Now with butterflies!

When I planned out our trip, way back at the beginning, I freely admit that the glut of options was overwhelming. How much time would we spend on the coast, what was out turnaround point, our route through the mountains, when would we want to be at point X? At the center of it all was the monarch butterfly migration. I knew where it was and when we needed to be there and this fascinating natural wonder became the lynchpin for much of our planning.

There’s a decent chance you have no idea what I’m talking about, so let me fill you in. Monarch butterflies make an annual migration to central Mexico, trading the winter of eastern Canada/USA for a milder climate. But it’s not that mild: with the best times to see them typically in January/February and as they ‘roost’ on certain, green mountain sides, somewhere around 3000m high, it can be downright chilly. They come together overnight, like curtains of butterflies, hanging together on the evergreen’s boughs. Then, somewhere in the midday as it warms, they will separate and flutter around, thousands of them flitting through shafts of forest light. This was the sight we were after.

There are a couple places to base yourself at the border of Michoacán and Mexico states. We chose Zitácuaro, which, fun bit of trivia, was razed three or four times – it had a tough history. From there, you have a few different ecological ‘reserves’ to drive to (or take a tour I suppose). We chose Cerro Pelón, about 30 minutes into the countryside, a lovely drive. You can’t go hike it alone (and you’re likely to get lost) so must hire a local guide to take you. Note: the guides don’t speak English and won’t ‘guide’ you much more than leading you on the correct path. A more popular option is to let a horse do the work, but expect the same experience. In either case, drive to the village at the base of the mountain where all the men hang around waiting to be called upon, taking turns to do a run up to the butterfly zone. If you desire a proper guide, the price jumps up considerably.

This might seem like a lot of effort to look at some butterflies flutter about, but it’s worth it – this is a really popular tourist thing, I promise! and it’s difficult to convey the experience in pictures or words. Be prepared for your photos to be underwhelming, with little pixels of orange. You might have better luck with video, where you can actually hear the flutter of thousands of tiny wings.

Our hike up to the butterflies was a solid 2 hour march. There’s no need to get out there early as the monarchs will be ‘sleeping’ until it warms up. Then when you’ve seen enough, you hike back down. We saw the hike through the woods, the foliage changing as you climb, as a pleasant part of the experience, but it will be daunting for some. You might want to consider El Rosario. Although you’ll be contending with more tourist, it’s a much simpler in and out, with better paths and the butterfly numbers are comparable. Do your research.