Santuario Piedra Herrada, Monarch Butterflies Sanctuary, Temascaltepec in Ciudad Altamirano

Super wow

This has been on my bucket list for a long time. This place does not disappoint. We rode the horses and we were sure glad we did! I highly recommend.

A must see natural spectacle!The location itself is about 3/4 of a mile uphill from the parking area. Horseback riding is available--which is totally recommended for the elder and folks not yet acclimated to the altitude of central mexico.Unfortunately and due to human development in all of north america, year-after-year the population of Monarch Butterflies keeps declining. Thus, please be mindful of this phenomenon during your visit by keeping quiet and minimizing your impact on the environment.

the butterflies deserve 5 stars and the forest is very nice BUT if they charge an entrance fee they should also spend a minimal amount of effort to mark the paths. honestly from the first intersection you have no idea where you go because there is absolutely no marking. the guides are apparently for free but after ours realized we dont speak much Spanish he decided to send us alone which was fine for us but you can get so lost up there. please add some waymarkers! the hiking is wonderful though

Although the butterflies themselves were pretty and a wonderful sight to see so many of them, the whole experience at this Nature Reserve wasnt that great. Way too many people, it felt like you were being herded around like cattle, and not like your experiencing nature like you would hope to in a nature reserve. There were far too many people in each group, so many in fact that at the top through all the crowds of people, it was hard to tell which one was your guide. Eventually, after about 20 minutes at the top, some of the guards starting yelling at us to move along and leave.

Great spot to see the Monarch butterflies, though be prepared for a semi-difficult hike, especially if you’re not accustomed to the altitude. Alternatively you can take the horse ride up. Unfortunately the weather was too cold when I visited so the butterflies did not fly around or leave the clumps, but still cool to see! Food is also available at the small restaurant at the base.

Great experience, definitely take the horse to the top

Excellent experience. Highly recommend taking the horse ride up.

Magnificent place to enjoy the monarch butterflies, parking costs 40mxn and the entry 70mxn by person. You can also enjoy some Mexican food like quesadillas after walking to the sanctuary, pets are allowed however they can not enter to the sanctuary.

Beautiful butterflies everywhere on a warm, sunny day!

A very unique and very beautiful life experience!

Overcrowded. They did not have any control over how many people at a time go up. So we had twine for over 1 hour on a steep hill waiting to get to where the butterflies where.They charge 5 pesos to use the restrooms and they are filthy.

Magical Monarchs. Be prepared to ride horses or do a strenuous hike at 10,000 ft.

Beware only a small distance with paved road, the rest is all dirt road, climate will be a very big issue to see the butterflies, if its cold, dont waste your time climbing to the top, there will be nothing to see. The climbing is quite stiff, and riding a horse is recommended if youre not the walking type (last 20 min are the most difficult and horses cant cross it). It will take around 1 hour of walking to get to the sanctuary, and about 30-40 min on the way back

Very hard trail, not recommended for people that cant walk uphill for at least an hour. Nice place to visit on monarch butterfly season, preferably on sunny days.

A must see place. When you are there, youll feel like been in the 18 century but the place was built in the 1970!

Amazing to see. Sad that the horses disrupt the butterflies so much.Very busy at weekends.

I Really love it, is a good very good exercise

A nice hike in the forest, entrance fee is average. But be sure to get there during the week because its getting very crowded during the weekend (you then wait in line for a long time in the packed small path). You can hire a horse for the first half of the way. But its advised to be in good physical condition to make the trip. Best time to visit is on a sunny day around noon. You will only get 15 minutes at the top spot to admire the butterflies so get your camera ready!

A really good place to see and enjoy this natural phenomenon of nature. Just one thing, they use a lot of horses that lifts dust from the ground and that makes breath difficult

This a wonderful place to visit with children.

Little did I know while travelling to the place what an amazing place this would turn out to be ..curious to hear how would you visualise a migrant butterfly colony if you were visiting it for the first time ..my imagination completely failed me in this regard as I had never imagined that trees would turn golden by sheer presence of hundreds of thousands of butterflies

I saw one dead butterfly my whole trek. Im aware I went at the beginning of the season (late November), but I dont understand why they open before the monarchs have arrived.

Magnificent. The hike was more difficult than anticipated, but is very doable- take it slow if you need to. Washroom is clean (5 pesos). Little stalls to eat and drink also available. Tried a blue tortilla taco con queso- quite good.Btw, if you dont speak Spanish you are out of luck. But very minimal communication is needed.

This was amazing! Rode the horses. Was a little difficult, but easier than hiking! Too much dust. Need to wear a mask.

Wonderful place. Close to Mexico City. Arrive around 11 to hike up and hour and be out when the sun is strongest to see the butterflies flying. Bring a scarf to cover face because of the dust. Bathrooms cost 5pesos. Food and souvenirs available.

