigen Wegen, tollen Bäumen, Felsen… Ist einfach ein wunderschöner, beschaulicher, beeindruckender Ort.
Und wenn man sich von den vielen Touristen nicht ablenken lässt, kann man hier eine wunderschöne Stunde her leben, in der man Körper und Geist durch atmen lassen kann.
Ja, es ist nur eine Schmetterlingssorte, wie jeder, der sich im Vorfeld kurz damit beschäftigt hat, leicht herausfinden kann.
Der Eintritt von 5 Euro ist ein wenig hoch wenn man mit einer Familie dort hingeht, aber kleine Kinder müssen keinen Eintritt bezahlen.
In Summe eine der schönsten Orte, die ich auf dieser Insel und auch weit darüber hinaus bisher erleben durfte.

Keep you tickets, they're worth more than gold. They'll be your key through the many electronic gates - four, if you want to go all the way up to the monastery. Another four if you want to go back down the same way, of course. It's worth it. The place is beautiful, there are millions of butterflies but you won't be able to see them at first as they look like they're needles from trees. Stop and look for them, they've evolved well to blend in their environment. There are some other colours of their wings but the 'conifers' are the main attraction here. They're more lively in the upper valley especially those sitting on large rocks and stones. They rarely fly across the path so just stand and appreciate the view for a few seconds. There's no hurry. And you'll need to rest, believe me. The last part, which is climbing up to the monastery will drain your entire energy. Nice fresh lemonade or fresh orange juice awaits those who make to the last part of the journey. It's overpriced, as you'd expect, but you'll be screaming "Take my money! Just give me that cool liquid that I desperately need!". And then it's the monastery. Very quiet, very solemn, almost forgotten, standing there lonely, as the road wraps it around from all sides. It's beautiful there. You've made it to the top so take some time to soak in the atmoshpere. Good news, the way down is much much easier.

What a stunning place to visit. The valley has been landscaped and managed to allow the wildlife to flourish in this 3km ( including the walk to the monestary just above). At 5euros each to enter it is worth every penny. We started at the bottom (there are three car parks, top, middle and bottom) and wound our way up to the top in about 2.5 hours, stopping often to watch the butterflies, crabs and lizards flourish in this valley of tranquility and magic. You need good shoes as the paths are cobbly and unevern. Although you are walking up hill for the majority it is a gradual climb with plenty of stops if needed, there are a few short steep bits, which are all stepped. We stopped half way up for an ice cream and at the top for a cold drink before heading to the monestry: Monastero di Kalopetra, which is another 200m uphill but worth it for the views Nd stunning church. It is stunning.

This was a morning 09:00 organised tour through Faliraji Tours. The valley was approximately 30 minutes drive from our Hotel. If you are expecting tonnes of butterflies and all different species then this trip is not for you. There is only one species and when they are not flying they are well camouflaged against the tree bark or rock but we saw some large groups rising up from trees and the water but they are very hard to photograph.
The walk through the woods is pretty hard going in places (uphill) and people were not very spatially aware walking very close in some cases especially when crossing bridges etc. There is a very welcome café area at the top of the valley which served iced coffee and cold drinks.
You can then carry on up out of the valley to the Monastery which very picturesque in its own right had some glorious views down to the sea - amazing. You then have to walk all the way down back into the valley lol and can then go further into the valley but to be fair that side is okay but not as amazing as going up. There is a gift shop and food bar serving drinks etc when you reach the entrance. I would recommend this trip