Mexico City: Monarch butterfly tour with local lunch

4.15

(13 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We left Mexico City before sunrise — I barely managed coffee, but the city was already humming outside. Our guide, Ana, chatted about the monarchs’ journey from Canada as we drove out past the city’s edge. It’s strange how quickly the air changes; by the time we reached the forest in Estado de México, it smelled sharp and green, almost cold. The van doors opened and there was this hush, except for birds somewhere above us.

The walk up took maybe forty minutes (though it felt longer on my legs). You can take a horse if you want — I didn’t, but two people in our group did and they looked pretty happy about it. The path wound through tall oyamel trees, sunlight coming in at weird angles. At one point Ana stopped us: “Listen.” We all went quiet and I swear you could hear tiny wings — like soft paper flicking together. Then suddenly there were monarch butterflies everywhere, orange and black against the green, landing on shoulders or just floating around like they owned the place. It’s hard to explain how gentle it felt.

Afterwards we had lunch nearby — tortillas we pressed ourselves (I made mine too thick but nobody cared), some kind of herby soup that tasted earthy and new to me, and a drink Ana called pulque. She laughed when I tried to say it right in Spanish; I probably butchered it but she just grinned. There was talk about pre-Hispanic food traditions and insects as snacks (I tried one — not bad?). By then my shoes were muddy but I didn’t mind.

The drive back to Mexico City was quiet — everyone half asleep or looking out at the hills. I kept thinking about those wings beating in the cold air, so fragile but somehow tougher than any of us. Still can’t quite believe how far those butterflies travel every year.