Best value
Morelia day tour, Plaza de Armas
Pick it if you want the lowest price and a later start, with a SECTUR-licensed guide and the entry ticket included.
Meets
Morelia sign, Plaza de Armas
Start
9:00
$106 per personCheck dates
Open late Nov – Mar · densest Jan–Feb
Closer to the colonies
Monarch Butterfly Tour from Morelia
Two GetYourGuide tours leave Morelia for the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacán, and both include the entry ticket. The cheaper one costs $106 per person, leaves at 9:00 and has ★ 4.5 from 38 reviews. The other costs $179, leaves at 7:30, offers a private car and has ★ 4.6 from 13 reviews. Itineraries allow about 3 hours each way.
Morelia day tour
$106 ppCheck dates
$106 ppCheck dates
- Tours2
- From$106 pp
- Road~3 h each way
- Entryincluded
Side by side
Which monarch butterfly tour from Morelia to book
Pick the Plaza de Armas tour if you want the lower price, a later 9:00 start and the most reviews. Pick the guided day trip if you want an earlier start, a private car for up to three people or more time on the trails: its itinerary lists about 2.5 hours in the reserve. Both include entry and an English-speaking guide.
Both tours include
Entry ticketTransport from MoreliaEnglish-speaking guide
Source: GetYourGuide tour pages and live prices for a December date, read Nov 2026. Prices change by date.
Hour by hour
Morelia monarch butterfly tour: how the day runs
Both tours follow the same shape: about three hours by road into the mountains, a guided walk to the colony, and about three hours back. The guided day trip publishes its itinerary hour by hour, shown below. Guests on both tours mention a breakfast stop on the way. The Plaza de Armas tour’s page advises eating before you leave.
17:30 startGuillermo Prieto 30, Morelia
2~3 h drivevolcanic mountains, breakfast stop
3Trail, ~1 hwalk and photo stops
4Colony, ~30 minmonarchs between the firs
5Trail back, ~1 hthen optional regional lunch
6~3 h backdrop-off at the start point
Source: GetYourGuide itinerary of the guided day trip from Morelia; guest reviews, Nov 2026.
Where they go
Morelia monarch butterfly sanctuary: which part of the reserve
Both operators say only “Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve” and do not name the sanctuary, so ask them if one site matters to you. In the Michoacán part of the reserve, the sanctuaries open for 2026–27 are El Rosario, Sierra Chincua and Senguio. El Rosario held last season’s largest colony, about 1.62 of the 2.93 hectares counted.
Pick your base
Morelia vs Mexico City as a base for the monarch butterfly tour
Morelia is closer to the Michoacán sanctuaries than Mexico City, and its tours cost less: $106 against $292 for the cheapest shared tour from the capital to the same side of the reserve. Mexico City has more tours and the Valle de Bravo option. Both governments make an exception for Morelia in their Michoacán warnings, provided you arrive by air or the listed toll roads.
Travel advisories. The US State Department rates Michoacán Level 4, “Do not travel”, but allows Morelia by air or via Federal Highways 43 and 48D. The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Michoacán, except Morelia by federal toll roads 15D, 126 and 43. Read both pages before booking.
Sources: travel.state.gov (updated Aug 2025); gov.uk foreign travel advice, read Nov 2026.
Staying in Morelia?
Things to do in Morelia around your monarch butterfly tour
Most visitors spend a night or two in Morelia around the sanctuary day, and this site covers only the monarch tours. For the city itself, here is GetYourGuide’s Morelia selection.
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Without a tour
mountain road through the reserve
forest trail in the reserve
hikers on a forest path
Monarch butterfly tour from Morelia on your own
By car, the reserve is about 2 hours from Morelia via Zitácuaro and Angangueo, though tours allow 3 hours each way with stops. There is no direct bus to the sanctuaries, and return taxis from Angangueo are not guaranteed. A tour also saves you from driving mountain roads in an area covered by travel warnings.
About 2 hours
By car the reserve is about 2 hours from Morelia via Zitácuaro and Angangueo, with the last stretch on mountain roads. Tours allow about 3 hours each way with a breakfast stop. Michoacán carries US and UK warnings outside Morelia itself.
~2 hvia Zitácuaro
Or compare the tours →mountain road through the reserveNo direct bus
There is no direct bus to the sanctuaries. You would ride to Zitácuaro and continue by taxi, and return taxis from Angangueo are not guaranteed, so agree the ride back before you go up.
bus + taxiagree the return
Tours with transport →forest trail in the reserveNo tours listed
No GetYourGuide monarch tour starts in Pátzcuaro. Most visitors travel to Morelia first and join a tour from the centre: the Plaza de Armas tour leaves at 9:00 and the guided day trip at 7:30.
via Morelia9:00 or 7:30
Morelia tours →hikers on a forest pathSources: route planners; travel guides, Nov 2026.
