Monarch Butterfly Reserves

There are 5 publicly accessible sanctuaries: El Rosario, Sierra Chincha, Ejido El Capulín (aka Cerro Pelon), Piedra Herrada, La Mesa. The first two are in Michoacán and the other three are in the State of Mexico to the east. El Rosario is the most popular, with weekends being very crowded during butterfly season. The Sierra Chincua sanctuary is recently opened and much more rustic.

History

Landscape

The sanctuaries are in pine and oyamel forested hills, so expect some moderate hiking. For El Rosario, it's about a 2-km hike up to the top of the hill where the butterflies congregate.

Flora and fauna

The area is a pine and oyamel forest. The monarch butterflies tend to congregate on the branches of the oyamel trees to conserve warmth. In the later part of the season, late February to early March, as the climate warms a little, the butterflies begin to fly about in late numbers when there is sufficient sun to warm them.

Climate

The altitude is high enough for there to be a noticeable drop in temperature from the surrounding villages. The temperature drop is also partly due to the hilltops being usually cloudy, which tend to start forming around 10:00.

The sanctuaries are most easily accessible starting from Morelia, Toluca, or Mexico City. There are tours that can be had for around M$600 to El Rosario from Morelia. Tickets are sold at the tourism information kiosk near the main cathedral. Read on if you want to go on your own. For more information, and exact locations see this page in Spanish by Unknown Mexico

El Rosario

From the Morelia central bus terminal there are buses to Ciudad Hidalgo for M$120 every 30 minutes until 06:00 and a few on the hour until 24:00. From there, go to the other side of town, a 30-min walk or take a combi, to catch a bus heading to Zitácuaro and get dropped of at San Felipe where there's the road to Ocampo for about M$50. To Ocampo, it should be about M$30 and from Ocmpo there are colectivos to El Rosario for M$30.
If you arrive early enough, say before 09:00, it can be faster and cheaper to go Aporo (M$15) - Angangueo (M$16) - El Rosario (M$32) from Ciudad Hidalgo.
There are infrequent buses from the Observatorio bus station in Mexico City directly to Angangueo or more frequently to Zitácuaro or Tlalpujahua.

Sierra Chincua

Go to Angangueo (see section above) and take bus north and get dropped off at the road to Sierra Chincua, a few kilometers outside of town. Then there is a couple of kilometers walk to the entrance.

• El Rosario - M$50 for 18 minutes, but not well regulated. Sometimes a guide is provided or required but payment is optional, though tips are nice.
• Sierra Chincua - M$45 for 18 minutes

Once inside the sanctuaries the only options are walking and horseback riding. If you take your time, the uphill climb in El Rosario isn't too bad. The horseback riding is only one way. So you can ride up and walk back.

There are more souvenir shops than you'll want to visit on the path from the main parking lot to the entrance. Nearly everything is butterfly-themed, from jewelry to clothing to other knickknacks.

There is nothing to eat inside the sanctuaries. However, just below the entrance to El Rosario, there are many relatively economical restaurants.

Lodging

Camping

Backcountry

• Angangueo - an old mining town and Magical Village
• Tlalpujahua - Magical Village
• El Oro - Magical Village