Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve

Reserva De La Biosfera (CONANP) / Patrimonio Mundial · Ocampo, Michoacán

Every autumn, tens of millions of monarch butterflies fly up to 4,000 kilometres from Canada and the northern United States to a handful of fir-covered mountaintops in Michoacan and the State of Mexico, and hang there in clusters so dense that branches bend. No single butterfly makes the round trip - the ones arriving are several generations removed from those that left, and how they find mountains they have never seen remains unexplained. When the sun warms the colony above about 13 degrees the whole forest lifts at once, with a sound like soft rain. The colonies are present roughly November to March and there is nothing to see outside that window. The forests belong to ejidos and local guides, and your entry fee is what keeps them from loggers. Reach it from Mexico City in 3.5 to 4 hours, but sleeping near the sanctuary makes the visit far better. The Purepecha hold that the butterflies are returning souls, and they arrive around Day of the Dead. Expect a climb at 3,000 m.

Santuario El Rosario, Ocampo, Ocampo, Michoacán, 61980, Mexico

⚠⚠ STRICTLY SEASONAL - THE SANCTUARIES OPEN ROUGHLY NOVEMBER AND CLOSE ROUGHLY MARCH, when the butterflies leave. There is nothing to see outside that window and the gates are shut. Within the season, sanctuaries generally open early morning and close mid-afternoon. ⚠ GO AT MIDDAY ON A WARM SUNNY DAY: below about 13 degrees the monarchs cannot fly and stay clumped on the branches. ⚠ A LOCAL EJIDO GUIDE IS COMPULSORY, and horses are available for the climb and are widely used. ⚠ WHICH SANCTUARY HOLDS THE LARGEST COLONY CHANGES YEAR TO YEAR - ask locally in the week you travel. ⚠ ALTITUDE 2,800 TO 3,600 METRES. ⚠ HOURS, DATES AND PRICES NOT VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.

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