The 12 Most Popular Monarch Butterfly Tours from Mexico City

1.Butterfly Monarch Tour from Mexico City

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 53 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $250Our pick

Leave Mexico City at 6:30 am for Sierra Chincua, where a local guide leads you up a mountain trail to the monarchs’ winter habitat. Guides such as Marta and Alonso have earned praise for their care and explanations. Expect a long drive, high-altitude walking, time among the butterflies and a Mexican lunch in the local community.

“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.”

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2.Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 33 reviews · 12 hours · from $262

Travel from Mexico City to Sierra Chincua on a guided, 12-hour outing to the monarchs’ winter forest. You’ll walk in the sanctuary, hear about migration and conservation, then have time for Michoacán food and local market stalls. Past guides have included Michelle, Antonio, Alexei, Jeshua, Barbara, and Diego, though your guide may differ. Expect a long drive and uneven roads.

“Amazing day at the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary! Michelle was an awesome guide! She was knowledgeable, professional, and kind. Transportation was comfortable and smooth and Manuel was an outstanding driver! I highly recommend this tour!”

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4.Monarch Butterflies, Sierra Chincua & Angangueo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 20 reviews · from $169

Travel from Mexico City to Sierra Chincua during monarch season, hike or hire a horse for part of the climb, then walk Angangueo’s cobbled streets. A local guide leads the day; Andrés is a name to ask about, though guide assignments can vary. Expect a full 12-hour outing and high-altitude walking.

“Amazing experience with my group I learned so much and it was amazing seeing forest, butterflies as well as the local town.”

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5.Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Tour from Mexico City

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 19 reviews · 15.5 hours · from $79Best value

Spend 15.5 hours on a shared, bilingual day trip from Mexico City to Piedra Herrada Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, Bridal Veil Waterfall, and Valle de Bravo. A guide leads the forest visit, then you get time in town for sightseeing and shopping. Guides Eduardo and Humberto have led especially well-regarded trips, though the guide depends on your date.

“Eduardo was awesome! Both him and the driver were great, they took care of us throughout the day. We got to the butterfly sanctuary around 9am and took the horse ride option uphill since it was slippery and muddy, then on the way down we walked it down. We were at Valle del Bravo for 5 hours. Great place to visit including the market and square along with places to visit and sit along the water.”

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6.7 Day-Monarch Butterfly Ecofriendly Tour in Mexico

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · 7 days (approx.) · from $2,695

Spend seven days between Mexico City and Valle de Bravo, visiting the Anthropology Museum and two monarch sanctuaries. Horses carry you much of the way up the mountain trails, with a guide, transport, six hotel nights and breakfast included. You also get a free day by Valle de Bravo’s lake. Expect high-altitude exertion and long road journeys.

“Clemente could not have been more helpful, fun, knowledgeable, easy to understand and all in all was the highlight of our trip making this adventure so enjoyable! The Majestic hotel location was great but the rooms and food was disappointing .. clean but dated, english by hotel folks was marginal, service people friendly and prompt, room at end of the trip was more comfortable then room at beginning on the 6th floor. Claudio, the driver did a wonderful job making the drive safe, and he was an added plus. The hotel in Valle de Bravo was charming and the indigenous people made it even more enjoyable. Cladia, the manager, and…”

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7.Monarch Butterfly Tour from Mexico City

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 13 reviews · 11 hours (approx.) · from $220

Leave Mexico City at 6:30 am for Sierra Chincua, where a forest walk leads to monarch colonies and a local guide helps you spot them. Afterward, make a tortilla and explore pre-Hispanic food traditions over lunch. Expect a long drive, a strenuous uphill walk, and a small group of no more than 10.

“After we got picked up we took the drive to the mountain. The guide was very informative during the drive and helped us understand the culture surrounding the butterflies and sanctuary. On the hike up it felt like we were approaching a magical location as the butterflies slowly increased in numbers. The local guide at the location was excellent, although didn't speak English but made the effort to point out interesting things we saw. We went with our 3 year old so I carried him most of the way and was getting severely winded about 80% of the way up. The guides pushed us to continue and even carried our…”

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8.Monarch Butterfly Tour Mexico: Sierra Chuincua and Magic Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $179

Leave Mexico City at 7:00 am for Sierra Chincua, where a guided visit brings you to a monarch butterfly sanctuary in season. Then walk through Angangueo, a former mining town known as a Magic Town. The day includes round-trip transport, snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, and a long ride through changing countryside.

“Seeing the monarch butterflies was on my bucket list, so we booked this tour from Mexico City. Communication beforehand was good and our driver Arturo was good and shared lots of interesting information about Mexico. The only thing that could have been better was that at the butterfly sanctuary you have to go with a different guide up the mountain, and our guide didn’t speak English, so we did not get to learn or ask about the butterflies, we just saw them. Prepare yourself for a long day. With traffic and stops the drive is easily 4 hours each way.”

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9.Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Day Trip from Mexico City

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 12 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $79

Travel from Mexico City with a bilingual guide to Piedra Herrada, where a forest hike leads toward the monarch butterfly colony. The day also includes Velo de Novia waterfall and free time in Valle de Bravo. Expect a full day on the road, uphill walking, extra cash for the sanctuary entrance, and a butterfly season that can shift with the weather.

“We had a great time. This tour was a long day of driving with 3 stops. The monarch sanctuary was the highlight, and it was a fairly steep but decent trail. We also stopped briefly at the bridal veil waterfall and then had dinner and a boat ride at Valle del. bravo. The whole day was long but worth it.”

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10.Monarch Butterfly Reserve: Piedra Herrada Magical Valle de Bravo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 11 reviews · 12 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $195

Leave Mexico City at 7 a.m. for Piedra Herrada, where monarchs gather in the trees from November to March. A local guide leads the sanctuary visit, then takes you to Velo de la Novia waterfall and Valle de Bravo’s historic center. Expect a long drive and a steep hike at altitude; horses are available locally for part of the climb at extra cost.

“We had a great time with Sal exploring the area. He made sure we had great access to the monarchs at the preserve, and took on several extra stops that really made the tour special, including lunch, which was included in the cost of the tour. We would recommend Sal to anyone seeking a similar experience.”

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11.7-Day Monarch Butterfly Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 4 reviews · 7 days · from $2,295

Spend seven days with a bilingual naturalist guide, visiting Piedra Herrada and Capulin monarch butterfly sanctuaries, the Anthropology Museum, and Valle de Bravo. Transport, lodging, breakfast, entrance fees, and a small group of up to 14 are included. You’ll also get a free afternoon by the lake, with lunch and dinner left to your own plans.

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12.Monarch Butterflies El Rosario Preserve from Mexico City

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 10 hours (approx.)

Travel from Mexico City to El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Preserve in a private, air-conditioned vehicle with Carlos San Roman. The roughly 10-hour outing includes about two hours at the preserve, where monarchs gather to spend the winter. Their flight depends on sun and temperature, so expect a remarkable natural spectacle, not a guarantee of airborne butterflies.

“Carlos was a great guide! So kind and knowledgeable! His English is great!! The monarchs were sooooo incredible to see! Well worth the trip! Also fun to see mountain towns and views and get out of the city!”

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