Mexico | Mystical Migration of the Monarch

Upon arrival in Mexico City, you will be met in the airport and transported to your hotel, situated in the historic district on the Zócalo. The Zócalo is the largest plaza in Latin America, and it is surrounded by the National Palace, Metropolitan Cathedral, Templo Mayor, and many restaurants and historical architecture. This evening, meet in the hotel lobby at 7 pm for a welcome dinner and program orientation at a nearby restaurant. Check-in starts at 3 pm.

Begin today with a short exploration of Mexico City during a brief walking tour of the Zócalo, Cathedral, and Templo Mayor; a boxed lunch will be provided. Depart for the colonial town of Angangueo, high in the mountains in the state of Michoacán, about 100 miles west of Mexico City. Check in at Hotel Don Bruno. After settling in, enjoy a delicious Mexican dinner and then gather for a briefing to help prepare for the next day. (Elevation at Hotel Don Bruno is 8,460 feet. Please note that it can get cold at night and in the early morning, and most rooms do not have heat. It is recommended that you bring warm sleeping clothes.)

This morning, visit Sierra Chincua Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary. This is one of several nearby monarch sites and is more isolated than El Rosario, which we will visit tomorrow. The journey starts with a hike up the mountain to about 10,000 feet. Horses are available to rent for a portion of the trail. The cost is about 200 Mexican pesos, payable in cash only. Some walking will be required, but it can be done at your own pace and with stops and rest as needed. Once at the site, you have the day to enjoy and photograph the spectacular colony with a boxed lunch to be eaten at your leisure. Please note that restrooms are located at the bottom of the mountain and not in the reserve. You will have a short time to buy souvenirs at the craft market at the bottom of the mountain. If time permits, visit the Alternare Center, which has more than 20 years of experience working with rural communities with the goal of helping conserve butterfly habitat. They also teach sustainable farming techniques, the construction of adobe houses, wood-saving stoves, and water conservation practices. Later this afternoon, take a walking tour through the town of Angangueo with our guide. Founded in 1792, the town served as a main mining center, providing wealth for the area. Today the town derives its income from butterfly tourism and agriculture. As we explore the cobblestone streets, our guide will share sites of interest and the importance of butterfly conservation to the town. Dinner is at the hotel.

Early this morning, check out of the hotel and visit the monarch sanctuary of El Rosario, the largest overwintering site. The colony normally contains well over 100 million adult monarchs. An excellent trail system winds through the fir-covered slopes on which the colony is located. Additionally, there is a nearby stream where the butterflies may fly at midday to drink water. At this time of year, they may take flight for an hour or more for water, nectar, etc., before returning to their roost on the tree limbs or trunks. The hike to reach the colony may again reach up to 10,000 feet and will require hiking up the mountain. The hike is at your own pace, and birding can be done along the way. A portion of the hike can again be done by horseback rental. Once at the site, the day will be spent enjoying the colony with a boxed lunch, to be eaten at your leisure. Restrooms are located at the bottom of the mountain and not in the reserve. In the late afternoon, continue on to the hotel. After dinner, gather for a briefing on Cerro Pelón and what to expect in the morning.

After breakfast, visit the Cerro Pelón reserve. Though local residents had known about the monarchs' wintering sites for centuries, in 1975 a team of researchers under the direction of Canadian entomologist Fred Urquhart encountered Cerro Pelón, and it became the first confirmed site described to the broader scientific community. This visit will be a little more challenging than the previous days, with a steeper hike and altitudes starting at about 10,400 feet. Horses will be available for rent for the beginning portion of the hike and may be required due to trail conditions. Depending on the location of the colony, a 30-minute steep uphill hike may be required after the horse ride. Cerro Pelón is the least-known monarch reserve, and because of the rougher conditions is also the least visited, making it a more intimate experience. As on the previous days, you will take a boxed lunch and there will be no restrooms in the reserve. Those who choose not to visit Cerro Pelón will be able enjoy the hotel and the surrounding areas. Return to the hotel for dinner.

Depart for the Mexico City area and the pyramids at San Juan Teotihuacán. Enjoy the afternoon to explore this world-famous archaeological site, which covers 32 square miles and contains many structures, including two large pyramids. The Pyramid of the Sun, at a height of more than 200 feet, is one of the largest known pre-Columbian structures in the Americas. Many of the ruins on the site illustrate the vital connection between Monarch butterflies and the belief systems of the Indigenous communities of Mexico, as the Aztecs, or Mexica, viewed butterflies as the embodiment of the souls of warriors slain in battle. Archaeologists have discovered prevalent butterfly symbols all around the site, including a complex of ruins called Palace of Quetzalpapálotl, or Palace of the Butterflies, and they continue to study the link between these butterfly depictions and the symbolic significance of their migration to these ancient civilizations. During pre-Columbian times, there were even more butterflies in the famed yearly migration than the amount seen today. Their overwintering sites were much closer to Teotihuacán and the Mexica capital of Tenochtitlan (the modern-day historic center of Mexico City), so archaeologists have inferred that the Aztecs may have based their idea of warriors returning from the dead on their observation of millions of monarch butterflies coming back to the same place at the same time every year. After time to explore the ruins on your own, return to the hotel on the Zócalo for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Breakfast will be included depending on your departure time. Airport shuttle service transfers are included and will be coordinated based on flight times. Check-out time at 12 pm.