Morelia

Almost one year ago I visited the Sierra Chincua butterfly sanctuary – a short distance from the small town of Angangueo, 110 km east of Morelia. Like most visitors, I took a horseback tour with a guide via the rough mountain trails.

From November to March, millions of Monarch butterflies, with their four-inch wingspans, cloak the trunks of the towering Oyamel fir trees and hang on boughs in clusters of tens of thousands in a sea of orange and black.

According to Monarch Watch, two colonies are present on Sierra Chincua this season. At El Rosario, which is always busier with tourists, there is one colony located to the NE of the sanctuary, so you will have to traverse the entire trail to see the butterflies.

In a repetition of the scenes in 1997 and 2002, a report this week suggests recent severe winter weather may have killed as many as 10% of the Monarchs.

Nevertheless, February is perhaps the best time to visit the area and our friend and pioneer of responsible tourism, Marlene Ehrenberg Enríquez, is organising a one-day tour of the sanctuary on 21 February. The tour will leave Mexico City at 07:00, returning about 17:00. The cost is 300 pesos – about $27 USD). Email Marlene, or visit her website for more information.

Funny, I wait at least 15 years before jumping up onto a horse I do not know and then two come along at once.

On Sunday I was persuaded against my better judgement to pay 100 pesos to ride on horseback to the entombed church at San Juan. We trod very gingerly through the lava field in sight of the Paricutín volcano.

Yesterday, more sensibly (at 10,000ft) we rode an exhilarating forest trail to witness the millions of wintering Monarch butterflies in the Sierra Chincua sanctuary. Being a Monday, we were almost alone, just like Prince Charles almost one year before… though he dropped in by chopper.

My mount on Monday was named El Vanidoso (“The Vain One”) but frankly I am only concerned that my backside recovers before the long drive to Puebla today.