Butterfly Monarch Tour from Mexico City

If you're debating about making this trek, stop hesitating. My 10-year-old daughter and I had an amazing visit. We will never forget the magic of all those butterflies! The ride was long, the hike was dusty, but really not all that strenuous for us. The scenery was beautiful, even without the thousands of fluttering wings. Our guides were kind, knowledgeable, and flexible, and we felt well-cared for. I highly recommend- no regrets for spending a day of our CDMX trip visiting the sanctuary.

One of the most beautiful and fascinating tours we’ve been on. It was well worth the drive and hike. Our tour guides were super knowledgeable and friendly. Would highly recommend!

I wanted to give my husband a wonderful taste of Mexico City and the surrounding areas so getting out of the city for the day to see God's Monarch butterflies out in their habitat was a great way of balancing out all the fun stuff we were doing in the city. The pickup was prompt and friendly. We enjoyed chatting to Sandra and Rudolfo all the way there and back. And the local guide, Daniel, was so helpful to me as by the time we went, the butterflies has moved and the trail got a bit hairy but I was able to get there and come back. We ended the hike with a delicious meal made my the people who run the sanctuary. Would 100% do again as it was a beautiful park and the butterflies were GORGEOUS. Don't miss out on this. Just do it. You won't regret it.

Marta was SUCH an incredible guide. I feel so fortunate to have had such a knowledgeable, kind, friendly guide to lead us through this magical experience. On the hike we linked up with a local tour guide who works at the sanctuary and he showed us so many plants used for herbal remedies and animals that are native to the area. It is an experience I will never forget. It is worth every penny and more.

Travelers should know there is a steep climb to and from the area where butterflies can be seen high in the pine trees. The altitude is 11,000 ft and may affect one’s ability to make the climb. The trail is dirt and rocks with no ropes or railings along the way. Plan on taking a pair of sturdy hiking sticks and boots. Horses are available to guests over the steepest, rockiest part of the trail - though even after the ride, the terrain can be demanding. In spite of the rigor of the hike, seeing the gray masses of dormant butterflies hanging on tall pine branches awaiting the sun to fly away was breathtaking. And, importantly, the guides that accompanied us all the way to and from were fabulous! Extremely knowledgeable about the biosphere housing the butterflies, the continued preservation of it, and the pine forest, our expert guides shared their dedication to their work and inspired us to support where we could. One suggestion for this tour would be for the biosphere managers to engage with the guides regularly about bad spots on the trail so repair or alternate routes are made available. It will prevent falls. It was a great tour notwithstanding the notes above and very popular with the local population.

Had a lovely guide and driver. The drive was about 3.5 hours there and 4 hours back which was kind of brutal but they were sweet enough to take us very close to our hotel which was not in the pickup/drop off zone! The experience was beautiful and I highly recommend. However I would caution anyone who is not steady on their feet, has bad joints, or has a condition that is exacerbated by altitude (COPD for example). You can hire a horse/guide for about 1/3 to 1/2 the way up but must walk the rest and the path to the butterflies is a scramble. Wear hiking shoes if possible, not just sneakers. They also told us to bring a bottle of water but between my husband and myself we went through about 4 liters for the day. There is nowhere to purchase more except at the front. Same goes for snacks. Otherwise a fabulous time!

We had such a great time. Marta, Alonso, and Daniel were the perfect team of guides. A wonderful experience from the long drive to the serene hike through the mountains to the monarch sanctuary! We will definitely remember this as a highlight of our trip! Pre trip communication was a bit slow when confirming pick up time and location.

Amazing to see so many butterflies! Martha was a great guide along with Daniel. I definitely recommend this tour for anyone who has time for a day trip out of CDMX.

It was a beautiful experience. I enjoyed the lunch, hike, sanctuary and getting to know others on the tour.

Our driver, guide and local guide were all terrific. Seeing massive numbers of monarchs and learning about their life cycle is fabulous. It is a bucket list experience.