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 ~ LIMITED SEASON ONLY ~ 
 MONARCH BUTTERFLY EXPERIENCE (MEXICO CITY)

butterfly sanctuary tour

An immersive, intimate moment with thousands of Monarch Butterflies.

Monarch butterfly season is a truly magical time in Mexico. From DECEMBER to FEBRUARY we are blessed with a FLEETING visit from thousands of Monarch butterflies, who travel 2500 miles to spend their winter in a warmer climate.

Being surrounded by thousands of delicate butterflies is a truly unique David Attenborough-esque moments for nature-lovers & photographers alike.

With our private guide, hill-top horse trek, village refreshments & seamless door-to-door luxury service, we make your 10 hour round-trip a breeze.


Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)are the only insect that travels 2500 miles to warm itself over winter.

For little wings, that's a VERY long way to travel.  

Mexico is one of only two migration points in the entire world that is privy to this visit!

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This tour takes you from downtown Mexico City direct to the butterflies' rural wilderness sanctuary at Temascaltépec Sanctuary.

You'll also have time to enjoy a delicious traditional lunch (or espresso stop), at the lakeside village of Valle de Bravo, famous for its artisanal crafts scene and as the preferred weekend retreat for the rich.




monarch butterfly migration mexico city private tour horse ride valle del bravo lunch stop

Check the video above. Filmed on-site at the Temascaltépec Sanctuary.

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Your tour fee includes the horse trek to the mountain top butterfly sanctuary.

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Our third tour was again with Javier to the Monarch Sanctuary which was the most incredible experience! The trip to the sanctuary was 2.5 hours but a beautiful, scenic drive. At the sanctuary Javier helped us arrange horses to ride up the mountain and take us back down. At the top of the mountain we saw thousands of butterflies clustered on branches take flight as the air warmed. Butterflies landed and circled so close you could see the detail in their wings and bodies. This year the migration was strong and their numbers plentiful which made the experience amazing. Javier even pointed out the difference between a male and a female monarch. After the sanctuary Javier took us to Valle de Bravo for a lovely lunch by the beautiful lake before returning us back to our hotel by dinner time. It was a perfect day. I would advise people to bring a scarf or mask as the trail is dusty with the horses and drinking water. Restrooms on site charge you to use them so coins are nescessary. Horse rental was additional to the cost of the tour but well worth it since the altitude can make you feel short of breath and tired. We felt that the horses added to the experience and our boys loved riding. The horses were very mild tempered and easy for children to ride as each horse had a guide with it..
Ocean Lovers >>>



 PRICES : PRIVATE BUTTERFLY TOUR

Your tour price INCLUDES private transport and guide, hilltop horse trek to the Temascaltépec Sanctuary, and the park entrance fees.

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10 HOUR ROUND TRIP


*Total for a 1-4 person group = US$679+ tax

*Total for a 5-7 person group = US$794+ tax

*Total for a 8-11 person group = US$919 + tax


*Prices are in US dollars & don't include tax.

We recommend contacting your bank BEFORE trying to book, because overseas banks frequently have a block or high alert for any payments linked to Mexico.

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Pyramid of Sun private tour no group!

My husband, adult son and I toured with Javier as our guide. The entire experience, from my initial email conversations with the Tour Coordinator, to pick up and drop off at our hotel, was easy and professional. Javier was an excellent guide.

Donna C, Calgary

TOUR SCHEDULE : LIMITED SEASON ONLY

​Your tour price INCLUDES private transport and guide, hilltop horse trek to the Temascaltépec Sanctuary, and your entrance fees.

Pyramid of Sun private tour no group!

My husband, adult son and I toured with Javier as our guide. The entire experience, from my initial email conversations with the Tour Coordinator, to pick up and drop off at our hotel, was easy and professional. Javier was an excellent guide.

Donna C, Calgary

 MEET YOUR BUTTERFLY HOSTS

Because our butterfly sanctuary guides are officially licensed CDMX guides, they have completed government training on the phenomenon of the Monarch Migration and are updated annually. They love their jobs & are proud to have over18 years of bringing the best of Mexico City to international visitors.

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Javier has over twenty years experience as a professional cultural & historic guide. He is up-to-date on new research & discoveries.

