Monarch Butterfly Photo Adventure - Natural Habitat Adventures

Monarch Butterfly Photo Adventure

6 days with Natural Habitat Adventures Rating:

Itinerary

Day 1: Mexico City, Mexico

Our Monarch butterfly photo tour begins upon arrival in Mexico City, where we transfer to our hotel in the upscale Polanco district downtown. Gather this evening for a welcome dinner with our Expedition Leaders, followed by an introduction to the exciting photo opportunities that lie ahead. Each fall, tens of millions of monarchs set flight on a remarkable 3,000-mile journey from the northeastern U.S. and Canada to their ancestral wintering grounds in Mexico's volcanic Central Highlands. The location of their breeding grounds remained a mystery until researchers found it with the help of local people in 1977. How an infant generation of butterflies finds it anew each year is still a mystery. Filled with anticipation, we look forward to tomorrow's photographic expedition into the mystical kingdom of the monarchs.

Day 2: Angangueo—El Rosario Sanctuary

From Mexico City, we drive northwest into the highlands, passing dramatic vistas of snow-capped volcano Nevado de Toluca towering over the pine forests. Our destination is the mountain village of Angangueo, a tumble of pastel buildings set along narrow cobblestone streets that hug the steep slopes. Once a silver and copper mining town, Angangueo today thrives on butterfly tourism and local agriculture. We enjoy a traditional lunch of homemade Mexican fare before making our first entry into the monarch kingdom.

With cameras ready, we arrive in an open-back truck at El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary. A few butterflies flit about overhead, a hint of what awaits. Riding small Mexican horses provided by the local community (and led by your own caballero, so no horse experience necessary), we ascend the trail through the forest. Hummingbirds and red warblers accompany us en route to the heart of the monarchs' migratory breeding grounds. What we find is almost surreal: millions of butterflies cover the oyamel fir trees in a delicate, quivering blanket of black and orange, at first glance resembling autumn leaves. Boughs bend beneath their numbers, though each weighs less than half an ounce. When the sun warms their parchment-thin wings, the butterflies take to the air in a whirling cloud of color, so many that the air hums with the sound of their beating wings. Sometimes the stream along the forest floor is covered in a flutter of orange as the butterflies descend to drink. The beauty of the mariposas is so ethereal that many Mexicans still hold the Aztec belief that the souls of the dead are reborn as monarchs.

Day 3: Chincua Sanctuary—Angangueo

Another day of extraordinary photography lies ahead as we drive to Chincua Butterfly Sanctuary for our second magical encounter with the monarchs. Riding horses most of the way over the steep mountain terrain, we hike in the last bit to reach the densest concentration of butterflies. Backlit by the sun, their wings in flight glow transparent orange, making for striking photos. Sometimes the stream along the forest floor is covered in a flutter of orange as the butterflies descend to drink. At every turn, our Expedition Leader helps us get amazing shots, though nothing truly captures the wonder of standing among the millions of monarchs.

As we learn about efforts to preserve the fragile forest ecosystem that is the key to the monarchs' survival, we find that our visit is one way to assist, demonstrating to the local people that ecotourism can be as viable a source of economic sustenance as logging. As Mexican butterfly conservationist Carlos Gottfried said, "When you stand in a monarch sanctuary, your soul is shaken and your life is changed." This afternoon, we enjoy a tour of the village of Angangueo.

Day 4: Angangueo—El Rosario Sanctuary / Avandaro

This morning we return to El Rosario to observe the butterflies in the morning light. The largest of the monarch sanctuaries in the region, El Rosario offers the best opportunity to view great numbers of monarchs in one location. After lunch in Angangueo, we travel to a vacation resort in the hamlet of Avandaro, which means "dream place" in the Tarascan Indian language.

Day 5: Valle de Bravo / Toluca / Mexico City

Visit the beautiful Bridal Veil Waterfall, where you'll enjoy tips from your Expedition Leader for how to obtain the best shots of the falls and spray. Or, you may choose to relax at the hotel and enjoy the pool and spa. Later we travel to nearby Valle de Bravo, an inviting colonial resort town on a tranquil lake. White stucco houses with red-tile roofs are covered in bougainvillea while brilliant flowers in the Plaza Independencia attract a multitude of birds. Enjoy lunch overlooking the lake and join your Expedition Leader on a walk through the town center and its lively market—a bustling meeting point for locals and visitors alike. This afternoon, as we begin our return journey to Mexico City, we'll stop in Toluca, originally a 13th-century Indian settlement, to visit Cosmovitral Botanical Garden. The building, which houses 500 plant species from Mexico and around the world, glows in the light of stained-glass panels created by Tolucan artist Leopoldo Flores. Say farewell over a Mexican feast before returning to the capital this evening for a late check-in to our hotel.

