Mexico City

Top Mexico City landmarks

Butterfly Monarch Tour from Mexico City

Mexico City, Mexico

12 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Experience Mexico’s spectacular Monarch butterfly migration on a convenient full-day trip from Mexico City. Escape the city with a memorable visit to the Monarch sanctuary, where these colorful butterflies spend their winters after traveling over 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from the United States and Canada. This hassle-free outing includes hotel transfers and lunch.

Witness the Monarch butterfly migration on a day trip from Mexico City
Escape the city and enjoy a day of hiking among colorful butterflies
Save time and enjoy convenient hotel pickup and drop off
A small group means more attention from your guide

What's Included

Local guide
Transport by private vehicle
Lunch
Hotel pickup and drop-off (IMPORTANT: hotels located in Reforma Avenue and Polanco)

Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Av. Horacio 603, Chapultepec Morales, Polanco V Secc, Miguel Hidalgo, 11560 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Corner avenue Horacio and street Lamartine

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

06:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

We can pick you up in hotels located in Reforma Avenue and Polanco. If your hotel is located in other zone you should arrive to our meeting point: Av. Horacio corner with Lamartine street (outside Metro Polanco), Polanco, CDMX.

What To Expect

Sierra Chincua Butterfly Sanctuary

5 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Nancy_R

An amazing hike to the top of the mountain on a beautiful warm day where thousands of monarchs swirled around you. Our guides, Marta and Daniel were the best. Very friendly, compassionate ( the altitude and hike were too strenuous for my friend), and helpful. We truly enjoyed their company. The entire tour was well organized, from pickup to return. Tour sizes are small you get personal attention. It was only 2 of us that day. I highly recommend this tour, but only if you are physically prepared to hike uphill over rocky paths at 9000-11,000 ft elevation. Walking poles and hiking boots are helpful.

Reviews

4.5

33 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 33 reviews

Great experience with a professional guide and driver!

Shota_S, Feb 2024

It was a wonderful experience in the deep mountains of Mexico! Martha and Alonso were so kind and professional! We went there with our kids (7 and 3 years old), and they had a great time. Unfortunately, it was cloudy bit cold so we didn't see many butterflies flying, but it was a mystical and wonderful experience! Highly recommended!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Shota Thank you and your beautiful family for joining us on this magical adventure.

Wonderful day with monarchs

Nancy_R, Feb 2024

Fantastic!

Cathy_S, Feb 2024

What an amazing trip! The car ride was long but it was very comfortable. The guide we had in the car with us was so nice and she really enjoys and appreciates sharing the site with her guests. And the butterflies! We saw several trees covered with them. The food was good, they might decide to have you eat breakfast instead of lunch so that the temperature rises and the monarchs are more active. There were many roosting in the trees and many flying around as well. The climb up isn't too bad, and this is from someone who doesn't do well with uphill climbs, especially at 11,000 feet! It's cold there in the morning so wear a jacket or sweatshirt. At the restaurant get the traditional hot drink. It's amazing!

We had a great day with...

Laura_D, Feb 2024

We had a great day with Martha, Daniel and our wonderful driver who I'm sorry I don't recall his name. It was a special time to be able to see the monarch butterflies with such wonderful guides. Our lunch was delicious. We highly recommend this tour!

Majestic and life-changing!

Vernica_S, Jan 2024

We had an excellent experience with Marta, Alonso, and Daniel! We had a smooth drive there and back to the city, and enjoyed a delicious breakfast (and later lunch) in the community at the foot of the hill. We felt very welcome by the community and were happy to support tourism that works with and supports the local community. The hike was short and relatively easy if you don’t have significant health or mobility issues. We learned about the flora and fauna of the area, including the monarch butterflies. And they were so majestic. Seeing so many of them fly around, rest in the trees, and to hear their wings flap amid total silence was a spiritual, beautiful, and once-in-a-lifetime experience. I highly recommend it! Being led and taught by Marta, Alonso, and Daniel was so lovely, as we share the same values and it was wonderful to see their passion for serving and collaborating with the local community (which Daniel is a part of), providing sustainable and educational tourism practices, and just respecting and loving this unique natural environment, and knowing it deeply with all the complexity it deserves. You should definitely do this trip!

A top 5 experience

Luke_J, Mar 2023

Fantastic tour - the butterflies and scenery was incredible. I believe that this reserve is the best to visit (good blend of mountains + a lot of butterflies). Staff was great and very informative.

Special in every way

cheryl_s, Mar 2023

What an utterly fantastic trip . Our guide ( Martha ) and driver ( Alonso) were perfect . Martha was so knowledgeable …..we learned so much . But best of all we’re the butterflies . So beautiful . Daniel and Martha gave us so much time to watch / marvel and absorb . Walking to the special place made the anticipation grow . The sanctuary was very special and we enjoyed a lovely breakfast and lunch too . Thank you so much for helping to make the whole day quite magical ….

Magical!

