Piedra Herrada Reserve The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Mexico’s top ecotourism destinations. There are several sanctuaries open to visitors across two Mexican states – Michoacán and Mexico. Piedra Herrada is the easiest monarch sanctuary to access from Mexico City and only a 2-hr drive from the […]
Read PostOn our recent Monarch Butterfly and Magical Cities trip to Mexico, we visited two reserves in Mexico State. Piedra Herrada Sanctuary was the first and El Capulin the second. Located less than two hours west of Mexico City, Piedra Herrada is easily accessed in a day trip. We left our Santa Fe hotel at 8:15 […]
Read PostMonarch butterflies are found throughout the United States, though a majority of the population migrates up to 3,000 miles to Mexico for the winter months. In 1996, the Mexican government created the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve to protect monarch’s wintering habitat. The reserve spans more than 56,000 hectares (138,000 acres). Over the past two decades, the […]
Read PostThe Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Mexico’s top ecotourism destinations. There are several sanctuaries open to visitors across two Mexican states – Michoacán and Mexico. Piedra Herrada is the easiest monarch sanctuary to access from Mexico City and only a 2-hr drive from the Santa Fe district […]
Read PostScientists estimate that close to a billion monarch butterflies historically overwintered in montane oyamel fir forests about two hours west of Mexico City. Numbers of monarchs at Mexico’s butterfly reserves have declined steeply in the last few years with estimates at about 35 million for the 2013-2014 season. We hope that further decline can be […]
Read PostThe Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mexico, covers 56,259 hectares of rugged, forested mountains approximately 100 km northwest of Mexico City. The reserve is located along the border of the states of Michoacán and Mexico. Scientists estimate that between 60 million and 1 billion monarch butterflies overwinter in the reserve. […]
Read PostLast week, CNN.com published an article titled “3 undeniable reasons to explore Mexico” (http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/29/travel/mexico-three-reasons/index.html). The three reasons listed included gastronomy, pre-Hispanic sites, and swimming in cenotes. We wholeheartedly agree with these reasons. But after reading this article, it was easy to quadruple their number of reasons by emphasizing Mexico’s biodiversity and wow-inducing wildlife opportunities. #1: […]
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