Javier Tapia is our Head of Transport and Cultural Tours. Javier is a professional licensed guide (officially authorised by the Mexican Government) and has been working as a tour guide in his hometown of Mexico City for over 20 years. He has a really great attitude, his tours always have great flow and he is highly respected in the tour community as the Treasurer of the Tourist Guides Union.

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Javier and clients pause for Mexican style hot chocolate.

When Javier is not on tour, he is found out walking his SIX (!) dogs, or going for a country cruise on one of his luxury Harley Davidsons (yes, like all fanatics, he collects them!)

best things to do mexico city guide cesar

Cesar has been working as a licensed guide since 2002. He is the master of making any tour flow smoothly.

César Tapia is Javier Tapia's younger brother. César has been working as a professional licensed guide (officially authorised by the Mexican Government) alongside Javier since 2002.

César is best known for his great sense of humour, his readiness to adapt to any situation, and his deep passion for Mexican history. When he is not on the job, he loves to take his dog for a walk and, like Javier, he has a definite soft spot for taking his cruiser style motorbikes out for a spin in the country.

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Our guides love their city, but they are not in love with the sound of their own voices!

They know the priority is the flow and feel of the day, so they adapt the amount & style of content to you.

Santiago Junior is open-minded and flexible so your day goes the way YOU want it to.



Santiago Jnr learned the ropes from his dad, Santiago Guerrero SNR (who also works with us). And frankly there is no better person in the world he could have learned from! Santiago Jnr has over 25 years experience as a guide. He specializes in pre-hispanic and colonial history and is adored by our visitors who have toured with him. 

mexico city highlights city tour guide Santiago senior

Our visitors love Santiago SNR for his winning combo of personality and knowledge.



Santiago is our oldest and most experienced guide. Don't let his age fool you. He has the physical and mental stamina of the Energizer bunny. Not that he has anything to prove. If you want get take your time to get more in-depth into local history, or you are travelling with a family that takes things slowly, Santiago adjusts to you. Santiago loves meeting new people and he loves his city, so being a guide is the perfect job for him. It's just as well he discovered that so early on in life. We think it's kept him in great shape!

mexico city professional guide stylewalk mx Carlos Calleja

Our visitors love Santiago SNR for his winning combo of personality and knowledge.


As an official licensed guide, Carlos has over twenty years experiencing providing tours for the St Regis, Hyatt Regency and the Four Seasons. Another history buff and collector of strange and interesting facts, he never stops researching new findings in the city or exploring new options for his return clients.. You should also ask him how many Harleys he owns....It's a theme amongst our handpicked team of professional guides!!

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Pyramid of Sun private tour no group!

My husband, adult son and I toured with Javier as our guide. The entire experience, from my initial email conversations with the Tour Coordinator, to pick up and drop off at our hotel, was easy and professional. Javier was an excellent guide.

Donna C, Calgary

YOUR BUTTERFLY TOUR ITINERARY

The tour to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary is a10 hour round trip departing Mexico City. It includes time to rest and get out 'n about.


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  08:00 Pick up from your Mexico City hotel /Airbnb - private guide &  luxury transport 

• 10:00 Arrive at the Temascaltepec Butterfly Sanctuary.
Take a short horse ride to the top of forest hilltops where the butterflies reside.

• Learn all about the migration movements & lifecycle of the Monarch Butterfly. 
Have quiet time to watch, enjoy & photograph the butterflies in their natural outdoor habitat.

 13:00 Stop for lunch at charming artisan's village of Valle de Bravo. 
Stroll the cobbled laneways of this official 'magic village'.
Browse the wares of the tiny workshops, should you wish. 

  16:00 Return trip to Mexico City

  18:00 Door-to-door service to your Hotel / Airbnb


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Talk to us about your tour

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Santiago was an excellent tour guide for our group of 8 adults. He is very knowledgeable, speaks excellent English, is good at reading his audience.


butterfly migration mexico


Monarch butterflies migrate to the same Oyamel Fir trees in Mexico, each and every year. 

This remains one of nature's compelling mysteries because it was their grandparents that visited those same trees last year, and not the butterflies we see today!

butterfly migration mexico
Pyramid of Sun private tour no group!

 The entire experience, from my initial email conversations with the Tour Coordinator, to pick up and drop off at our hotel, was easy and professional. 

