Every winter, something close to a miracle arrives at Cerro Pelon. Monarch butterflies, which have flown from Canada and the northern United States, a journey of some four thousand kilometres, gather in the oyamel fir forests of the high volcanic mountains on the border between Michoacan and the State of Mexico. They cluster in the millions on the trunks and branches, so thick that the boughs bend under their weight, and when the sun hits them they leave the trees in a swirl of orange that sounds like rain. The sanctuaries here are part of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve.
The butterflies are only present from about November to March, and the best displays come on warm, sunny days in January and February, when the colony wakes up and flies down to drink. Cerro Pelon is one of the quieter sanctuaries, reached by a long and fairly strenuous walk or a horse ride on a steep forest trail, at an altitude of about three thousand metres. The air is thin, cool and smells of fir resin, and it is very quiet if you keep your voice down. Local guides from the nearby communities run the visits, and it matters to go with them, as the forest is also their livelihood, saved from loggers by the butterflies.
The ride up is the other half of the experience. The roads on the approach are mountain roads with tight bends, patchy surfaces and a good deal of loose gravel, and the last stretch is often unpaved. The villages are small, with a few shops and little fuel, so fill the tank in a bigger town such as Zitacuaro before you leave. Rain and mist can arrive quickly, and winter mornings are cold enough to need a proper jacket.
Respect the rules at the sanctuary. You must not touch the butterflies or shout, and flash photography is not welcome. In return, you will get one of the great natural spectacles of the continent, and a very good plate of quesadillas at a roadside stall on the way home.