Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Toluca

I wanna danceI wanna danceI wanna danceWith a black womanI wanna stillI wanna stillI wanna stillMy mindAnd I want a chanceI want a chanceI want another chanceTo distillTo distillThat timeAnd I wanna writeI wanna writeI wanna writeTo someone so trueI wanna wakeI wanna wakeI wanna wakeFrom hot dreams, hot dreams of youHot dreamsI wanna riseI wanna riseI wanna riseUp beside youI want to beI want to beI want to beA champion in your eyesAnd I wanna follow throughFollow through on all my promises and threats to you, babeHot streamsHot streams willFork and divideFork and divideI wanna takeI wanna takeI wanna takeTake all of your airI wanna findI wanna findI wanna findAnother daydream, another nightmareI wanna lieI wanna lieI wanna lieLie me down in your streamI wanna wakeI wanna wakeI wanna wake from hot dreamsI wanna wake from hot dreams of you, babeHot dreamsI wanna wake from hot dreams of you, babeHot dreams

Its a hard hike so bring trekking boots and poles. Dont forget water and day snacks.It will take you around 3 to 4 hours to make it to the butterflies.I highly recommend renting a horse, but keep in mind that is a hard ride up and even harder to go down. You have to leave the horse and do a 30 minute hike up to the butterflies. Once you are there you must be quiet and sit down. It’s a magical experience. I absolutely recommend it.

I have been there in 2017. It was beautiful watching millions of butterflies along a horse trail I was riding in. I loved every minute of it.

A Fabulous experience to walk among the butterflies. It was not busy with tourists when I visited on the second Monday in March. There were plenty of butterflies. As others have said middle of the day when the sky is sunny is the best time. Take the hike up to the butterflies slowly resting between the flights of stairs .If you like hiking and have good shoes after my visit I hiked down the road back to Angangueo ( pretty much down hill all the wayIt only took an hour and a half (I thought it would take way longer and it’s a fabulous walk and you get to be among the butterflies for a little longer.I did find it difficult to get a bus from Angangueo to the reserve and lots of confusing and conflicting information so after waiting around unsuccessfully for a bus that never materialised, I took a taxi up for 250 pesos.

Be sure to go on a sunny day. Park in the top parking lot nearest to the horses. We didnt know and parked at the bottom. Its a very steep climb and a long way up. My daughter went ahead and sent a kind man with the horse down to get me. The ride was amazing and beautiful. Everything smells like pine trees and wood smoke. Then you leave the horses and hike uphill some more. Its very high so I needed a guide to help me hike. And I stopped to catch my breath often. When I got to where we could see the butterflies, I yelled out " Wow!" And everyone went " Shhhh!". Its a sacred place. Like an outdoor cathedral. We went to the closest viewing area. Butterflies were everywhere. Them they moved

Absolutely amazing!! The climb from the parking lot to where the butterflies are is a bit challenging because of the altitude but we walked it slowly and had many stops and rested.

Its one of the natures beautiful phenomenon you will ever witness.The moment you see the butterflies, its a jaw dropping moment.No photo or video can capture what your eyes will witness. Neither anyone will beleive you if you tell them what you saw.If you are planning a visit to the sanctuary consider the following things:- Direction on google map is not correct, use any other maps to reach the location- sanctuary is in forest area of michoacan better to reach and leave early, avoid travel during the dark- you will need a good car and good driving experience- you will need to pay toll before reaching the sanctuary which is about 60-100 pesos- after paying toll you go further inside the are which is steep so good car is a must- upon reaching the location you will get multiple options for parking, be careful as i noticed few kids trying to steal car logos- you will also see hotels and bathrooms- make your way towards the sanctuary and you will need to buy tickets 80 for adults and 50 kids above 5 yrs- you will have two options to reach the location which is by trek or by horse ride- trek is moderate and will take about 60-90 mins- horse ride will cost you 150 pesos for one way ride- upon reaching the location you will have to go inside the forest where the directions are marked and many forest rangers are there to help you out.- it will take about 10-15 mins of walk to reach nesting area of butterflies- its important you dont litter and maintain silence- you will stay there for about 30-45 mins and then your way back downIts a must visit place before climate change eliminates this experience.

An exceptional experience, I have fallen in love with this place.

Very nice experience! I suggest this period in order to be more lonely with not too many tourism

Such a Beautiful experience. I just love being in this wonderful place. Its such a magical experience and I highly recommend visiting the reserve and the local vendors. ❤️❤️❤️

It is great or disappointing depending on the year. Its all up to the butterflies. In 2019 they where all over the santuario and they settled near the entrance slopes. In 2021 they choose very remote trees and you had to walk for two hours to see only a few of them. Enquire before going, but not with the park as they always tell you it is great.

