Mexico
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The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London/Mexico City*, airport taxes, ground and boat transportation as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, local taxes, tips to hotels and restaurants, and the services of the leaders.
The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to the drivers and local guide, and other personal expenses. *For an ex-international flight cost (Mexico City / Mexico City) please deduct £645 from the tour cost. |
We combine two of the world's best wildlife spectacles - the gathering of millions of Monarch butterflies in Mexico's highlands, and the gathering of wintering whales off Baja California. Add Mexico's superb range of birdlife, and you have an unforgettable combination in a two-week tour |
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Mexico is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world with many endemic species. Our tour focuses on two very different migrations: the amazing Monarch butterfly which overwinters every year in the mountains north of Mexico and the no less spectacular Gray Whale which makes its way 9000 km from the coast of Alaska down to the peninsula of Baja California to give birth to its young. En route, we shall be visiting Valle de Bravo which is a very attractive valley surrounded by low mountains and good for butterflies and birds; Patzcuaro Lake considered the most beautiful in Mexico; Uruapan which enjoys a sub-tropical climate complete with waterfalls, lush forests and its own active volcano and Lagunas de Chapala, a wetland site renowned for birds, amphibians and mammals.
As well as millions of Monarchs (literally), we should see a good range of other butterflies including various Swallowtails, Fritillaries and Skippers. There is a new very comprehensive Field Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico which hopefully means we will be able to identify at least the majority of what we see. Birdlife should also be pretty prolific; a previous tour following a similar itinerary clocked up around 150 species including Ttrogons, orioles, grosbeaks and several species of hummingbirds. Mike Williams previously designed and led this tour for West Midlands Butterfly Conservation branch - it was his wonderful report in their local newsletter that alerted us to the trip's potential Itinerary Day 1 We fly from London to Mexico City, arriving late afternoon where we will be met by our guide, Eric Miranda. Once a chef, he has the reputation of knowing the best places to eat throughout Mexico - so we should not go hungry! Transfer to our hotel and a welcome dinner. Overnight Mexico City Days 2 - 4 In the morning, there will be an opportunity to visit Mexico's best known archaeological site at Teotihuacan. We will aim to get there early so that we can visit in the cool of the morning as it can get very busy later. Hugely impressive, the site is dominated by the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon which date back to around 100 AD. There will be plenty of time for exploration and visiting the various remains. After lunch, we head westwards out of Mexico City towards Valle de Bravo. This is a wooded, mountainous area of spectacular scenery which we will be able to explore at our leisure. The town itself is set in a pine clad valley on the eastern shore of Lago Avandaro and is a very pleasant relaxing spot. The lake itself supports a number of water birds including American Coot and Ring-billed Gull. We shall be staying at a comfortable 4 star hotel with its own swimming pool, 10 minutes from the centre of the town. Noticeably warmer than Mexico City, the next day should see our first butterflies of the trip with Julia and Zebra Heliconian, Red-bordered Pixie and the impressively large Giant White amongst our target species. Taking a picnic lunch, we shall spend time in a sheltered valley near Santo Tomas where flowery shrubs and other plants attract a good range of species. In the evening we will take dinner at a restaurant close to the lake. The following day we head for the El Capulin Monarch Sanctuary about 25km from Vallee de Bravo to obtain our first view of what is surely one of the modern day wonders of the world. The area occupied by the Monarchs varies from year to year but to reach the main area generally involves a steady walk uphill of around an hour. The good news is that horses are available and the track is broad and easy whether on foot or on horseback. One of the attractions of this particular sanctuary is that it is much less visited by tourists offering a sense of peace and solitude which adds to the experience. Monarchs are usually spotted well before the main colony is reached especially if it is a sunny morning. We return to our hotel for dinner. Three nights Valle de Bravo Days 5 - 6 Today we make our way to Tlalpujahua, an old gold mining town where its past riches are reflected in its huge and very flamboyant cathedral which dominates the town centre. It is still possible to visit the old mines which have been turned into a museum but the town these days is equally famous for its Xmas decorations factory! Lunch en route will be taken at Rancho les Cedros which is a private home with a pleasant family atmosphere and the promise of good food. Eric was brought up here so is well acquainted with many of the local populace! Tlalpujahara is well placed for visiting the Monarch sanctuaries of the surrounding mountains and will be our base for two nights. The following day, we shall visit what is the best known (and still the largest) Monarch overwintering site in the world at El Rosario. The walk involves a steady climb of around 900 feet but we shall take it very slowly as there is plenty to see on the way. Again, there are many different flowers and birds to enjoy including more species of Salvia and Geraniums. If conditions are suitable we should soon see Monarchs gliding past but this just serves to raise a sense of anticipation as we approach the main colony. The size of the colony here is stupendous, in good years covering an area of six hectares. The trunks of the pine trees are covered in layers of butterflies with branches and needles weighed down by the sheer volume of insects. One observer described the overall effect as being that it looked as if all the trees had died but that the apparently dead foliage clinging to the tree were