Dotted with sleepy villages, pine-clad mountains and age-old ruins, western Rhodes has a rugged beauty all of its own. This tour ticks off some of the top picks. You'll visit the ancient city of Kamiros, the mountain villages of Embona and Siana as well as Butterfly Valley – home to hundreds of Callimorpha butterflies. Nicholas, one of our expert local guides, says, ‘Kamiros offers a glimpse into the daily life of its ancient inhabitants and shows how ingenious the people who built it were. The water supply system, with its complex network of cisterns and aqueducts, is well-preserved and really interesting.'
First up is Butterfly Valley – a natural park home to hundreds of the friendly, fluttering creatures. Wander along shaded wooden walkways and enjoy the calming pools of trickling water as you observe these colourful insects all around – stay still and one may even land on you. As well as the butterflies, the park features a variety of other flora and fauna, including lots of wildflowers and birds.
Next, you'll travel back in time at ancient Kamiros. The tidily laid out streets and remains of the agora and acropolis will give you a sense of how the residents went about their daily lives in the 5th century BC. You'll get an app on entry, which shows how the city would have looked in 3D. Next, you'll have free time for lunch in Embona – the highest village in Rhodes – and visit the mountain-side settlement of Siana.
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