Alisa_L, Feb 2023

Pictures really don’t do this experience justice. The day was very long, very worth it and nothing short of magical when we were walking quietly in this beautiful place surrounded by these monarchs. The weather was perfect for this as well, clear and sunny, so the monarchs could warm themselves and fly around. My parents took the horses up, which was perfect for them, and I hiked up with the group, enjoying the amazing scenery. This tour doesn’t go to the other town anymore since covid, so we had more time to enjoy the butterflies and ate lunch there at the communities restaurant; it was delicious! This location is further than many others but they told us this one is better run than closer ones bec the community takes care of it. Proceeds here help the community. Additionally the ride up on horse is only 15 min vs closer ones you’d have to ride for an hour and it’s much steeper. We went on a Monday and it was very empty and amazing! Martha and Alonso were great guides!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hi Alisa! We love to know that you really enjoyed this experience. Thank you for your visit, it is the way in which we can support the community and at the same time enjoy one of the most beautiful experiences in the world.

Interesting and fun trip to see the monarch overwinter sites!

Noel_H, Jan 2023

We really enjoyed this trip, and thought it was well-worth the long drive. Having been on my bucket list for some time, seeing one of the monarch butterfly overwintering sites was fantastic! We had a local guide at the sanctuary show us the trail to the site, along with some explanations of their behavior and background history behind the insects and Mexico. Our driver and guide were very helpful, and took us to get some tea on the way to the sanctuary as well!

Monarch Butterfly Tour

Andrena_M, Feb 2020

Wonderful experience. Quite a long day from Mexico City (over 12 hours) but guides were very good, had plenty of time to view butterflies while walking and stationery (close to an hour). Recommend horses if a bit unsteady on feet. Nice lunch included.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Thank you for your comments! It was a pleasure share this experience with you

The trip to the butterflies was 3...

Teresa K, Mar 2018

The trip to the butterflies was 3 hours with pick up along the way. We then had to walk a total of 8,5km to get to the butterflies - so not just a 45 min walk. If you have people on the trip that are unfit and too old to walk this, by the time you are back for lunch they have not even got half the way. We then had to sit 2,5 hours to wait for them to come back and have their lunch. We then got taken to a town El Oreo to see some buildings waste of time when you are already almost 3 hours delayed. By the time we got back to the city it was 8h30 at night - over 13 hours since pick up. I was disappointed to also not see that many butterflies as the season was almost over - mid March. Would not do it again

Response from Host, May 2022

Teresa We so sorry to know this experience was not what you expected. In a shared tour, we cannot advance the activities.

The guide and the driver was very...

RADUVASILE_B, Feb 2018

The guide and the driver was very friendly and gave me a lot of information. Though you can not see the butterfly very good the trip is very interesting.

Response from Host, May 2022

Thanks for your comment. We regret that the weather conditions have not favorable to see butterflies.

I was disappointed with this tour...

Kitti_S, Jan 2018

I was disappointed with this tour. It is stating that a local guide is included but I'm not sure about the definition. My guide picked me up at my hotel on time, he didn't speak much English but he had a translator so it's OK. But when we arrived the butterfly sanctuary, I was told I had a local guide there. i was confused and I'm still confused why I needed a local guide there. That local guide didn't speak English at all and you really don't need anyone to show you the way you should walk because the trail is very obvious so it's very difficult to get lost. And if it was easy to get lost there, the guide who picked me up should know the way. And in the end, I had to tip that local guide! For what???? For walking by my side?

Response from Host, May 2022

We are so sorry that this tour was not what you expected. We appreciate your comment, it help us improve our service.

This was the best tour we took! It...

Amy B, Nov 2017

This was the best tour we took! It was a relaxing day out of the city with a fresh delicious lunch. There was horseback riding and not to forget the miraculous butterflies. It was amazing to see.

Response from Host, May 2022

We are so happy to know you enjoyed this amazing experience! Thank you so much

Really good experience. Guides...

Michael F, Feb 2017

Really good experience. Guides picked us up on time at our hotel and brought us to Sierra Chincua reserve. The driver/guide provided by the company was not that knowledgeable but the guide that we met at the butterfly reserve was very knowledgeable.

Response from Host, May 2022

We are glad to know you enjoyed this experience, thank you so much!

La excursión y los guías...

Mayda_G, Dec 2022

La excursión y los guías fueron maravillosos, sin embargo la transportación provista fue pésima y por lo tanto no recomiendo esta compañía. Prepárense a viajar en un incomodo auto por 7 horas. Lo único que los salvo fue el guía que fue fantástico. El lugar de las mariposas y los guías fueron maravillosos.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Hola Mayda Agradecemos tu visita porque de esta forma impactamos de manera positiva las comunidades que visitamos. Como te comentamos, el transporte se asigna de acuerdo al número de personas, consideramos que para 3 personas el auto es suficiente. Lamentamos que tengas un problema de salud en la columna que te impida viajar largos trayectos, sin embargo esto lo supimos hasta el día de tu visita, si nos hubieras comunicado esto al momento de tu reserva podríamos haber asignado una unidad con las características que requerias. Esperamos con gusto volver a verte.