Day 6: Mexico City / Depart

Our monarch butterfly tour concludes with a transfer to the airport for flights home, or to Puerto Vallarta for our Humpback Whale Watching Extension. Guests visiting the Pyramids of Teotihuacan will remain in Mexico City.

Map

All This Included

One of the world's most astounding events occurs each year in Mexico's Central Highlands, featuring one of its most unlikely creatures, the delicate monarch butterfly. As we crest the ridge and enter a grove of fir trees on a remote mountaintop, the air is still. Could this be the butterfly sanctuary we seek? From a distance, the trunks and branches appear to be blanketed with rusty autumn leaves. A closer look reveals they’re quivering. And then, as the sun emerges from behind a cloud to warm the air, tens of thousands of monarchs take to the sky, fluttering over our heads—so many butterflies that we actually hear the beating of their gossamer wings, which glow translucent orange as they're backlit against the blue sky. Sometimes, the monarchs even float down to alight on our hats and shoulders. And on special photo journeys, you'll learn how to snap the best butterfly photographs, from intricate close-ups to panoramas of great clouds of airborne monarchs. Join our small group to experience this moving phenomenon, interpreted by Mexico’s premier naturalist guides.

Accommodations
Meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on the final day
Purified drinking water, soda and beer with meals
Services of NHA Expedition Leaders
All airport transfers (including early arrival transfers if extra hotel night(s) are booked at the Camino Real Polanco)
Horseback riding at butterfly sanctuaries
Most gratuities
All permits, entrance fees and taxes

Highlights

Visit Monarch Migration Groves: Guided by top naturalist Expedition Leaders, travel by horseback and on foot to remote forests where millions of brilliant monarchs congregate for the winter
Listen to Butterfly Wings: As the sun emerges, listen for the gentle hum of butterfly wings as tens of thousands of monarchs take flight, fluttering overhead in a cloud of orange
Encounter Local Culture: Explore traditional Mexican mountain villages and visit an authentic market, witnessing the benefits of butterfly ecotourism for local people

Accommodations

Mexico City: Camino Real Hotel

Angangueo: Posada Don Bruno or Hotel La Margarita

Pre and Post Add-ons

Humpback Whale Watching Extension

4 Days / Jan - Mar, From $1595

Enjoy thrilling encounters with humpback whales off the coast of Puerto Vallarta! Hundreds migrate here annually, entertaining observers as they breach and spy-hop. See them on three different excursions.

The Pyramids of Teotihuacan

1 Day / Jan - Mar, From $425

Just outside Mexico City, discover the history and mysteries of Teotihuacan, exploring the Sun and Moon Pyramids and other ruins revealed by archaeologists.

Notes

Group Size: Approximately 12 Travelers.
Not Included: Travel to and from the start and end point of your trip, some alcoholic beverages, some gratuities, passport and visa fees (if any), optional activities, items of a personal nature (phone calls, laundry and internet, etc.), airline baggage fees, airport and departure taxes (if any), required medical evacuation insurance, optional travel protection insurance.
Physical Requirements: Moderate. Visiting the butterfly sanctuaries requires walking for approximately two miles at a time at altitudes up to 10,660 feet, on very steep inclines and sometimes over rough, rocky terrain, in some cases walking up and down over 600 steps to reach the butterflies. The physical exertion involved can be considered strenuous for people who are less active. Horses are available to ride for some portions of certain trails at the sanctuaries, though trails are narrow and rugged, and riders must be alert to maintaining balance. Due to the small stature of the horses that are local to the Mexican highlands, the maximum rider weight each horse can carry is 260 pounds. Travelers concerned with their physical capabilities should contact our office for further details on the exact physical requirements of this trip, as well as their personal physician for an appraisal of their suitability for the demands of this itinerary.
Since the areas you will travel to on this trip are remote and wild (that's why we go there!), we require medical evacuation insurance for this program. If you decline the medical evacuation insurance coverage offered by Natural Habitat Adventures, we require that you send us documentation of the independent coverage you have selected. We recommend that your chosen independent insurance plan includes at least $250,000 in medical evacuation coverage. Please note that we will add the cost of Natural Habitat Adventures' medical evacuation policy (currently $48 per person) to your tour invoice until you provide our office with proof of coverage including your insurance company's name, phone number and your individual policy number.
Plan to arrive in Mexico City no later than 5:30 pm on Day 1 of the adventure, as there is a group welcome dinner and orientation at 7 pm. You are free to depart anytime on the final day.
Please ask your Vacations To Go travel counselor for more information.

Terms and Conditions

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* The prices shown are U.S. dollars per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability. Prices quoted for land/cruise arrangements are subject to increase without notice. Once we have received your deposit, land/cruise prices are guaranteed. Air prices quoted via phone or email are subject to increase and are guaranteed only from the time that full payment is received. Also, air prices or air promotions mentioned on this site or on the phone do not include baggage fees imposed by airlines.

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