Monarchs expedition 7 day tour
January 15 - 21-2025
Be prepared to be WOWED by Morelia combining the elements of a destination that every expert traveler is looking for: incredible landscapes both urban and natural, historical wealth, legends that remain alive, gastronomic variety and architecture that mesmerizes everyone who observes it. You will definitely feel that you are frozen in time in this city that will remind you of the enchanted castles of the fairy tales you used to read before bedtime as a child.
Single room 38,000 pesos, share room 36,000 pesos
We will be staying at the Casino Morelia Hotel is located in the historic hart of the city of Morelia, surrounded by major tourist attractions, just two blocks from the Old Conservatory and Rose Garden, Headstock Palace, Market candy and crafts, and other cultural centers, art and film emblematic of the city; Built in a typical house of Morelia dating from the eighteenth century listed historical monument, which preserves the original architectural identity.
Monarchs Reserves
Visiting the largest Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserves in the world, this is a hundred-and-thirty-nine-thousand-acre protected biosphere area, where we will be delighted by witnessing these remarkable insects in their natural habitat where they are protected and preserved, while still allowing visitors to witness these remarkable insects amidst some of Mexico’s most breath-taking landscapes.
Pueblos Magicos de Michoacan
Visiting magic towns like Santa Clara del Cobre, Janitzio Islands, Paracho is a place full of traditions and, of course, guitars. Around the square it is common for Sundays down the entire plateau artisans sell their products dressed in their distinctive colorful costumes. A show in sight. Also enjoy delicious cuisine, you can enjoy it on the market or restaurants.
What’s included
✔ Round Trip Airfare from Tijuana to Morelia on Volaris.
✔ Ground Transportation to and from Airport and Hotel including Riders Insurance.
✔ 6 Nights’ Accommodations at the Historic Boutique Casino Morelia Hotel in single, private room.
o Breakfast each morning at the hotel’s restaurant Casino Morelia.
✔ 7 Day Guided Cultural Tour of Michoacan with more than 12 stops and many historic sites.
o Tour includes ALL DAYTIME Entry Fees to planned activities and destinations.
o Daily round trip ground transportation to all featured destinations.
o Two Private, Bilingual Tour Guides, 24/7 Support Service.
What’s NOT included
⮚ Lunch, Dinner or Alcoholic Beverages
⮚ Optional Night Time Activities
⮚ Tips in general.
⮚ Any transportation that is not listed above. All group activities are by private van at very specific times, if you miss the scheduled departure time or meeting location, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN transportation to and from the hotel.
⮚ Sandy and Linda tips.
Details
What to expect
Weather: Morelia Weather in January-March: These months are considered as the best time to visit Morelia owing to temperatures ranging from 36℉ to 88℉. An ideal situation to get around exploring all the points of interest in Morelia. Expect an average precipitation of 15.51 mm
Horseback riding, El Rosario does not have a horse path, but Sierra Chincua does. Horses can only go so far up the mountain; when the intensity of the butterflies increases, you will need to dismount and complete the journey on foot, so some physical exercise will be involved.
Keep to the trails You must keep to the trails inside the reserve areas—this minimizes the impact of walkers and visitors on the butterflies. Hiking off the trails is prohibited anywhere inside the biosphere.
Afternoon walking On warmer afternoons, the butterflies fly low to settled at ground level, seeking the cooler air and moisture. Inevitably, some butterflies get crushed by visiting walkers… watch your step and try to be as gentle as possible on your feet.
Physical Requirements
This tour requires a lot of walking, possibly standing for long periods of time, the ability to sit and ride in the bus for up to 4 hours, ability to withstand possible high temperatures in the afternoons as well as exposure to full sun. Additionally, there is an option to ride a horse up the hill or hike(Please consider the proper attire on this day)
Tour Package price in a single room is 38,000 pesos. Tour Package price in a share room is 36,000 pe
Website Resources and Additional Information
For more information on hotel and places we will visit, please click the links below or type them into. Please, take your time and explore each site to prepare and “Know Before You Go” everything needed to make your visit more enjoyable.
● Morelia https://www.visitmexico.com/en/michoacan/morelia
● Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_Butterfly_Biosphere_Reserve
● Monarch Winter Migrations https://www.mexperience.com/mexicos-monarch-butterflies/
●Pátzcuarohttps://www.mexperience.com/travel/colonial/patzcuaro/
●Santa Clara del Cobre https://www.visitmexico.com/en/michoacan/santa-clara-del-cobre.
●Tlalpujahua https://www.uvm.edu/~dstratto/mexico/monarchs.html
●Tlalpujahua https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english/tlalpujahua-magic-town-eternal-christmas
Expedition Highlights
● Morelia the capital of the state of Michoacán boasts spectacular beauty, so it wasn’t surprising it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1991. The city was originally called Valladolid, but its name was changed in 1828 honoring José María Morelos y Pavón, Mexican Independence Movement heroe born in this beautiful city. It is highly recommended to walk along the Calzada de Guadalupe, since you will be able to admire close up several of the monuments catalogued as architectural masterpieces. In fact, the Historical Center of Morelia is the site with the most buildings named as such throughout the Mexican territory.
● Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (Spanish: Reserva de Biosfera de la Mariposa Monarca) is a World Heritage Site containing most of the over-wintering sites of the eastern population of the monarch butterfly. The reserve is located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests ecoregion on the border of Michoacán and State of Mexico, 100 km (62 miles), northwest of Mexico City. Millions of butterflies arrive in the reserve annually. Butterflies only inhabit a fraction of the 56,000 hectares of the reserve from October–March. The biosphere’s mission is to protect the butterfly species and its habitat.
● Monarch Winter Migrations these migrating Monarch butterflies travel in colonies of about 20 million insects and will travel between 80-120 nautical miles per day, depending on the wind and other weather conditions. The Monarch Butterflies settle in the Oyamel fir tree forests which are situated west of Mexico City; along the eastern perimeter of the Mexican state of Michoacán, also bordering the State of Mexico.
● Patzcuaro is a colonial town which still remains true to its indigenous (Purepecha and Tarasco) heritage. The town has successfully blended its indigenous and colonial roots and provides an excellent hub from which to explore the other towns and villages in the area.
● Sierra Chincua every fall millions of monarch butterflies migrate 4000 km from the US and Canada to a couple of tiny mountaintops in eastern Michoacan Tlalpujahua is their favorite one. If you take all of the monarchs from the US and concentrate them in a couple of little winter colonies, the density of butterflies becomes staggering.
● Tlalpujahua the magic town with eternal Christmas. Seventeen years ago, when Chinese manufacturers sank the industry of hand-painted Christmas ornaments in Mexico, craftsmen from Tlalpujahua, Michoacán, began to think about marketing their blown glass products in specialized stores in the United States.