Join us for a truly magical adventure as we experience one of nature’s most amazing wonders: being in the midst of millions of Monarch butterflies. The patterns and colors will excite your eyes and the gentle whisper of their wings will make your spirit soar.
An Unforgettable Experience
Photograph huge clusters of Monarch butterflies at rest as they hang heavy on the limbs of Oyamel fir trees. Capture the eruption of orange as the sun hits their wings and hundreds of thousands of Monarchs fly at once from tree limbs. Enjoy watching them dabble at pools of water and sip nectar from native mountain asters. These Monarchs are of the super generation, the generation of Monarch that flies as much as 3,000 miles to reach this little known mountain range. They live nine months, rather than the two to six weeks of the generations before them. This is the generation that has one more flight to make – returning to the southern parts of the United States where they lay their eggs and die, passing the baton of life on to the next generation that will repopulate North America for the coming year. Witness this super generation and be a part of this amazing passing of the baton.
Our Trip is Timed for Peak Activity
Monarchs arrive in the Oyamel forests in late October and spend the winter conserving energy and preparing for the last leg of their migration, the return home. Our trip is timed for this awakening when Monarchs are mating, flowers are blooming, and they are stretching their wings to get ready for their last big flight.
We will visit the Monarch colonies at different times of the day to photograph in different light and see the different behaviors.
The Sanctuaries
Over the course of this tour, we will visit three locations, each with a different flavor and offering different photographic opportunities. The locations are El Rosario, Sierra Chincua and Cerro Pelon. At each location, we will walk the trails and, where needed, ride horses to get to the roosts.
A Single Strategically Located Lodge
Only discovered in 1976, this tiny mountain area, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, is where millions of Monarchs, almost the entire population on the planet, migrate, traveling as many as 3,000 miles, to overwinter.
The mystery and magic of the Monarch is strong here, with questions still unanswered about how this tiny creature, weighing less than a paper clip, knows to fly to this one location, a place it has never been before. These are the ancestral forests of the Monarchs.
Our home base for this trip will be the small town of Angangueo. Walking through this town, you will notice subtle nods to the Monarch butterfly through murals, stone patterns in cobblestone walkways, and other artwork built into the landscape. Our lodge for the trip is a family owned establishment that is centrally located, allowing us to easily travel to the different sanctuaries within this UNESCO World Heritage site.
Two Monarch Experts Estela Romero and Nicole Sudduth
Steve and Nicole have been to the sanctuaries numerous times but in addition to this, we are fortunate to have Estella Romero join us for this special trip. Estela is an Angangueo native and works as the Monarch coordinator in Mexico for Journey North and a collaborator with Monarch Watch and other Monarch conservation organizations. She has been working with Monarchs and Monarch conservation for decades and shares her wealth of knowledge readily, giving you both historic perspective on the Monarch migration and great insights into their lifecycle. In addition, Nicole served as a Conservation Specialist for Monarch Watch for 5 years when she was working in environmental conservation in Virginia.
Two Photography Instructors
Our tour is designed for photographers of all skill levels. You’ll have two instructors, Steve and Nicole, by your side throughout, to advise as you capture images of a lifetime.
Nature Lover’s Trip: While we cannot offer a discount on this trip, this is a terrific trip for the non-photographer who loves Monarch butterflies and wants to experience the magic of the Monarch migration. We actually have a number of non-photographers who love nature join our trips because we are not only fun but also spend time with wildlife, watching and enjoying the behaviors and activity.
Fitness Level: Moderate/Difficult. Visiting the Monarch butterfly sanctuaries is a very special experience but to get to where they roost, you need to be relatively fit. You will need to be able to walk at an altitude of 11,000ft for up to 3 miles round trip and ride upon a horse. You must have good balance and be able to walk on forest trails with inclines and descents. At El Rosario most people walk the well-established trail but horses are available. The walk is approximately 1 mile each way and you can walk at your own pace. At Sierra Chincua the distance to the roost varies each year but is 2-3 miles each way. As with El Rosario, if you walk, there will be inclines and descents but’s a nice wide trail for a nature walk. If needed, horses are able at Sierra Chincua to take you most of the way but depending on where the roost is, you will still need to be able to walk for as much as 15 minutes with inclines and descents. At Cerro Pelon, the trails are steep and difficult. You will need to ride a horse for this location as well as walking final distances which include inclines and descents. Important note: at all locations, the horses cannot carry anyone over 250 lbs. This is to ensure the well-being of the horses.
