The Monarch Butterfly Migration
Mexico
Experience one of the largest insect migrations on earth, high in the mountains of central Mexico. Each year millions of Monarch butterflies travel down to Mexico from the US and Canada to overwinter in the fir forests of Michoacan, Mexico.
There are several butterfly sanctuaries that are open to visitors during this period. We visited the El Rosario sanctuary. The El Rosario sanctuary together with the other sites form the UNESCO World Heritage Site. I was very impressed by the conduct and management of the butterfly reserve. The staff upheld strict conservation protocols at all times, ensuring a respectful and protected environment for the butterflies. Visitors are clearly instructed not to touch the butterflies, which helps minimize stress and preserve their delicate habitat. Each group is also only allowed a limited time inside the reserve, a measure that reduces human disturbance and maintains a peaceful atmosphere. It was very clear that the guides were passionate about the butterflies too.
Where: Central Mexico
When: December to February
Cost: £
Difficulty: **
How to get there…
There are a number of reserves around central Mexico you can visit to see the monarch butterfly migration. We visited the El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary. After a tour company let us down we decided to make the journey using local buses ourselves. Starting from Mexico city we got a taxi to the terminal central de autobuses del poniente. From the bus station the Zina-Bus service runs a bus to a beautiful small village called Angangueo which is located approximately 10 minutes by taxi/car from the El Rosario sanctuary entrance. After departing the bus we wandered towards a church (the templo de la inmaculada) to see to find taxis waiting along this street (Nacional Independencia street). We hopped in to complete up the final leg up the mountains to the sanctuary entrance. We took the taxi drivers number so that we could call him to pick us up once we were ready to leave. There are other ways to get there by bus that involve changing buses in either Zitacuaro or San Jose Rincon, but the direct bus was much simpler for us and the coaches were clean and comfortable.
How much does it cost?
Entry into El Rosario is approximately £5 for on foot entry with a tour guide. You are not allowed to enter the sanctuary without a guide as the guides control the numbers of people and how long you stay with the butterflies so that the level of disturbance is kept to a minimum. Overall, including the taxi and bus fare the whole day cost us around £40 per person (Versus thee £150 tour that let us down).
What facilities were there?
There are toilets, food and shops around the entrance and toilets inside before you start the hike to where the butterflies are. Once you have hiked up to where the butterflies are, there are no facilities so use the loo before you start.
How difficult is it?
The hike is approximately 30 minutes and it starts steep and quite difficult but eventually flattens out. Our tour guide, despite being quite a bit older than us, had no trouble getting up the hillside, telling us he does this walk at least three times a day. There is the possibility of entering via horseback for those who walking might be a struggle.
The experience…
As we got closer, we started to see monarch butterflies bounding around the woodland and up the paths towards us. The numbers grew and grew as we drew nearer, eventually reaching a watercourse where several hundred butterflies were sat, basking and drinking in an open glade, turning the ground bright orange. Some areas like this, are roped off so people don’t damage the features used by the butterflies (or the butterflies themselves!). We stayed and observed with many taking to the air bouncing around us. We continued onwards eventually to some large conifer trees. At first I thought the trees were covered in lichen but as I looked closer I realised they were encrusted with millions of resting monarchs sat in enormous aggregations. With their wings closed they were not immediately recognisable, with only the grey and black markings of the wing undersides visible they were surprisingly well camouflaged despite the enormous number of them.
What I would recommend:
We did this as a (very long) day trip from Mexico City, however it is usually recommended to spend a couple of days staying up in the mountains and visiting the butterfly sanctuaries as they only fly in good weather. We got very lucky and had great weather on our visit but if I was to do it again I would go and stay for a few nights in Angangueo.
We were also lucky that we made it out and got to the bus stop in Angangueo before the last bus left. I would recommend checking the bus times if you attempt this as a day trip by going to the Excelencia Zina-bus office in Angangueo before you head up to the reserve.
Bring water, walking boots, suncream, and a jacket. I would also recommend brushing up on your Spanish to help you navigate the public transportation and talk to the guide.