Its quite a pilgrimage, but a wonderful experience.A lot of hummingbirds on the way, other birds, and theyre not shy.Wear a good pair of sneakers- its quite a climb to the plateau.Unless you rent a horse, but then you will be taken a different route because those beasts do not look where they step.Tough to predict what the weather will be up there, but if its cloudy in Morelia, pick another day because the butterflies will not be too active.Please do not wear perfume/ cologne.

Visited Jan 16th, 2021. The fee to park is 50 pesos and it costs 80 pesos per person to enter the sanctuary. Horses are 300 pesos per person to get to the sanctuary spot where. Butterflies are.If you decide to walk by foot, it is a long hike!! If you a bringing an elderly or disabled person, be prepared to spend 1 hour hiking to the spot and 1 hour to get back. Dont wear a coat and bring shoes and clothes you dont mind getting dusty. There are places for pretty pictures as well. Bathrooms are on site, clean, and cost 5 to 7 pesos per person.The food in the local towns is good and cheap.PS. The butterflies werent flying around this day because the sun wasnt out.

Wow !! If you have a chance to travel this place is a must see, simply beautiful

This place is amazing, but make sure you go after January and before April to have the great opportunity to see them flying.

This place is stunning and easily do-able on a day trip from Mexico city, albeit a long day! The trail is a stunning hike to the end point where thousands of butterflies nest in the trees. 50 pesos entrance, food and drinks are available inside, Angangueo is a 20 min drive away (taxi 150 pesos). Lostwanders.co.uk for more info :)

Great, Peaceful nature sanctuary, millions of butterflies float all around you. Horseback rides available.

Such a magical place!! Very knowledgeable and friendly staff at the reserve. Millions of monarch butterflies flying freely living their lives.

The most magical experience in the world. The walk is a bit long but quite bearable and definitely worth it. The forest is amazing and the views are breathtaking. But absolutely no words can describe the beauty of the sanctuary and the greatness of the place

We went in January, during a good time. We were told that February is even better. Photos do not do the monarchs justice, you just have to see and experience it for yourself. Go early as it’s gets very crowded in the afternoon. We took guided horses up (100 pesos per person each wayand walked down. I would do it the same if I go again. Bring cash from afar as the local towns are not consistent in having functioning atms (we experienced this first hand). Wear layers as it’s cool early and warm by noon. You start at 2400 mtrs and get to 3600. Take it slow and easy if you are not accustomed to the altitude.

Unique place

Heaven on earth! I feel so connected to earth every time I see this majestic view. My family: Carmen, Lu, Sol and Lluli have this place rooted within their heart.

This place is really special, we really enjoyed ourselves. Dont really have the words to describe how amazing this is.

We went January 2-3, 3020. 1st day was cloudy, rainy and windy, so we couldnt really see the Monarch butterflies well, but we stayed a 2nd day, which was sunny and calm allowing us to see the butterflies showing their wings in the trees and some flying in the area.

This place is so nice! Try to come on December or January. On march the most of the butterflies have already leave or are dead.

Medium Hike up the mountain but it is very much worth the walk, came here the day after Christmas. Lots of shops to buy souvenirs eat and drink.

It’s a must if u are in Michoacan!The hike was hard but well worth it when u get to the top. Their is a choice of riding a horse cuts some of the hike.

Interesting place to visit - must see in Mexico.

Nice place to visit, and of course you need to visit during the winter. The temperatures in December are about 30°F at night and 55°F during the day. The best time of the day to visit the sanctuary is 12:00 noon, we went to "Sierra Chincua" near Angangeo. The entrance fee is cheap, $30 pesos per person if I remember. As you enter you are assigned a guide, a little boy or girl, at the end you give them a tip. They suggest you to rent a horse to go to the sanctuary, they charge you $100 pesos per person each way. The way up is doable taking a few breaks, the way back is really easy. If you dont have good condition you can rent a horse on your way up, but for sure you dont need it in your way back. There are like 12 small restaurants in the area, all are the same, they are local and they prepare local food, cheap and delicious, you need to try it. Hope you enjoy your visit.

