Abigail_H, Mar 2026
The most efficient way to see the monarchs
We were two girlfriends (Americans) traveling together, and seeing the monarchs was the ultimate reason for our trip to Mexico, so we were willing to splurge a bit to see them. In reality, while the cost of this tour seemed like a splurge at the time of booking, when you take into account the distance from Morelia to the sanctuaries, it would have been very difficult to find a better deal that was both as convenient and as efficient as this tour was. We had read such fabulous reviews about Alfredo as a tour guide, and we were excited to meet him, but instead he brought in his partner Rubén to serve as our guide for the day. However, Rubén was amazing, and we had a wonderful time with him. He was friendly, funny, hospitable, and even helped me practice my Spanish a bit! He spoke English well (he lived on the south side of Chicago for many years!) and we were able to communicate easily (I have some Spanish, but my travel partner had less, so I was specifically looking for an English tour so that she would not miss out on any aspect of the experience). Alfredo and Rubén both communicated with me via WhatsApp before our tour so that we would know what to expect. We were picked up and dropped off directly at our hotel in Morelia, which was awesome and unexpected as the booking listed Burger King as the meeting point. Rubén was right on time for pick-up. The booking indicated that meals would not be included, but we stopped for breakfast about halfway through the drive in Maravatío. When my friend and I went to pay, Rubén informed us that breakfast was included. Another nice surprise! We had packed snacks, so we did not end up stopping for lunch, but I am confident that Rubén would have taken us somewhere for lunch if we had asked. He did a great job of offering at multiple points during the trip to stop for bathrooms or water. Notably, I am prone to motion sickness, and the drive was at times steep, windy, and absolutely full of speedbumps - but I never felt the least bit sick the whole drive - a testament to Rubén's smooth driving! The drive was between 3 and 4 hours each way. We visited El Rosario and not Sierra Chincua - Rubén told us that Sierra Chincua is more "rustic." When we arrived, Rubén left us in the capable hands of the guides that El Rosario provides to each group hiking or riding horses up the mountain. Our wonderful guide was Elvia, who has been serving as a guide at El Rosario for 22 years! Fair warning: If you are not used to altitude, the hike is strenuous and challenging! But it is relatively short (just over 1 mile to the top, then 1 mile down), and you can choose to ride a horse to the top if you don't wish to hike. The horses would have cost an additional 300 MXN/~17 USD, but admission to the sanctuary was included in the cost of the tour. After the tour, Rubén sent us some great photos he had taken of us and some recommendations for the rest of our brief stay in Morelia. We couldn't have asked for a better way to see the monarchs!
