Monarch Butterfly Reserve Tour

Only from November to March

You will visit the Cosmovitral-Botanical Garden: Completed in 1910 as part of Mexico’s centennial celebrations, the former City of Toluca Market boasts 5,000 square meters of space holding 400 plant species within its walls and comprised for 3,000 square meters of stained glass. The market was closed in 1975 and five years later the building was rededicated as the Cosmovitral-Botanical Garden.

The stained glass, finished in 1990 by Leopoldo Flores Valdes, includes 28 different colors of glass and is considered one of the largest artworks in the world. In the glass, Flores Valdes sought to depict his interpretation of time, movement and the contradictory phenomena taking place in matter, from a cosmogony perception.

Piedra Herrada & Valle de Bravo: It is unique in that you’ll often encounter swarms of butterflies before even arriving at the sanctuary. Each day around noon, millions of butterflies head down from the mountains and out along the road leading to the reserve on their way to a nearby river which serves as a butterfly watering hole. Standing in the forests of the reserve as millions of orange and black Monarch butterflies swarm overhead is a magical experience, and it’s not unusual for the butterflies to land on visitors. While you’re visiting the reserve, you might also stop off in some of the nearby towns and villages. The Pueblo Magico (magic town) of Valle de Bravo is located just down the road from the butterfly sanctuary at Piedra Herrada and makes a pleasant stop along the route to or from the reserve. Back to the hotel in Mexico City.