Maolin National Scenic Area (Purple Butterfly Valley) Introduction
The Maolin Butterfly Valley Ecological Park is located within Maolin Alley in the Maolin District and serves as a location for butterfly watching during the butterfly season. By walking along the park's trails, you can reach the Butterfly Watching Trail. The "Purple Butterfly Valley" is not a geographical location; it actually refers to an ecological phenomenon where various species of butterflies congregate to overwinter. The "Purple Butterfly Valley" is primarily distributed in the low- to medium-altitude mountainous areas of Kaohsiung, Pingtung, and Taitung, inhabited by the Paiwan and Rukai tribes. From October to February each year, over a million purple butterflies come to the warm, sheltered valleys at the foot of Mount Dawu, the sacred mountain of the Rukai and Paiwan people in southern Taiwan. The Maolin "Purple Butterfly Valley" is renowned alongside the "Monarch Butterfly Valley" in North America as one of the world's top natural assets, recognized as one of the two large-scale "overwintering butterfly valleys" globally. It has also been awarded a prestigious three-star rating by the Michelin Green Guide Taiwan as a must-visit attraction! A recommended stay time is about 3 hours, during which visitors can stroll along the Butterfly Watching Trail in the Purple Butterfly Ecological Park and enjoy sightings of various purple butterflies and other colorful butterfly species.
