"El Rosario" Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary

Amazing. Make sure to get there earlier. The hike is about 45mon to an hour up. Or you can ride a horse. But try and get there and time the hike so you will be up in the forest when the sun it fully shining around noon. The butterflies won't swarm/fly until they are warmed by the sun. Definitely a bucket list activity.

AMAZING! No words to describe how amazing this is. Best time: November - March on sunny days. Came here by a tour from Morelia (3 hour drive). Entrance fee is 150p per person. The first part is a bit of a climb (stairs, not extremely hard), but you can take a horse if you'd like. You'll see some butterflies but there's loads more to come. You can go with a guide (recommend, our guide Eva was very passionate and told us so much). The stairs and the horse ride and in a meadow. Here, there's more butterflies. From this part on, it's only possible to walk up. Be quiet or whisper from this point up until the top!!! It's a 10/20 minute walk to the top where the trees are flooded with the butterflies. The walk is incredible. ‼️ ‼️ Important ‼️‼️ Do NOT touch the butterflies. They have poison on their wings. If they get stressed or feel threatened they will release the poison. However, once they've done this, they won't be able to fly anymore. The guides speak little English, it's hard for them to tell this tot non-Spanish speaking visitors. If you or your children cannot behave (e.g. catching butterflies, screaming) or you as a parent are incompetent to make them (looking at you, woman with the striped scarf). Do NOT come here.

Visited on 2-15-26 , a Sunday, with my husband. We picked up a guide at the intersection (highly recommend, I know it seems shady but that’s where the road meets to go to all sanctuaries so they stop there. We’ve always picked one and love having them come along. They have great information, advice and tips.) First, let me say there are 900+ steps at an incline, 90% of the trail are steps and all incline. Second, the elevation is 10,000 to 11,000 feet above sea level and I could feel each and every one going up. I’m from the Midwest as flat land as it gets (2000+ ft. Above sea level), but with our guide’s patience and encouragement, I did it. So beware if you have heart issues, hypertension or bad knees. Is it worth it? 1000%, yes. There are so much more butterflies than any other butterfly sanctuary. There are many souvenir shops as well as local kitchens where food is cooked to order. Food was ok, nothing to write home about. (Best food is at Sierra Chincua). We did purchase some fresh fruit and take some tasty treats for the road from the ladies selling at the stands. If you go, take water and a snack in case you need an energy boost. Respect the sanctuary and don’t be loud, if you listen to music, use ear buds. It’s a long walk for adults, let alone small children, take a carrier backpack if possible. Use the restroom as the entrance as it’s the only one there. Pay close attention to water streams, the butterflies congregate there to drink water. Take your time when you see them, take it all in, if you have binoculars take them. Wear a hat and sunscreen, comfortable shoes and a walking stick. They walking sticks at the entrance or some people gift them on their way down to others. If you come prepared, you will enjoy it much more. I highly recommend it, just be prepared and build up your endurance by walking every day before going and enjoy.

Awe inspiring experience. Arrived around 9:30, hoping for breakfast at the restaurant. That was the only disappointment of the day as the food was mediocre. Took horses up the steep incline then walked about 10 min to an area nearly saturated with monarchs. Trees were covered with them, as were the sunny open areas of the forest. You could even hear them when it was quiet, sounded like running water. Stayed til around 1:00 and rode back down. Monarchs decided to fly down the hills and there were tons of them in the entry to the sanctuary by early afternoon. As previously mentioned, no crowds as it was a weekday. Experience of a lifetime!

Unique experience to try once in a lifetime at least . This place is magical even though we got there early and the butterflies were not active yet but it was something to see and admire. Co e check ig out if you want to spend some time with these magical creatures ✨️.

El Rosario is nothing short of magical. We had perfect weather and low crowds. The monarchs were flying EVERYWHERE! I would definitely recommend hiring a horse for the trip up the mountain. Walking down is far easier. We loved every moment and words can't describe what an amazing experience it is!

It was an incredible experience. The hike is moderate and there are guides along the way. We arrived early, right when they opened and got lucky by seeing many monarchs. By the time we were done, staff started to close the upper section as the butterflies started to fly down. We spent the night before in Angangueo and drove less than 10 minutes to the parking lot. Highly recommended for anyone who hasn't experienced Monarch butterflies.

Wow!!! So many butterflies. This is a bucket list place to visit. I recommend the horse ride to save about 15 minutes of steep uphill hiking. Our family split and two of us rode while the other two walked. The hikers got more interaction with the guide, who was very nice and helpful in pointing out different plants and things along the way. There are lots of opportunities to buy souvenirs and good food. The Monarchs are a precious miracle of nature. I really appreciate the sanctuaries and all the effort that people in Mexico, the USA, and Canada are making to save habitat and plant milkweed along the migration route. We can all contribute and let the government know it's more important than logging or farming in these unique places. This is the reason we came to Mexico. It was totally worth it!