Monarch Butterfly Tour Mexico: Witness Thousands in Michoacan

The Monarch Butterfly Tour Mexico is primarily designed for witnessing an incredible spectacle of thousands of butterflies at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Michoacan Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, and exploring the picturesque mining town of Angangueo, with its large churches, terracotta-roofed homes, and lush mountainous backdrop.

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Mexico City - Meet your guide and transfer to Sierra Chincua (~3-3.5 h depending on the traffic conditions), learn about the places you pass on the way, and enjoy diverse landscapes.
  • Sierra Chincua Butterfly Sanctuary - Our route leads to Sierra Chincua, one of the official Monarch Butterfly Sanctuaries, offering a front-row seat to the…
What's Included
  • Entrance and guided visit to Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary
  • Walking tour in Angangueo
  • Non-alcoholic drinks and snacks included
  • Round transportation from Mexico City
  • Service of a multilingual local guide
What's Not Included
  • Travel insurance; personal expenses, and tips.
Additional Information
  • CONTACT: Please provide a valid contact phone number with the international prefix (e.g., +11111111111) as our guide may need it for pickup. Please ensure it’s available on the day of the tour. Alternatively, if we cannot find and reach you, the tour will be considered a no-show.
  • MINIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: ◘ Small-group tour: we need 2+…
Location
Mexico City
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(6 Ratings)
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Q514hyalicial
Mar 13, 2025
Guide and driver amazing (as were butterflies). Communication with company before hand so-so - We went on the butterfly tour the first week of March 2025 and it was incredible! Our tour guide was Irazú (Zu) and she met our every need and then some! Superb attention to detail from Zu who give us tips and recommendations every step of the way that made things that much more enjoyable and inspiring. (We were fast friends by the end of the day. Also she offers to take pictures of you and your group in key places which is a nice touch). She also has a wealth of knowledge on lots of subjects, and elegantly transitioned between English and Spanish all day long to meet the needs of our group. Roberto was our driver, also a great person, and anamazing driver (its a LONG day and I admire the stamina and skills on all kinds of roads). So a few things you should know: Vibe Adventures offices were ok but not great at communicating with us before hand. We asked about if there was time for breakfast and lunch stops built in and the company said we should bring our own food to not reduce our time at reserve. However there was sit down food stands and cafes at the trailhead and restaurants in Angangueo town so the food we packed was a waste. The local food is excellent withsome tasty regional things you can't get elsewhere, and honestly faster than trying to picnic. We were annoyed to have spent the day before grocery shopping only to not end up eating food we brought with us before our international flight the next day. Bad messaging Vibe Adventures. Also the site and sanctuary you will see butterflies may change on a somewhat regular basis depending on the butterflies (they are wild animals that fly afterall) so the hike you will take might be different from ours. The good news is the company and tour guides will be up to dste on where the butterflies are to be found that day and a local sanctuary guide will be even more knowledgeable on the details. You will be in good hands as far as butterfly viewing experience. If you can go a weekday that's better as the sanctuaries get lots more tourists on the weekend. That said expect elevation gain to wear good hiking shoes or athletic shoes (we did, but again that could have been better communicated by Vibe Adventures). Finally prepare for the excursion to potentially (likely?) be longer than the 12 hours as there is a LOT you may want to see and do and the drive there and back is long and traffic dependant. Good luck and enjoy this lovely day, its worth it!!!! (in terms of time, $, and effort!)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marie_k
Feb 15, 2025
A long day but so worth it! - Very long day but worth it to see the butterflies. Our guide Ari was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of information on Mexico City during the journey. The visit to the butterflies wasn't as much of a trek as we expected and we were able to spend ample time there. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Jakedc290sd
Jan 27, 2025
AWESOME excursion! - Cannot recommend this excursion enough! Ariadne (our guide) and Guillermo (our driver) were incredibly friendly, informative, and flexible to our needs such as bathroom breaks, food, etc.. We really enjoyed stopping in Angangueo to see the local markets, and our guide had timed it out perfectly so that when we arrived to the butterfly sanctuary, we saw THOUSANDS! Wonderful excursion, will be remembering this for life!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Silviamkukol_k
Jan 22, 2025
Butterflies everywhere! - We traveled from Mexico City to Michocan to the butterfly sanctuary. It was over 3 hours each way. Miguel , our guide kept us entertained the whole trip. He was the best! The sanctuary is a life affirming experience. Nature at its best.
Review provided by Viator
P8088ocjessicar
Jan 11, 2025
Safe & fun experience with a GREAT guide! - A friend and I made our first trip to CDMX and took a day to get out of the city to experience the butterflies. It was very cold, so the Monarchs were huddled on the trees and not as bright as I'd expected, but it was still amazing to see how many there were, and the sun came out enough for them to fly a bit. The car trip was long, but comfortable--not nearly as bumpy as I'd expected based on other reviews--partially because our driver, Roberto, was excellent. Our guide, Irazú, was bubbly, fun, and well informed. She made the whole experience even more enjoyable, showing us a great place to get guava molé and taking us to an axolotl museum on the way home. A wonderful, once in a lifetime opportunity that was well worth it! Highly recommend--especially with Zú and Roberto!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marie_m
Jan 7, 2025
Monarch Adventure Day - A long day but wonderful! Bring coins for bathroom and bills for tips. Also cash for horses. Bring snacks. Entertainment for a 3+ hour ride both ways.
Review provided by Viator