Faralya - the village on the cliffs of Butterfly Valley

 

Why do I start each article with waking up?  

It’s appropriate I guess, it always starts in the morning, or at least my day always starts each morning.  Whenever I’m on travel, I don’t normally wake up late or probably I can’t, my body clock is always on time. it alarms me early.

The daunting long journey from Dalyan to Faralya, with three transportation switches plus the petrifying ride along the windy twisting road to Faralya was worth it after all.  It’s not so much about the ride that scared the hell out of me but the thought that if things go awry, and I survived, it would be a whole lot mess for me, and besides, my vacation is going to be ruined.

But I am here right now, in the middle of an incredibly amazing place, so I’ll stop the ranting and take my breakfast.  It’s a lovely day for a hike down to the Butterfly Valley.

Faralya isn’t on Google map!

I was actually confused about Faralya and Butterfly Valley and Uzunyurt.  I scanned google map and the only  label coming up is Uzunyurt, so I presume that is the formal name of the place.  It isn’t a town!

Faralya's mosque.

Faralya hasn’t earned the “village” title as yet due to its insignificant population.  It is officially a neighborhood or district of Uzunyurt village. Google map shows the whole length that comprises little hamlets along the coast as Uzunyurt.  Type “faralya” on google map search and you’ll come up with Faralya Hotel which is situated in Kabak Valley, also a neighborhood of Uzunyurt, a couple of kilometers away.  But Faralya has earned popularity among tourists more than Uzunyurt, so let’s go for Faralya then.

The winding road near Faralya.

On the way to the high way.

Faralya is popularly known to be “the village on the cliffs of the Butterfly Valley”.  The place where I was staying – George House – is literally on the edge of the valley so it affords the beautiful views of the gorge and the beach cove below.  

I walked along the highway where the minibus run the day before to get a view of the entirety of the place from a distance.  I passed by a minimarket, the mosque whose call for prayers five times a day can be heard all over the neighborhood, and some accommodations along the highway.  Very few houses, some perched on the sides of the mountains, some on the edge of the cliff.  It’s so tranquil, mass tourism from the nearby Oludeniz has not crawled into Faralya yet.

My accommodation on the edge of the cliff.

Another view of my accommodation in Faralya.

The popular 500 kilometers or so long distance Lycian Way walk from Fethiye to Antalya passes by Butterfly Valley and Faralya.  The footpath is clearly marked by stripes of red and white paint on rocks along the way.