Monarch Butterfly Tour
11th – 15th February 2020
Our five-day tour to see the Monarch Butterflies begins in Morelia, where you’ll spend your first two nights and visit the butterfly reserve, El Rosario.
From here, we move onto Pátzcuaro for the final two nights of your trip, where we visit the birthplace of the Mexican clay Catrina, Capula; the copper mining town of Santa Clara del Cobre; and previous capital of the P’urhépecha Empire, Tzintzuntzan.
Price includes accommodation, transport, local guide, entrance fees and breakfasts
Hourly Schedule
Day 1: Melaque to Morelia
- 6am - 3pm
- Outward travel
- Departing Melaque at 6am, we'll travel approximately 630km to the centre of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Morelia
- 4pm - 5:30pm
- Walking Tour of City Centre
- We'll take a gentle walk with our local guide around Morelia's historic centre, stopping at some important sites and learning a bit about Morelia's history along the way
Day 2: El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Reserve
- 8am - 7pm
- Monarch Butterfly Reserve
- Located approximately 3 hours outside of Morelia's city centre lies the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Reserve. We will spend our whole day here and hopefully get to witness these incredible insect take to the sky and turn it black and orange!
Day 3: Capula and Pátzcuaro
- 10am - 12pm
- Capula
- A morning spent in the workshops and markets where the clay Catrina was born. Includes live demonstration and a chance to shop!
- 1pm -
- Pátzcuaro
- Your first afternoon in Pátzcuaro. After lunch, we'll take you for a guided walk around the city centre, showing you some key historical sites and taking you into some of the spectacular buildings and museums
Day 4: Santa Clara del Cobre and Tzintzuntzan
- 9:30am - 12pm
- Santa Clara del Cobre
- Spend a morning in a copper workshop learning how these craftsmen and artisans handle and create some truly wonderful pieces.
- 3pm - 5pm
- Tzintzuntzan
- After lunch there is the option to visit the previous capital of the P'urhépecha Empire: Tzintzuntzan. We'll take a quick tour of the standing archaeological ruins and you'll get the chance to shop in the local markets for pottery and straw items unique to this town.
Day 5: Tlaquepaque and Return Travel
- 12pm - 3pm
- Tlaquepaque
- After an early set off, we'll make a stop in the Tlaquepaque area in Guadalajara. We'll head to the pedestrianised centre where you'll get a chance to grab a tasty bite to eat and maybe get some last minute shopping done!
- 3pm - 8pm
- Return travel
- The final leg of our return journey, reaching Melaque in the early evening. We hope you've enjoyed your tour!