Plan the month
Best time to visit, month by month →
When to take a monarch butterfly tour from Morelia
Morelia tours run while the sanctuaries are open, from late November to the end of March. Late January and February bring the densest colonies and the most flight on sunny afternoons, and weekdays are quieter than weekends. Book a weekday if you can; mid-week trails are calmer.
Apr – Octclosed
FebruaryPeak flight
Large colonies plus warmer afternoons: the classic month to go, and the busiest. Pick a weekday if you can.
Apr – Octclosed
NovemberArrival
Monarchs arrive in late October and early November and gather into colonies. Sanctuaries open late in the month, so clusters are still small.
Apr – Octclosed
DecemberClusters settle
Colonies settle on the firs. Cold mornings keep clusters closed; sunny middays bring the first big flights.
Apr – Octclosed
JanuaryDensest clusters
The densest colonies of the season, with branches bending under the weight. Flights grow longer by late January.
Apr – Octclosed
MarchDeparture
Colonies thin out as the monarchs head north; sanctuaries close at the end of the month. Go early in March.
Verified bookings · both Morelia tours
Morelia monarch butterfly tour reviews
Both Morelia tours score well: 4.5 stars from 38 reviews for the Plaza de Armas tour and 4.6 from 13 for the guided day trip. Guests name the same guide, Alfredo, again and again, praise the breakfast stop and the videos on the drive, and call the road long but scenic.
Swipe · 6
JJanice
★★★★★ 5.0
★★★★★ 5.0
“I enjoyed the entire day. The road trip was long but the scenery was beautiful and the well timed stops made the travel comfortable.”
Morelia day tour, Plaza de ArmasCheck dates →
SStan
★★★★★ 5.0
★★★★★ 5.0
“Alfredo picked us up at our hotel. He is very knowledgeable and could tell us a lot about the monarchs, their migration and also about the local surroundings in Morelia and Michoacan.”
Morelia day tour, Plaza de ArmasCheck dates →
TTerry
★★★★★ 5.0
★★★★★ 5.0
“Wonderful experience. Alfredo was excellent. The drive is tough but broken up with a stop along the way at a fabulous restaurant with great food. The butterflies were swarming everywhere.”
Morelia guided day tripCheck dates →
GGeorgina
★★★★★ 5.0
★★★★★ 5.0
“It was an amazing trip. On the way there, we stopped for a delicious and filling breakfast then the tour guides put videos about the butterflies and history of the area.”
Morelia guided day tripCheck dates →
LLinda
★★★★★ 5.0
★★★★★ 5.0
“Alfredo was a convivial, knowledgeable guide who went out of his way to answer all of our questions.”
Morelia guided day tripCheck dates →
HHunter
★★★★★ 5.0
★★★★★ 5.0
“An amazing experience, organised really well. As a solo traveller I was able to join this tour, which a lot of others didn't permit.”
Morelia guided day tripCheck dates →
Quick answers
Morelia monarch butterfly tour FAQ
How far is the monarch sanctuary from Morelia?
About 2 hours by car; tour itineraries allow about 3 hours each way with stops. The day →
What time do Morelia tours leave?
7:30 for the guided day trip and 9:00 for the Plaza de Armas tour. Compare tours →
Is the entrance fee included?
Yes, on both. The Plaza de Armas tour lists the 150 MXN sanctuary ticket; the guided day trip lists admission to the protected areas. Tickets →
Can I ride a horse?
Horses are offered at the Michoacán sanctuaries for about 200 MXN each way, in cash; neither tour includes one. Extra costs →
Is Morelia safer than going from Mexico City?
Both the US and UK warnings for Michoacán exempt Morelia itself when reached by air or toll road; the sanctuaries are outside that exception. Read the official pages before you book. Advisories →
Is there a private tour from Morelia?
Yes. The guided day trip offers a private car for one to three people. Guided day trip →
Can I get there by bus from Morelia?
Only partly: there is no direct bus to the sanctuaries, so you would need a bus to Zitácuaro and a taxi. On your own →
Can I go from Pátzcuaro?
No GetYourGuide tour starts in Pátzcuaro; most visitors base themselves in Morelia. Morelia tours →
★ 4.5 from 38 · entry included
Check dates for the monarch butterfly tour from Morelia
Meet at the Morelia sign on Plaza de Armas at 9:00, with transport, a licensed guide, insurance and the 150 MXN sanctuary ticket included.
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