We have designed this winter excursion to focus on the phenomenon of North America’s migratory Monarch butterflies. Three full days are set aside to visit two different sanctuaries and learn about Mexican efforts to promote environmentally-sound economic practices in the delicate eco-system of the Sierra Madre. Besides being educational, we want this trip to be fun as well. That’s why we’ve included time to meet local people, time to swim, to sample delicious Mexican cooking, time to visit the major historical sites of Michoacán. All this while being warmed by the Mexican sunshine. Come join us on this late-winter adventure. Follow the butterflies to the warm mountains of Mexico.
Day 1 Saturday
You will be greeted when you arrive at Morelia’s international airport and driven 15 km. to the town of Zinapécuaro, which is the home-base of the CONOCER program. There you will be introduced to your host family and given time to wash up and get your bearings before gathering for orientation. You will meet the other participants and the tour leaders, as well as receive your packet with maps, itinerary and general information. !Bienvenidos y buenas noches! Meals: dinner
Day 2 Sunday
You will begin your day with a hearty home-cooked Mexican breakfast with your host family. Depending on how your morning goes, you may want to explore the market and plaza of the town to get the feel of an ordinary town in the Sierra Madre. At noon, you and your host family will go to the hot springs/water park at the edge of town. Before the Spanish Conquest, Zinapécuaro was the site of the temple of the Mother goddess of the Purepecha people. The water of the hot springs there bubbles out of the earth at 83 degrees F, pure and warm all year round. You will have your choice of several swimming pools and enjoy a midday buffet under the palm trees of the Atzimba resort. In the evening you will be introduced to the intricacies of the Mexican train, a favorite variation on the game of dominoes. (Lots of fun with little necessity to speak Spanish!) You will spend your second night with your host family. Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3 Monday
After breakfast with your host family, you will set off from Zinapécuaro with a bag lunch. You will travel in a comfortable chauffer-driven van for about one hour to reach the Sierra Chincua Butterfly Preserve. Indigenous tour guides will lead our group on a rugged dirt trail up into a forest of towering pine and oyamel; for those who prefer not to walk, horses will be available. At a distance of 3 km. we will begin to glimpse Monarch butterflies more and more often until we come to the main colony with millions of them quietly resting in clusters so heavy that they weigh down the branches of the trees. This is the miraculous place where butterflies that left the Midwest in August were mysteriously drawn to rest through the winter months.
When you have drunk your fill of the amazing sight and sound of the butterflies in this sanctuary, we will return to the entrance to the Preserve and enjoy a meal of fresh-made tacos in a rustic restaurant run by indigenous families. We will then travel to the picturesque town of Tlapujahua where we will spend the night at the Hotel Mineral.
Meals: breakfast, lunch
Day 4 Tuesday
We will have breakfast at a family-owned restaurant at 9:00 am, and then set out to visit Dos Estrellas Mine. A century ago, this was the largest producer of gold and silver in the entire world. Supported by the long term dictator, Profirio Diaz, and exploited by the Frenchman, Fournier, the mine museum dramatically displays the good and the evil of foreign investment in Mexico. Mid-day meal will be at a locally-owned restaurant. In the beginning of the 20th century, Tlapujahua was a thriving mining town with cinemas, fancy department stores and a baseball league that drew the New York Yankees. There will be time in the evening for a light meal and a stroll through the historic town before turning in for your 2nd night at the Hotel Mineral.
Day 5 Wednesday
We will rise early to set out after breakfast to the sanctuary of El Rosario. The approach to this Monarch preserve is by a well-maintained trail that has stairs and places to rest, but it is still a demanding hike up into the forest for almost an hour. If we are lucky, the sun will be shining and we will be able to see the resting butterflies stir themselves and flutter in the warm mountain air. The town of El Rosario has a thriving eco-tourism trade, again to encourage the local population to earn money from tourism rather than from cutting trees. We will enjoy a rustic, tasty meal in a family restaurant. By the end of the day you will be back in Zinapécuaro for one last night with your host family. Meals: dinner
Day 6 Thursday
After breakfast, you will have time to explore the tianguis or weekly street market where townspeople buy everything from underwear to canaries to fresh-caught fish. Then we will set out by bus to the town of Tzintzuntzan. Situated on the eastern edge of Lake Patzcuaro, this was the political capital of the Purepecha Empire, the site of archeological ruins that attest to the sophistication of the pre-Columbian civilization of Michoacán. The Europeans deliberately dismantled the temples that they found and used the mammoth stones to construct a monastery and church. We will visit this sleepy town that embodies so much history, have a hot meal with hand-made tortillas warm from the grill, and then head to the island of La Pacanda. The indigenous community of this island received a grant from the Mexican government to transform a run-down Spanish garrison into an eco-tourist hotel. We will spend the night on La Pacanda.
Meals: breakfast, lunch
Day 7 Friday
You will have breakfast on La Pacanda and then set out to the mainland city of Patzcuaro. This was the capital of Michoacán during the colonial period and continues to be a place where barefooted Purepechas walk side by side with high-heeled Europeans. This is a good place for handcrafts, a good place for ice cream, a good place to stroll the quaint streets or enjoy the sunshine in the two main plazas. After a main meal in Patzcuaro, we will head to Morelia by bus and check into the Hotel Alameda after a full day of traveling. Meals: breakfast
Day 8 Saturday
You will have this day to explore the beautiful city of Morelia. In recognition of the colonial architecture of the city center, Morelia has been designated a World Heritage site by the United Nations. There are sidewalk cafes galore, strolling musicians, bookstores, museums, murals, and a whole clutch of Baroque churches. Some people consider this to be the “Paris of Mexico” and you will have the whole day to explore it. At 9 p.m. we will join hundreds of Morelianos to watch the weekly fireworks at the cathedral square. We will cap off the evening – and our trip as well – with a program of Latin music and dance at El Colibri, a cabaret that is dedicated to promoting Latin American music. The next morning it will be time to return to the airport and head back to the frozen north.
Day 9 Sunday
Departure. Vans, taxis etc will deliver you to the airport.
Must be paid in full by January 15, 2017: $1,200/person
Discounted price: $11000/person for those who register by Dec 31, 2016.
Deposit of $200 required to hold reservations.
Group size limited to 15 people. Register NOW 
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