in fact butterflies. The number of Monarchs in these fir forests in Michoacan is estimated at up to 150 million but no-one is really sure. What is known is that every spring the butterfly heads north on a 4500 km migration which sees them colonise much of North America before returning every autumn to this small area of Mexico where they find a suitable microclimate to see them through the winter. Monarchs begin to arrive in November but it is January and February when numbers peak. Two nights Tlalpujahua Days 7 - 8 Today we say goodbye to Tlalpujahua and its Monarchs and once more begin our journey to the west. Our destination is Patzcuaro, a town with striking colonial architecture alongside its beautiful lake. The lake holds a good selection of waterbirds including Marsh Wrens, Sora Rails, the endemic Black-polled Yellowthroat and the attractive Tricoloured Heron. The town is known for its Day of the Dead celebrations which occur in November when literally thousands of people head for an island on the lake carrying offerings of fruit and flowers to the cemetery where a candlelit vigil is held. Perhaps more intriguingly the guidebook also refers to the use by local fishermen of 'butterfly nets', for catching fish presumably rather than butterflies but definitely something to look out for. The area around Patzcuaro marks the start of what Mexicans call the ‘Hot Lands' and the weather should be appreciably warmer than what we have experienced up to now. The following day, we shall visit Arroyo Frio, which is a really good spot for butterflies and birds. Nymphalids, Swallowtails and Skippers are particularly well represented and this should prove a good opportunity to add to our butterfly list. In the afternoon, we should have time for a look around Tacambaro, a very pleasant town full of historic buildings with an excellent climate. Two nights Patzcuaro Days 9 - 10 Volcanoes are very much the theme of this stage of the tour as, en route to Uruapan, we pass several including the relatively new and still active volcano of Paricutin which only dates from 1943. We shall take a break at Lake Zirahuen which is a good spot for water birds and spend time at a butterfly site near Tingambato where there are also some impressive archaeological remains. Uruapan itself enjoys a sub-tropical climate and we shall have the opportunity of seeing the waterfalls and forests which form part of a small national park within the city itself. One of the town's modern claims to fame is that it is the global capital of the avocado! We shall stay overnight at one of the town's finest hotels, right at the entrance to the park with beautiful grounds and its own pool. After breakfast, we will take an early morning walk in the national park before heading out of the city to Tzararacua where we will enjoy a picnic lunch. There are some fantastic waterfalls here which we will walk down to, butterflying and birding as we go. Two nights Uruapan Day 11 Guadalajara is Mexico's second largest city but has a very different feel to the capital, retaining still lots of parks, old colonial squares and open space. En route from Uruapan, we will call in at the Salunas de Chapala which is a RAMSAR wetland site renowned for its birds, amphibians and mammals. Our hotel is away from the bustle of the city centre set high on a hill in its own grounds with impressive all round views. Overnight Guadalajara Day 12 Our hotel is close to the airport which is where we head the following morning for our early morning flight to La Paz, the main city on Baja California. This 800 mile peninsula is very different to the rest of Mexico and is particularly renowned for its sea mammals which will provide a focus for the remaining days of our tour. Today, as an introduction, we take a boat trip to Isla Espiritu Santo where there is a large colony of Californian Sealions to be seen. Our hotel is right on the seafront and a stroll along the promenade will produce a good selection of gulls and waders as well as views of terns, frigatebirds and pelicans fishing out to sea. Overnight La Paz Day 13 After breakfast, we cross the peninsula to the west coast. The landscape is quite extraordinary: very dry and arid and dominated by giant cacti and other succulent plants. The lagoons off the Pacific coast of Baja California, together with the Sea of Cortez which separates the peninsula from mainland Mexico, have probably the highest density of marine mammals of anywhere in the world. We will be based on the west coast around Magdalena Bay where each year Gray Whales gather in the shallow waters to give birth. Most births occur between 5th January and 15th February and the mother whales and their calves usually stay well inshore so our chances of enjoying good views are high. There is something incredibly moving about seeing these gentle giants close to and we should be able to see all aspects of their natural behaviour including breaching and spy-hopping. Now fully protected, the numbers of these wonderful mammals has increased from a very low ebb at the height of whaling to around twenty thousand. Eco-tourism has played a big part in this dramatic recovery and we shall take a trip by boat out into the bay to see the whales. Sealions and Dolphins can also be occasionally spotted and there is a varied birdlife to enjoy with Ospreys, Magnificent Frigatebirds and the endangered Californian Brown Pelican all fishing offshore. We stay for one night in a hotel right on the side of the bay. Overnight Lopez Mateos Day 14 Today, offers a second chance to see Gray Whales followed by a picnic lunch on Isla Magdalena in the middle of the lagoon. In the afternoon, we return to La Paz arriving in plenty of time for our farewell dinner at the hotel. Overnight La Paz Day 15 This is our final day in Mexico and we shall catch an early morning departure from La Paz airport to connect to our return flight from Mexico City to London arriving on Day 16. Accommodation will be in hotels or lodges with all rooms en suite. Some of the lodges are remote, and have simpler-style rooms, often in cabins. Transport is by small coach or minibus. Horses are available at the Monarch sites! Walking: Some forest trails can be steep in parts, but we take these slowly. We travel up to over 3,000m., but will not be walking much at this altitude. Leaders: Mike Williams and Eric Miranda Numbers: Max. 14 clients |
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