Amazing experience, I highly recommend making this trip. Rent horses if youre not an avid hiker. The guides are very knowledgeable and passionate about the monarchs. No pictures can do it justice. Some of the trees looked orange due to the thousands of butterflies! The facilities include restrooms, gift shop, and a quesadilla restaurant! Buy a bottle of water before heading up. Cant say enough about the kind and good hearted Mexican people who helped to make this so enjoyable.

This is the most beautiful place I have ever been to. There were butterflies everywhere. We couldn’t go all the way to the top of the mountain because it was close to the public. But we were still able to see thousands of butterflies all over the place. Our guide was very friendly and informative. And she told us that the best time to see the butterflies is around noon and up, when it’s nice and sunny, that’s when the butterflies start flying. It took us about an hour to reach the point where we could watch the spectacle. And oh boy, I surely regretted not getting a horse. I’m in very good shape, however; going up the hill is super tough, I’m guessing because of the altitude, it was much tougher than I thought it was going to be. Wear comfortable shoes. And don’t forget to tip your guide.

Worthwhile if you are in the area to see the butterflies while they are nesting. I have never seen anything like it. Your entrance fee includes a guide (speaks Spanishand the nature hike is refreshing. The first 30 minutes of the hike are the steepest, so take your time! Expect to spend 2-3 hours here depending on how fit you are and how long you are able to stay at the top. When we went, it was during the weekday and not many people were hiking so we were allowed to stay as long as we wanted. They also have horses to take you up part of the way if you cant handle the hike up, expect that it will cost around $50usd?

Less well known but amazing experience. Our guide was great. We had forty minutes to ourselves watching thousands of butterflies. We walked up but very high elevation, seriously consider the horses.

Prepare yourself to see an unique moment from these amazing butterflies. It is a nice hiking to the top of the mountain (approx 60min - went with my 4 year old boy, so can take less than thatto check out them flying just over your head. Bring some extra water and some snacks to regain energy while you go to the top! Cheap and clean, must visit

Very busy on the weekend but most people dont seem to make the hike up to the butterflies so its not so crazy when youre up there. Bring something to cover your mouth and nose as there is a huge amount of dust kicked up by the visitors.At the second level rest area on the paved path you can turn right and take a less busy path up to the butterflies, keep heading upwards and youll get there.Worth the hike, amazing.

What an incredible experience! Highly recommend seeing the monarch butterflies

It was a great place to walk to see Monarcas butterfly

The butterflies never fail to impress.

This place is very cool, but they made us walk in a group with people of very different skill levels. 70 pesos per adult to get in; 200 to rent a horse that takes you only so far then you have to walk the rest. We walked the whole thing. A bit steep but doable. Also the butterflies might not be awake if you go too early depending on the weather and heat. I was excited to be able to warm life into some butterflies. We did not have great luck with our taxi driver. Through midcommunication we thought he wanted 500 total to drive roundtrip from Valle and wait 2 hours. Turns out he wanted 700. The drive back was the most amazing as we drove through swarms of butterflies!

Amazing to see the mariposas! Well worth the hike!

Beautiful place to be in contact with nature

Monarch Butterfly! Great place for viewing. Knowledgeable guide. Steep climb. A real wonder to consider how these insects do what they do. Definitely worth a visit. Limited viewing time.

It was amazing to see where the monarch butterflies gather each year.

Beautiful sanctuary. Make sure you wear comfortable clothing and hiking shoes. Keep in mind to arrive early as the butterflies stop flying once it starts to get a little cold, so around 4pm they will most likely already be only hanging from the trees without flying.

Very well preserved, kids enjoyed it.

Very good experience. I saw a lot of beautiful butterflies

Awesome activity. It is a unique experience to see the 🦋. Very beautiful location. Great view. Beware that you may find a lot of people. Consider that this may entail a long hike up hill at great altitude.

If you are in Valle Dec Bravo. This is definitely a place a natural phenomena to visit. Expect a full day and long walk 4 km return. Location has food and gift shops.

Very nice and accessible place to see the butterflies. The access is not expensive and it is possible to walk all the way without a guide. We also had a small bite at the end of our hike, which was very welcome. Be sure to bring shoes and trousers that you dont mind getting dirty.

Great place to see the Monarch Butterflies. About 30 minutes up by horse which is recommended (about 150 pesos per person). It is 60 pesos per person to enter the park.

I took a one day tour from Mexico City to the reserve. The tour only ran twice a month in March. I was just really lucky to catch a tour. I think this reserve is maintained very well. Also there are lots of horses there for people to drive up to the hill. The cost is very reasonable at only 200 peco. I would suggest to ride the horse as you will arrive much earlier than most people. Then you can have more time and most importantly quiet time to watch all the butterflies gathering together in the trees. It is really amazing to see thousands of them in just one tree. Sometimes, they may all fly up and cover the sky like shining golden stars.

Entrance fee: 50 MXN + mandatory guide.

Great experience, kind people, nature wonder 🙂... Deeply recommended