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Hundreds of monarch butterflies in flight and at rest in the forest in the mountains of Michoacán

Sample journey · 9–11 days

When the firs turn orange: monarchs and the silver cities

Mexico City, the monarch sanctuaries, Morelia, Pátzcuaro, Guanajuato & San Miguel de Allende

Photo: Alex Guillaume / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Every autumn, monarch butterflies fly thousands of kilometres south from Canada and the United States to a handful of mountain slopes on the border of Michoacán and the State of Mexico. There, around three thousand metres up, they cluster so densely on the branches and trunks of oyamel firs that the trees seem to have grown orange leaves, and on a sunny midday the butterflies lift off with a sound like light rain. It is one of the great natural spectacles anywhere, and you can see it in a single quiet morning on foot.

This journey joins that seasonal wonder to Mexico's colonial heartland: pink-stone Morelia, Purépecha Pátzcuaro by its lake, Guanajuato with its alleys climbing the hills, and San Miguel de Allende beneath its neo-Gothic spire. All are World Heritage sites or close to one, and none is more than about four hours' drive from the next. It suits couples and culture lovers who want both nature and towns, and who are ready for one morning's uphill walk at more than three thousand metres.

The route

The journey

  1. Mexico City
  2. The monarch sanctuaries (El Rosario or Sierra Chincua)
  3. Morelia
  4. Pátzcuaro & its lake
  5. Guanajuato
  6. San Miguel de Allende
  7. Querétaro
  1. A dense cluster of monarch butterflies on a tree trunk in the mountain forest near Villa de Allende

    01Days 1–4 · Mexico City & the monarch forests

    Firs dressed in wings

    The first night is in Mexico City, to rest after the flight; with time to spare, a walk through the parks of Condesa or the Museum of Anthropology. The next morning it's about four hours west into the mountains near the Michoacán border, and two nights in a simple mountain lodge near the sanctuaries. Early in the morning, with a local guide from the community that cares for the forest, you climb into the El Rosario or Sierra Chincua sanctuary: the path is steep and the altitude around three thousand metres, so we walk slowly, and part of the way can be ridden on horseback. At the top of the slopes there's silence and firs whose branches bow under the butterflies. When the sun warms the air they lift off in thousands. Here we speak quietly, stay on the path and never touch them. The second day brings another sanctuary or a quiet rest.

  2. The towers of Morelia cathedral and the pink-stone historic centre seen from above

    02Days 4–5 · Morelia

    A city of pink stone

    About two and a half hours west lies Morelia, the capital of Michoacán, whose historic centre is built of pink volcanic cantera stone and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. One night here: an afternoon in arcaded squares, the old aqueduct with more than two hundred arches, the sweets market and the courtyards of a former college now filled with libraries and galleries. In the evening the cathedral towers are lit and families gather on the square; it's the best time simply to sit on a café terrace. Dinner is Michoacán cooking: corundas, triangular corn parcels, and uchepos made from young corn. The next morning can be unhurried, as Pátzcuaro is only about an hour away.

  3. Boats carrying passengers on Lake Pátzcuaro near Janitzio island, Michoacán

    03Days 5–7 · Pátzcuaro & its lake

    Purépecha lake country

    Pátzcuaro is a mountain town of white-and-red walls, broad plazas and timber balconies, the heart of Purépecha country. Two nights here. One day goes by boat to Janitzio island in the lake, with narrow steps up to its summit, and to Tzintzuntzan on the shore, where the yácatas of the Purépecha rulers stand, round stepped temple platforms. Another day is for crafts: the House of the Eleven Courtyards, where weavers, lacquer-workers and woodcarvers work, and nearby Santa Clara del Cobre, where copper vessels are still hammered by hand. We meet communities through local guides and on their terms. In the evenings the town goes quiet early, and in the mornings mist often rises over the lake.

  4. Guanajuato's coloured houses on the hillsides, seen from a rooftop

    04Days 7–9 · Guanajuato

    The silver city in a ravine

    The longest day of the journey, about four hours north to Guanajuato, a city that grew up on silver mines and squeezed itself into a narrow ravine. Two nights here. Cars run through underground tunnels in old river beds, leaving the surface to coloured houses, steps and alleys so narrow that the balconies almost touch. By day, the Teatro Juárez, Diego Rivera's birthplace and the funicular up to a lookout above the rooftops; if you like, the old Valenciana mine and the baroque church beside it, built on silver profits. In the evenings, student troupes often sing in the streets, leading people through the alleys. It's a city best walked without a map.

  5. Morning sun over the rooftops and church towers of San Miguel de Allende

    05Days 9–11 · San Miguel de Allende & Querétaro

    A pink spire and the final evenings

    About an hour and a half on, San Miguel de Allende and the last two nights. You recognise the town from afar by the pink neo-Gothic spire of its parish church, and close up by its cobbled streets, courtyards spilling bougainvillea and galleries. One morning it's worth driving to the nearby sanctuary of Atotonilco, its ceilings and walls covered entirely in murals, and in the afternoon walking in the botanical garden above the canyon. Evenings are for rooftop terraces facing the spire as the sun deepens its colour. On the last day it's about an hour to Querétaro airport; with a late flight, the old centre of Querétaro and the arches of its aqueduct are worth a stop.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    A morning with the monarchs

    Firs bowed under butterflies, and thousands of wings lifting as the sun warms the slope.

  2. 02

    Lake Pátzcuaro

    Janitzio island, the yácatas of Tzintzuntzan and the workshops of Purépecha makers.

  3. 03

    Guanajuato's alleys

    Underground tunnels, narrow lanes and evenings when the student troupes sing.

  4. 04

    Atotonilco

    A sanctuary whose walls and vaults are covered in murals, half an hour from San Miguel.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • More slowly

    A second night in Morelia and another in San Miguel would allow a cooking class, a market morning and a day without the road.

  • The Day of the Dead

    In late October and early November the villages around Pátzcuaro mark the Day of the Dead; the butterflies are only just arriving then, so the timing needs care, and the visit respect.

  • For couples

    A restored colonial house with a courtyard in Guanajuato or San Miguel, and evenings on rooftop terraces: the journey turns romantic on its own.

  • With Oaxaca or the coast

    From Mexico City a short flight leads to Oaxaca or the Pacific coast, extending the journey with food or a few days by the sea.

Practical considerations

  • Monarchs are in the sanctuaries roughly from November to March, usually in greatest numbers in January and February. Numbers vary year to year, and on cold or cloudy days the butterflies fly less.
  • The sanctuaries lie around three thousand metres up and the paths are steep: we walk slowly, and horse availability and visitor rules are checked on the ground. Mountain mornings are cold, so warm layers help.
  • In the highland towns, winter days are usually sunny and warm, nights cool; streets are cobbled and steep, so comfortable shoes are worth bringing.
  • We always check current official travel advice for Michoacán and the other states before you travel, and shape the route and transfers around it.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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