Travel blog project – Non-published article
Every winter, one of the most beautiful migrations takes place from Canada to México. Millions of monarch butterflies travel over 5,000 km in a journey that can be breathtaking if you are lucky to watch, and they end in one of the sanctuaries located in Michoacán.
We traveled to Michoacán in late February and, with the purpose of arriving easily, we stayed in Angangeo, the nearest village, there are three main sanctuaries where you can see the monarch butterflies, El Rosario, Sierra Chincua, and El Capulín. My family and I decided to visit “El Rosario.”
We started our road trip around 11 in the morning, not before making a stop for breakfast in the village, a small “fonda” located in the center was the hidden gem of the day, a typical Mexican breakfast, chilaquiles with egg, pot coffee, and bread that was fresh out of the oven.
In order to reach the sanctuaries, it is best to rely on a GPS, since the signage is almost non-existent, before arriving, you must pass through a town where you have to give a payment to cross, and later, residents will tell you where you can park your car.
At the entrance, there are two paths, the path to climb on foot and the path to climb on horseback, it is important to say, that it is a path of more than an hour on foot, so if you do not have a good physical condition, it is best to take the horse, but you have to keep in mind that the final part of the tour is only on foot.
We wanted to take pictures of the landscapes and the flowers, so we decided to take the path on foot, arriving at the middle of the climb, the first butterflies begin to be seen in the distance. Once you reach the protected area, it is forbidden to make noise that can disturb them, so you are embarked in an atmosphere of peace and beauty.
When we arrived, unfortunately, there was no sun, big clouds covered the sky, and the butterflies, cold, rested in the trees. One of the guards told us that we needed to be patient, that at the first rays of the sun, they would begin to move to look for heat.
And so it was, 10 minutes after our arrival, the first rays of sun began to break through the clouds, and this showed us one of the most beautiful spectacles I have ever seen. Thousands of butterflies fluttered in the forest, passing over us, and the silence, the sound of the branches, and the flutter of their wings, perfectly complemented this magical natural spectacle.
After admiring the flutter of all those butterflies, we began our journey downhill, the moment we renturned to the place of entry, the smells of food called us to one of the places installed there, where some very kind ladies served us some delicious huaraches and cecina quesadillas.
We finished eating, and after thanking the service and kindness of the ladies, with mixed feelings of happiness and sadness for not being able to stay longer, we started our journey back home.
