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One of the most special places in the world is the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. Without a doubt, this is one of the most mind-bending natural events in the world. It is also a romantic destination that people could consider adding to their Mexican bucket list (if they are going to Mexico in the winter).
While a far cry from Mexico's Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, another place to see the Monarch Butterflies is the Natural Bridges State Park in California, yet another place one can see large clusters of Monarch Butterflies is Point Pelee as they migrate (until mid-October) in Canada. Monarch butterflies are widely considered some of the most beautiful butterflies in the world.
Monarch Migration & The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is a World Heritage Site and attracted most of the over-wintering sites of the eastern population of the beautiful monarch butterfly. These tiny butterflies travel as far as thousands of kilometers from as far as Canada. They migrate all the way from sub-arctic regions to subtropical regions.
- Location: 62 Miles or 100 Kilometers From Mexico City
- Size: 56,000 Hectares
- Season: October-March
The reserve is located in Mexico's stunning Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests ecoregion around 62 miles out of Mexico City. The butterflies have been coming to this location for over 40 years. They reproduce and shelter from the cold of the north.
In the spring, they fly north once again. What is crazy is that over the time it takes them to migrate up to Eastern Canada, four generations of monarch butterflies are born and die.
- Designated: World Heritage Since 2008
While the reserve spans some 56,000 hectares, only a small amount of the area is inhabited by butterflies. There is something magical about seeing most of the over-wintering eastern North American butterflies congregated there.
Other wildlife on the reserve includes white-tailed deer, coyotes, weasels, foxes, rabbits, ravens, turkey vultures, great-horned owls, and other birds.
Visiting & Monarch Butterfly Colonies
Visiting the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is one of the most rewarding excursions for anyone visiting Mexico City (if they are coming at the right time of year). The biosphere reserve is only around 62 miles or 100 kilometers away and is easy to visit in a day.
There are fourteen major butterfly colonies in these forested mountains of Mexico. Of these, five are open for tourism (Sierra Chincua, El Rosario, La Mesa, Piedra Herrada, and El Capulin). Some of the other colonies are not promoted for tourism for fear of causing harm to the butterfly colonies.
- Butterfly Colonies Size: Cover Only 4.7 Hectares
Come in the winter and see millions of monarch butterflies that dress the forests of Mexico in a mosaic of orange, whitish, and black tones. Think of how light-weight butterflies are. Now picture so many of them that they literally bend the branches of trees.
Estimates go as high as there could be up to a billion of them there in the winter. The densities of the butterflies are between six and sixty million butterflies per hectare.
In some colonies, like El Rosario, there are now well-defined footpaths with security patrols. There is a research facility in Sierra Chincua dedicated to the monarch butterfly, and there are some tourist facilities at Cerro El Companario.
Day Tour To The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
There are tours to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. One option is to book the private tour listed on Vibeadventures.com from Mexico City.
- Duration: 9-12 Hours
- Cost: From $138 Per Person
- Language: English & Spanish
The tour visits not only the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve but also the charming town of Angangueo. Angangueo is a charming Mexican town with large churches, tiled-roof houses, and stunning mountains.
The tour includes hotel pickup from Mexico City and visits to the Sierra Chincua colony. Once there, guests can take a walk (or horse ride) to the colony and see one of nature's most stunning displays.
The tour is customizable and can be adjusted for how much time one would like to spend in any destination.
Whether one chooses to take a guided tour or make one's own self-guided tour, don't forget to see the Monarch Butterfly colonies this winter in Mexico.