Monarch butterfly migration vacations

By the end of October, when autumn colours start to show across Canada and the United States, the last of the monarch butterflies will leave its northern home and begin a 2,500km journey to the warm south. Every year, the entire butterfly population spends the winter months in the oyamel fir forests of central Mexico and, every year, they return to cluster in the same area; the 560km² Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve within the rugged leafy mountains 100km west of Mexico City. The result is an orange blaze of butterfly-clad forest, where branches sway beneath the collective weight of their residents.

But what makes this migration so extraordinary is that, unlike the transnational crossing of the caribou or the cross-border journey of the jaguar, none of these monarch butterflies will make the return trip. Instead, the eight-month journey home will be made by the four following generations, each of which will be born and die along the way. Yet, when autumn rolls around again, a sort of super subspecies generation, that lives up to eight times as long, will somehow know to ride the warm air currents right the way back to that same tree in Mexico.

Read on to discover how you can see this extraordinary migration.

Monarch butterfly tours are limited to small groups with a maximum of 10 travelers, led by local guides, and tend to last a week. Keeping groups small stops the butterflies from being disturbed and fewer people on the trails helps to preserve their important natural habitat. It also means you can enjoy the company of likeminded people, just as excited about the experience, and spend more time talking to your guide who will have a wealth of unique local knowledge. Tours usually visit two different butterfly sanctuaries and may include sightseeing in Mexico City and free time to discover the watersports and museums in the lakeside town of Valle de Bravo.

“The main threats are basically ecosystem damage or loss. Monarchs migrate thousands of kilometres and obviously make several stops along the route, so when an ecosystem is polluted or destroyed that affects them. If not done in an appropriate way, tourism can also have a negative impact on the butterflies, but the sites where they arrive have been declared protected areas, so there is control over what activities are allowed.”

“Fortunately, last year, we had a record number of Monarchs arriving in Mexico reserves. Tourism can have many benefits for butterfly conservation, since local inhabitants now see the benefit of working in tourism and this gives them an incentive to protect the monarch butterfly ecosystem. During this trip you can see a real benefit for the environment, wildlife and local population.”