Donna C, Calgary

ABOUT LUNCH & (optional) SHOPPING

After the sanctuary visit, we come down the hill to have lunch at a charming lakeside village, Valle del Bravo. Lunch is NOT included in your tour fees, so that you are not locked into what you eat or where.

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If you want a brief stroll thru the local artisanal shops at Valle del Bravo, you are absolutely free to. There is time to do this during the lunch break. 

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monarch butterfly migration mexico city private tour horse ride valle del bravo lunch stop
Pyramid of Sun private tour no group!

 The entire experience, from my initial email conversations with the Tour Coordinator, to pick up and drop off at our hotel, was easy and professional. 

Donna C, Calgary

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE DAY

Our guides understand that on a nature trip like this one, silence has it's place too. They will tell you some of the wonderful things you should know about the life of the Monarch Butterfly, BUT they will also let you just soak up the wonderful atmosphere too. They read your social cues and are careful not to destroy the peaceful tone of the sanctuary.


Such a journey!

The Monarch butterflies you'll visit, fly between12 -30 miles per hour, and will cover about 80 miles a day to arrive at the Temascaltépec Sanctuary - a rural area about two hours drive from central Mexico City.



You will arrive at the base of the sanctuary and take a horse trek up to the top to see the highest density of Monarch butterflies.

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Talk to us about your tour

READ OUR TRIPADVISOR REVIEWS 

Our professional guides take their job seriously. There are over 270 glowing TripAdvisor shout-outs to prove it!

see the stylewalk reviews on tripadvisor
Pyramid of Sun private tour no group!

We enjoyed a wonderful tour with Cesar Tapia. He was very professional and extremely knowledgeable (sic) He was friendly, easy to talk to, and tailor made the trip to our needs. I also greatly appreciated that Victor emailed me several times confirming our trip and giving me some advance information about our guide.

HOW DO I BOOK? (AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS?)

Your booking is reserved via our secure online booking platform.
Here's what to expect...

Click on the orange booking button.

Identify which tour slots are still available in our live bookings calendar. These are private tours. You do not share you tour with anyone else.

Complete a short online form about your wishlist interests & pet-hates, special requests.

Reserve your preferred time/day with our secure online payment gateway.

Receive an instant booking confirmation!  Your tour is 100% yours!

You'll receive detailed info about your guide -photo, mobile number name - in the lead up to your tour.

On the day of your tour, your guide-driver picks you up from your hotel/bnb and at tour's end drops you off there.

GUEST REVIEWS

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Monarch Butterfly Excursion Mexico
Average rating:  
 1 reviews
Dec 8, 2019
by Ocean Lovers on Monarch Butterfly Excursion Mexico



We travelled to Mexico City with our children ages 11 and 14 and chose Stylewalk Mexico for three excursions and airport transfer services. Prior to each tour we received a reminder of the time of departure, a map of our meeting place if it was different from our hotel, restaraunt reservations made for our connecting tours and a photo of our guide along with safety information. We found the city and tours to be safe and exceptionally well run from our booking experience with Victor to the individual guides making our holiday a wonderful experience.


Our third tour was again with Javier to the Monarch Sanctuary which was the most incredible experience! The trip to the sanctuary was 2.5 hours but a beautiful, scenic drive. At the sanctuary Javier helped us arrange horses to ride up the mountain and take us back down. At the top of the mountain we saw thousands of butterflies clustered on branches take flight as the air warmed. Butterflies landed and circled so close you could see the detail in their wings and bodies. This year the migration was strong and their numbers plentiful which made the experience amazing. Javier even pointed out the difference between a male and a female monarch. After the sanctuary Javier took us to Valle de Bravo for a lovely lunch by the beautiful lake before returning us back to our hotel by dinner time. It was a perfect day. I would advise people to bring a scarf or mask as the trail is dusty with the horses and drinking water. Restrooms on site charge you to use them so coins are nescessary. Horse rental was additional to the cost of the tour but well worth it since the altitude can make you feel short of breath and tired. We felt that the horses added to the experience and our boys loved riding. The horses were very mild tempered and easy for children to ride as each horse had a guide with it.


This company is exceptional and I would highly recommend them to make your vacation to Mexico City a wonderful experience. Thank you Stylewalk Mexico for a fantastic experience, you are the best!










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