Stunning experience and well worth it... Even say once in a life time experience 😎😎

I just want to add a few details that might help future visitors. First is that this location on Google is accurate to the location of the parking area for El Rosario. We followed Google directions from Morelia and found them to be perfect. If you are approaching from Angangueo (northwestyou will find the road narrow and winding. We went up this way in a Chevy Traverse and while it was a little difficult at times the views were tremendous. We went down in the other direct toward Ocampo (south/westand the road was wider and easier to navigate. The tour buses go up this way so any car can easily make the trip.From either direction, as you near El Rosario you will find a couple people standing near the road with a rope tied to a post to block the road. They are going to ask if youre going to El Rosario and ask you to pay for parking. The guy we paid had a vest that said he was a conservation officer and looked quite official. We paid something like 50 pesos to park and continued on our way.The parking area is surrounded by shops and restaurants. You walk a little up the hill to the taquilla and pay per person for entrance. If you choose to walk the path is paved stairs. You will have an opportunity to hire a guide. At some locations in the reserve the guides have a fixed price but at Rosario the guide are paid only on tips. Some may speak English but ours didnt and that was fine for us. Omar de Jesús was great! Very friendly and knowledgable.The distance varies depending on where the butterflies are concentrated. In mid February of 2019 we went 600m from the entrance in walking distance and were told it was about 200m UP. It was tough but you will see countless butterflies during the while ascent. The highest point was a great view but I dont think you will miss a ton from the experience if you get exhausted and stop part of the way up and turn back.If you want to rent a horse you buy your ticket then head over to where the horses are. Those from our group that took horses paid 100 pesos each way. They paid for each leg at the completion of that leg. Each horse includes a guide that will lead your horse of the trail for you. There is a platform at the bottom which makes getting on and off the horse very easy. There is no platform at the top but they will help you. IMPORTANT: if you rent a horse they will not allow you to stay at the top for more than 15 minutes. They will follow you around to keep you on schedule. If you walk up you can stay as long as you like. One of our group rode a horse up but wanted to walk down. She still paid for the return journey since the horse and guide were at the top but they otherwise had no problem letting her walk down.I hope this helps, if you are looking to see countless monarchs fluttering around in a beautiful and peaceful forest them you will not be disappointed.

The one thing that needs to be on your bucket list. Amazing experience, very beautiful

absolutely wonderful. My 6 year old son has been raising monarchs in the u.s. since he was 4 years old. we took him here for his birthday. He was amazed at how many millions of monarch are here. The horse ride up with also fantastic. The hike up to the horses also neat with all the local vendors.

Marvelous and astonishing experience !!Get early (before 14:00), if its sunny you will see butterflies like snow everywhere!!

Over 3200 meters. Be prepared for height.

Its impossible to even begin to say how amazing this was. Words cant do it justice. You really need to see it. Absolutely millions of butterflies. I wouldnt have believed it if I hadnt seen it myself.

The place is ok. No restaurant or any electricity at all in that area. No support from the government. They are two guys selling snacks. It was raining that day so no we didnt see any butterflies. Not so tourist.

Beautiful nature preserve. The overwhelming number of people selling the same stuff in many ways ruins the otherwise peaceful experience.

Its a beautiful place

Paradise. One of the most beautiful things to experience. The hike is not strenuous, and the path is well marked and designed to bring you into the butterfly grove without damaging their habitat. The drive up is a bit convoluted, we hired local transportation which was very affordable and made the trip easy.

Amazing experience!! Make sure you visit on a sunny day.

This is an experience of a lifetime. I have not seen something like this before. You will want to go back again and again. Seeing millions of monarch butterflies covering the skies is just mesmerizing.

These place is realy cool you should go and check it

Amazing place, spectacular natural places. You must be sure no to disturbing the butterflies

Very very nice. The color didnt come through on my pictures because low light and big zoom. They have horses to rent I highly recommend because its really fun and quite a hike too. Very fun. Huge groups of Monarchs on trees

We had an amazing time - saw millions of butterflies and enjoyed a horse ride up to where they were located. A real day to remember

We had an incredible day and saw thousands of butterflies. It was so amazing I really cant describe it. Make sure that you go on a warmer day and preferably after it has been warmer for a day or 2 before. Sunshine is important too.

This is one of the most beautiful places in Michoacan, you have to wear comfortable clothes because you will hike for hours . You must be quiet and take care about dont tread on the butterflies, and please keep your garbage until you throw it in a trash can . I can recommend you a place called "El Rosario" , you can eat there carnita asada , Atole of Blackberries and such more of Traditional food of this place ,you can watch a documentary about the monarch butterflies and hike up to the sanctuary.

AMAZING! Definitely a must see.

Wonderful tour! be ready with water, sunscreen and mosquitoes repellent because it is a long walk. All in all its a beautiful view, though please be careful with your steps