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Monarch Butterflies and Holy Week in Mexico
offered by supplier M15364 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 9
- 10
day(s)
Group Size: 8
- 12
people
Destination(s):
Mexico
Specialty Categories:
Wildlife Viewing
Crafts Tours
Season: January - March
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 2800 US Dollar (USD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 3200 US Dollar (USD)
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Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Morelia, transfer to hotel, Suites Galeria, light snack at the Portales, across from the Cathedral, which is illuminated at night!(D)
Day 2: Breakfast at hotel, followed by guided walking tour of Morelia, the capital of Michoacan and a colonial gem! Morelia is a conservative city with deep traditions in higher education, music and the arts. Highlights include: The Government Palace and Alfredo Zalce Murals, Palace of Justice, Cathedral, Temple of the Roses, the former Aqueduct, and the outstanding House of “Artesanias”. We enjoy a fabulous welcome dinner at one of Morelia’s top rated restaurants.(B, D)
Day 3: Breakfast at hotel, we have the morning to freely explore in Morelia, followed by mid-day transfer to Uruapan, the heart of the Purepecha Plateau and home to the Eduardo Ruiz National Park. Upon arrival, we will check into our colonial garden hotel Mansion del Cupatitzio and enjoy relaxing by the pool in this high tropical setting.(B, D)
Day 4: Today is Palm Sunday, and no where is this Holy Day more vibrant and alive than in Uruapan, where “Domingo de Ramos” is known for one of the most important juried art and craft fairs in the country. If you are a Mexican craft enthusiast, this event is the one you want to see. Artisans from the State of Michoacan display their masterpieces including various pottery styles, vegetable fiber creations, textiles, and hammered copper. Our day is dedicated to this spectacular annual event. (B)
Day 5: Breakfast at hotel, followed by morning guided visit to the National Park, a lush and tropical paradise of wild orchids, banana trees, birds of paradise and waterfalls! In the afternoon, we journey to Angahuan to visit the village and to meet up with our Tarascan guides for an adventurous trek by horse back to view the ruins left by the eruption of Paricutin in 1943.(B,L)
Day 6: Breakfast at hotel followed by journey into the Purepecha Plateau to visit the Purepecha villages of Pomacuaran, Paracho, Nurio and Cocucho. In these indigenous communities, we will learn about the churches and hospitals that were established during the evangelization period, and the efforts to restore and preserve these historic gems. In addition, we will visit homes and workshops of local artisans in Cocucho to see the famous “cocuchas”, life size burnished pots that date back to pre-Hispanic times.(B,L)
Day 7: After breakfast, we travel to the lakeside community of Patzcuaro, stopping at the ruins of the pre-Hispanic Purepecha empire in Tzintzuntzan. Little is known about the early Purepecha people, but it is believed that they are descendents of peoples from northwestern Mexico, known as the Chichimecas. We spend time visiting the present day village and artisans of Tzintzuntzan. From here, we travel to the artisan community of Santa Clara del Cobre, where the ancient tradition of hammered copper thrives to this day. We enjoy a brief orientation to the town of Patzucuaro, followed by free time to explore independently. (B,L)
Day 8: Today, we take a wonderful guided Lakeside drive and tour to visit the numerous artisan villages that surround Lake Patzcuaro. We make stops in the villages of Tocuaro, which is known for wooden mask carving, Erongaricuro, and Santa Fe de la Laguna, the first town founded by Vasco de Quiroga. Our afternoon ends with a transfer to Morelia, where we once again get to stroll in this colonial city known for its pink stone buildings dating back to the 1500’s. (B, L)
Day 9: Leaving the world of art and history behind, we embark on a one of a kind nature trek to witness one of the Western Hemisphere’s great natural phenomena: the winter home of the monarch butterflies, that migrate each year to the Transvolcanic mountains of central Mexico. Millions and millions of butterflies fly south each year, to exactly the same location. It wasn't until 1975 that the scientific community finally tracked down the wintering sites of the Monarch in Mexico. Until then, the Monarch butterflies' winter hideouts had been a secret known only to local villagers and landowners. The sites the Monarchs use during the winter have particular characteristics that enable their survival, such as trees on which to cluster, to protect them from the wind. Nearby trees, streams, underbrush, and fog or clouds all form an intricate natural ecosystem that forms the monarchs' winter habitat. These conditions are found in oyamel fir forests, which occur in a very small area of mountain tops in central Mexico. Returning to Morelia, we enjoy a farewell dinner (B,D)
Day 10: Depart for Home (B)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
North America
Mexico
Wildlife Viewing
Crafts Tours
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