We were lucky to have a sunny day when we visited El Rosario. There were thousands of butterflies just by the entrance. We took the horses up and I’m glad we did since the path was steep and dusty. I’m usually afraid of horses but a guide leads them the whole time. At the top there are signs for silence. The butterflies covered the trees while others flew around so numerous they looked like orange confetti. It was a magical experience that I would definitely recommend!

We made the wise decision to hire Oscar Reyes to guide us to the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary outside of Ocampo, Michoacan, Mexico. Oscar spent the day with us, picking us up in Zitacuaro, where we had spent the night. He drove us to the Sanctuary (suggesting that we visit El Rosario instead of Sierra Chincua because it had more butterflies), accompanied us to the butterfly viewing site, took us to Angangueo (a pueblo magico) for lunch, and drove us back to Zitacuaro. Oscar is a knowledgeable and helpful guide who speaks excellent English and was willing to share with us his perspective on life in Michoacan. Visting the butterfly sanctuary can be a challenge but using Oscar took all the worry out of how to get there and back to Zitacuaro. If you want to contact him, he can be reached at rrosco@live.com or by Whats App at 715 127 2308.

Friends and I stayed in zitacuaro and drove to El Rosario. We made sure to have a good breakfast and chose to hike up to the monarch wintering grounds. We are all in our mid 60s to 70s and in shape and easily did the hike in an hour or so. Sunny day and perfect temp for a hike (a bit cool). Public bathroom at the bottom was very clean. 80 peso to enter the reserve. We arrived at the top around 11 and stayed for over 2 hours to allow the sun to waken the butterflies deep in the Pine trees. Truly magical experience!! (Tip: wear white hat or shirt if you want monarchs to land on you)

Amazing experience, definitely recommend. A few tips: Try to book more than one day. The butterflies only fly when exposed to sunlight so if you only have one chance and it’s cloudy you miss the best part. As someone who has lived in Mexico and speak reasonable Spanish, I still had some difficulty taking the local bus out of Mexico City (there’s a direct one from Central Autobuses Poniente run by Zina bus), so it’s a good idea to hire a guide. I hired Oscar Reyes whom I found from a previous review here and would definitely recommend him. He grew up in Angangueo, speaks good English, and will facilitate everything for you - helping book the bus or picking you up directly from Mexico City if you prefer. Contact is rrosco@live.com or by Whats App at +52 715 127 2308. Stay downtown in Angangueo! The town is picturesque and definitely worth exploring between your excursions to the sanctuaries, and offers a true Mexican experience very different from CDMX. There is one simple but charmingly adequate hotel run by locals, the Hotel Jardin Angangueo, right in the town square, and there’s a great taco stand in front to boot.

An amazing place to witness the miracle of nature of millions of butterfly’s who return each year to mate and create the next generation of monarchs that make their way north in the spring. We had the perfect day as the butterfly’s were everywhere flying around the town, extremely active and visible without having to make the trek up the mountain top. If you are within a drive during this time of year - GO. The butterfly’s were in constant motion as they swarmed in huge groups of never ending insects in flight. Something that you have to experience as photos can’t capture the beauty of the moment. So worth the five hour drive from San Miguel de Allende. The usual collection of tourist trinket shops and places to eat casual food. The place is well maintained and has a low cost entrance fee.

El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Preserve was our trip's "grand finale," and what a finale it was. Two tips: 1) The butterflies are only there from November to March, so be sure to go then. Their activity peaks in late February, exactly when we went, so try to time it then for maximum butterfly madness. 2) DON'T GO ON A WEEKEND. The crowds make Disneyland look like a picnic. Just stay away until a weekday, when you will have far fewer people to ruin the experience for you. I could go on and on, but I will simply say that this may be the greatest place I have ever visited in my life.

The reserve was peaceful and well run. Our group had a guide provided free to point out the best sites. The trail was very well cared for- clean, with many rest stops. People talked in hushed tones. It was not crowded. In early March, there were billions of butterflies to see. The experience was profound. I recommend going up by horseback because it is a long hike up. Going down was also strenuous and I walked down, but going down by horseback might be better!

Absolute magical place to be seeing nature at with its awesomeness. We visited at March and arrived around 10:00, the clouds shifted and the sun was shining through the forest floor, we were blessed to see the site of thousands and thousands of butterflies dancing. It really is a spectacle that photo does not do justice.