A region of Estado de México Michoacán
The fir-covered mountains on the border of the Estado de México and Michoacán where millions of monarch butterflies spend the winter after flying in from Canada and the United States. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2008, protects their roosts; sanctuaries such as El Rosario, Sierra Chincua, El Capulín and Piedra Herrada open to visitors from about November to March, when the trees turn orange with butterflies.
4 Pueblos Mágicos · 9 places to visit
Pueblos Mágicos in Monarch Butterfly country
Map
Places to visit in Monarch Butterfly country 9
9 places with their own page, grouped by kind.
Towns · 4 Nature reserves · 2 Villages · 2 Cities · 1
Towns
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Ixtapan del Oro · Town · Estado de México
Hill-country municipal seat in the far west of the state, with a wooden-kiosk plaza, San Miguel church, a waterfall and warm-water pools. -
San José del Rincón · Town · Estado de México
A Mazahua municipal seat created in 2001 on the Villa Victoria–El Oro road, and the jumping-off point for the La Mesa monarch sanctuary. -
Santo Tomás de los Plátanos · Town · Estado de México
A town moved in 1956 for a dam; only the old church tower still rises from the reservoir. -
Zacazonapan · Town · Estado de México
A small municipal seat in the south of the State of Mexico, known for aged cheese and its year-end cheese fair.
Nature reserves
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Santuario El Rosario · Nature reserve · Angangueo
The largest and busiest monarch butterfly sanctuary, a steep forest climb above Angangueo, open roughly November to March. -
Santuario Sierra Chincua · Nature reserve · Angangueo
A quieter monarch sanctuary north of Angangueo, with a gentler trail, horses, and a visitor center with food stalls and a zip line.
Villages
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San Francisco Tepeolulco · Village · Estado de México
A Temascalcingo village at 2,539 m, "on the round hill": a San Francisco church and hand-embroidered quesquémetls with flowers and birds. -
San Martín Obispo · Village · Estado de México
A Mazahua village in Donato Guerra on the El Monumento–Valle de Bravo road, with a colonial-era church and a feast on 11 November.
Cities
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Zitácuaro · City · Michoacán
Eastern Michoacán's main city, seat of the first insurgent government in 1811 and burned three times, on the highway to the monarch sanctuaries.
Top tours in Monarch Butterfly country
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
Getting around Monarch Butterfly country
Fly into Toluca (TLC) and Morelia (MLM).
Cities to start from: Zitácuaro
Most of the region is reached by road: a rental car is the easiest way to see several places in a day, and buses link the larger towns.
When to visit Monarch Butterfly country
Most of Monarch Butterfly country is at its best in January, February, March, and April.
Month-by-month climate on each Pueblo Mágico's page: El Oro, Valle de Bravo, Angangueo, Tlalpujahua