Mexico's Monarchs, Humpbacks & Birds

Tour Code: MEX03

An 11-day wildlife holiday to central and western Mexico, home to millions of wintering Monarch butterflies, plus Humpback Whales and numerous birds.

11 days from
£5,195
Land only price from
£4,595
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

Mexico is a vibrant country boasting an interesting natural history, as well as some stunning scenery and fascinating culture both past and present. This tour visits central and south-western Mexico. We begin our holiday in the pre-Aztec city of Teotihuacan, enjoying this superb site, home to the third largest pyramid in the world, as well as a variety of endemic and other birdlife. Next we drive to the Oyamel Fir forests of the central Mexican state of Michoacan where the microclimate provides the perfect winter home for millions of Monarch butterflies. We will visit two of the best reserves mid-morning and watch as millions of butterflies take to the wing! After a 3-night stay in this region, we fly to Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific coast where we take to the ocean in search of Humpback Whales. Four days on the western coast allows us time to enjoy the Humpbacks and look for birds such as Boat-billed Heron and San Blas Jay before it is time to head back to Mexico City for our flights home.

  • See the spectacular winter gatherings of Monarch butterflies
  • Explore the pre-Aztec city of Teotihuacan & see its huge ‘Pyramid of the Sun’
  • Vermillion Flycatcher, Cactus Wren & Canyon Towhee at Teotihuacan
  • Red Warbler, Slate-throated Redstart & endemic Blue Mockingbird in Michoacan
  • Two boat excursions to look for Humpback Whales
  • Citreoline Trogon & Golden-cheeked Woodpecker among special birds at San Blas

Mexico is a fascinating and vibrant country: a colourful land steeped in history, myth and legend. This was the home of the ancient Aztec, Toltec and Maya civilisations, whose great pyramids rival those of Egypt, and landfall for the first of the Spanish Conquistadors as they searched for the fabled Cities of Gold. Today, Mexico is a modern, vibrant and welcoming country, full of natural history, scenic and cultural contrasts. It is also the stage for one of the most remarkable sights in the natural world, the winter gatherings of millions of Monarch butterflies.

Whilst south-eastern Mexico is clothed in thick tropical forests, in the north and west hot cactus deserts dominate. In between these extremes lie the cool Oyamel Fir forests of the central Mexican state of Michoacán. Here, the temperature, humidity and high altitude combine to create the perfect winter microclimate for millions of Monarch butterflies from the US and Canada which migrate south into Mexico every autumn to escape the cold further north. These are the third or fourth generations of butterflies that left Michoacán the previous spring and, to this day, little is known about how these delicate creatures navigate and how they find these small pockets of forest hundreds, if not thousands, of miles south from where they first emerged as adults.

As spectacular as the Monarch gatherings undoubtedly are, Mexico has many other wildlife facets to enjoy. During the same months that the butterflies gather in Michoacán, Humpback Whales congregate in Banderas Bay off Mexico’s Pacific coast, and numerous resident and wintering birds — including 25 Mexican endemics — can be found in the nearby wetlands, mangroves and forests. Although our tour takes in all these highlights, it begins with a flight to Mexico City from where we transfer to our first overnight stop at the pre-Aztec city of Teotihuacán (‘Place of the Gods’). We will explore the site the following morning, enjoying such birds as Vermillion Flycatcher, Canyon Towhee and Say’s Phoebe beneath the imposing triangle of the huge ‘Pyramid of the Sun’, the third largest pyramid in the world!

Next we drive west into the forested hills of Michoacán for three nights in Valle de Bravo. From here we will visit two Monarch reserves. We plan on arriving mid-morning, at a time when the sun has warmed the forests sufficiently for the butterflies to start taking flight. It is a breathtaking spectacle. The trees here can become so laden with Monarchs that branches bend under their weight and, once the butterflies take to the air, the forest fills with the delicate sound of a million fluttering wings, turning the air into a whirlwind of orange and black! If we can drag our eyes away from the mesmerising clouds of butterflies for a few moments, we are also sure to find an interesting variety of birds such as Red Warbler and Slate-throated Redstart.

For the second part of our holiday, we take a short flight to Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific coast. Once here, we will need to readjust our eyes from watching the small and delicate to the huge and mighty, for the next two mornings we take to the ocean in search of Humpback Whales. Humpbacks are one of the most entertaining whales to watch and during our time on the water we hope to witness a variety of behaviours, including spy-hopping, tail-lobbing and, for the fortunate, perhaps a full breach, whereby the whale launches itself fully out of the water before falling back with a resounding splash!

Moving on, we turn our attention to the excellent avifauna of Mexico’s Pacific coast, and drive north to the fishing village of San Blas. Mexico is home to nearly 1,100 species of birds, 10% of which are endemic. The estuaries, lagoons, mangroves and forests around San Blas attract a wide variety of these, including Boat-billed Heron, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Citreoline Trogon and San Blas Jay.

Finally, after two days spent enjoying the birdlife of western Mexico, it will be time to return to Puerto Vallarta for our short flight to Mexico City, where we connect to our onward flight home.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Mexico City and overnight Teotihuacán
Day 2/4
Monarch butterfly reserves
Day 5/6
Puerto Vallarta
Day 7/9
San Blas
Day 10
Depart Mexico City
Day 11
Arrive London
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What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    We stay in comfortable hotels and lodges throughout, all with private facilities.

  • Food:

    All food is included in the price, except for dinner on Day 1 (allow £20).

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Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2027

Departures Availability Cost
Mon 25th Jan – Thu 4th Feb SPACES £5,195
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Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£4,595
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£495

Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

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Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!

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