Mariposa Monarca

A magical place, we were fortunate to have beautiful weather which makes a big difference in your experience.

We had such a wonderful visit! The millions of butterflies!! I didn't realize how many stairs there were to get up to the top. I should've gone by horse but my daughter didn't want too. We had a great visit and memories for a lifetime.

This is a truly magical and sacred space. We had an amazing experience, the butterflies were everywhere even before we got to the reserve. We arrived around 11am, had a quick bite before going inside. The quesadilla was delicious with a homemade blue corn tortilla. The paring attendant kept an eye on our dog inside the car. Once inside we opted to use a local guide and hike up. The hike was more of a walk, but be aware you’ll be going over 10,000 feet. The air is much thinner than sea level. Our guide did a great job explaining the whole lifestyle of the monarch and did it in basic Spanish so we could understand. We were there yesterday (2 March) and the butterflies were swarming and even mating. I’d definitely recommend this place to visit. It only took us about an hour total to hike up, see the butterflies at the top and hike down.

Overall it was great to get in touch with nature. May have been an off day when we went as the butterfly’s weren’t as evident.

It's a hard hike so bring trekking boots and poles. Don't forget water and day snacks. It will take you around 3 to 4 hours to make it to the butterflies. I highly recommend renting a horse, but keep in mind that is a hard ride up and even harder to go down. You have to leave the horse and do a 30 minute hike up to the butterflies. Once you are there you must be quiet and sit down. It’s a magical experience. I absolutely recommend it.

The most magical experience in the world. The walk is a bit long but quite bearable and definitely worth it. The forest is amazing and the views are breathtaking. But absolutely no words can describe the beauty of the sanctuary and the greatness of the place

Nice place to visit, and of course you need to visit during the winter. The temperatures in December are about 30°F at night and 55°F during the day. The best time of the day to visit the sanctuary is 12:00 noon, we went to "Sierra Chincua" near Angangeo. The entrance fee is cheap, $30 pesos per person if I remember. As you enter you are assigned a guide, a little boy or girl, at the end you give them a tip. They suggest you to rent a horse to go to the sanctuary, they charge you $100 pesos per person each way. The way up is doable taking a few breaks, the way back is really easy. If you don't have good condition you can rent a horse on your way up, but for sure you don't need it in your way back. There are like 12 small restaurants in the area, all are the same, they are local and they prepare local food, cheap and delicious, you need to try it. Hope you enjoy your visit.

Its one of the natures beautiful phenomenon you will ever witness. The moment you see the butterflies, its a jaw dropping moment. No photo or video can capture what your eyes will witness. Neither anyone will beleive you if you tell them what you saw. If you are planning a visit to the sanctuary consider the following things: - Direction on google map is not correct, use any other maps to reach the location - sanctuary is in forest area of michoacan better to reach and leave early, avoid travel during the dark - you will need a good car and good driving experience - you will need to pay toll before reaching the sanctuary which is about 60-100 pesos - after paying toll you go further inside the are which is steep so good car is a must - upon reaching the location you will get multiple options for parking, be careful as i noticed few kids trying to steal car logos - you will also see hotels and bathrooms - make your way towards the sanctuary and you will need to buy tickets 80 for adults and 50 kids above 5 yrs - you will have two options to reach the location which is by trek or by horse ride - trek is moderate and will take about 60-90 mins - horse ride will cost you 150 pesos for one way ride - upon reaching the location you will have to go inside the forest where the directions are marked and many forest rangers are there to help you out. - it will take about 10-15 mins of walk to reach nesting area of butterflies - its important you dont litter and maintain silence - you will stay there for about 30-45 mins and then your way back down Its a must visit place before climate change eliminates this experience.