"M" for Mexico (part 10)

Last but not least, Mexico is the Monarch Butterflies!

Each November millions of Monarch Butterflies fly more than 4,000 kilometers, or around 120 kilometers per day for 2 months, from Canada to the state of Michoacán in Mexico.

They overwinter until March in one of the seven sanctuaries of the Reserva de la Biósfera Santuario Mariposa Monarca - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The Monarchs mate - sometimes for up to 16 hours - in Mexico and then fly north to lay their eggs in the milkweed of the southern United States before continuing back to Canada.

With a life cycle of 6 to 8 weeks, it is a multi-generational migration and only the fourth or fifth generation of the butterflies who started the journey in Canada arrive in Mexico, and vice versa. 

Their navigation skills passed on from generation to generation are mesmerizing…

Seeing this wonder was high on our bucket list and we tried to find a way to reach Santuario El Rosario, the most visited reserve because of the numbers of Monarch Butterflies you can see. It is a 3 to 4 hour-drive away from Mexico City and it was not easy to organize but when there is a will, there is a way! What we witnessed was much more than what we had expected! 

It felt almost like a fairytale…

The butterflies move all the time around the sanctuary and on the day we visited, we had to hike a steep path up to an altitude of around 3,400 meters, deep in the oyamel fir tree forest, to meet them.

You can also ride a horse for part of the trail on the way up.

The spot the butterflies had chosen was so quiet and the temperatures - pleasantly cool.

We saw not hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands, but millions of butterflies flying everywhere around us... 

Sometimes they were even bumping into us… 

Shivering together in the sunlight, they were recharging like solar panels... 

And then they were flying away again in search of nectar and water...

Watching them run their daily errands was out of this world…

They were so delicate...

Locals say the Monarch Butterflies are the souls of the dead returning to Mexico following el Día de Muertos. 

In the villages around Santuario El Rosario, the women embroider images of these delicate creatures on beautiful handkerchiefs and table cloths and local painters have turned these cuties into spectacular street art.

Monarch butterflies are so famous that they are even on the 100 pesos note!

If you are a nature lover, Mexico has tons of other amazing wonders in store for you.

Another UNESCO Site where you can spot wildlife and enjoy the country’s beautiful nature is the Ría Celestun Biosphere Reserve.

The extensive mangroves, beaches, dunes and lagoons are home to crocodiles, iguanas and more than 400 species of birds.

There are pelicans, egrets, roseate spoonbills, ospreys, cormorants, frigate birds and herons…

You can enjoy a boat ride and get close enough to the reserve’s amazing wildlife…

The absolute stars amongst all birds are of course the flamingos!

They are pink because of, or thanks to, their food. The natural red, yellow or orange pigments, called carotenoids, that give carrots and tomatoes their colors, are also found in the algae that shrimp eat.

As flamingos dine on both algae and shrimp, their bodies metabolize the pigments turning their feathers bright pink. 

Flamingos really are what they eat!

It is mesmerizing to watch them eat, fight or hug!

It is easy to spot from far away the pink masses of the flamingos... 

They are sticking together to protect themselves from the strong wind. Otherwise they need to spread their wings to fight against it.

During the boat ride, it is even possible to make a stop and take a dip in one of the beautiful freshwater pools hidden in the mangrove tunnels.

Another site with a spectacular landscape is the Cañon del Sumidero, created by the mighty Grijalva River. 

You can enjoy the stunning bird's-eye views of the canyon from one of the miradores (or viewpoints) above.

And then take a boat ride along the impressive walls rising up to 1,000 meters.

It is quiet and beautiful...

There are some gorgeous rock formations, including a giant tree of life.

Crocodiles are lazing near the shores, spider monkeys are jumping from branch to branch and many birds are gracefully gliding above the river!

If you want to go off the beaten track, the 1.6 million-acre Reserva de la Biósfera Sian Ka’an is the perfect place! 

It is yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site!

The name translates into “gate of heaven” or “origin of the sky” in the Yucatec Mayan language.

The road is in such a poor state that you need a good vehicle and a lot of courage to venture into the park. If you manage to reach the fishing village of Punta Allen at the end of the road, you will probably be short on time to drive back and will have to stay there overnight.

Your bravery will be rewarded with the sight of beautiful beaches and mangroves.

You will most certainly spot tons of pelicans, frigate birds and iguanas!

Since we were staying near Tulum in order to visit the archaeological site the following day and the road was really horrible, we drove only halfway, which was enough to feel the place’s magic... 

We had lunch near a beautiful beach, admired the animals we encountered and turned back to civilization.

We did not see any crocodiles, turtles or dolphins as they were unfortunately hiding from us that day but came across a huge snake who had just finished its hearty lunch. It was slowly crossing the road, crawling to the jungle for a well-deserved nap. It is great we did not know back then that we had actually bumped into the Yucatecan cantil - a pit viper endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula and one of the most venomous snakes in Mexico…

The reserve and its surroundings are also home to some fascinating Mayan sites and stunning cenotes.

These famous sinkholes filled with water where the Maya ancestors used to make offerings are nowadays the perfect places where you can swim when the air temperatures are hitting unbearable highs…

There are different types of cenotes depending on the stage of erosion, ranging from caves to open-air pools. The “closed” cenotes are almost entirely covered and can be accessed through an underground tunnel, while the “half-closed” ones have an opening to the sky letting the light in and creating some stunning reflections.

The oldest cenotes are the “open” ones which look like lagoons or lakes rather than wells. The crystalline water is cool, with an average temperature of 20°C in the closed and half-closed cenotes where the sun rays are rare or nonexistent. Even if you are not keen on getting wet, you can still visit a couple of cenotes to admire some amazing formations of stalactites and stalagmites and fascinating life forms, such as fish, turtles and shrimps.

The cenotes, especially those near major cities or archaeological sites, are very touristy but you have to remember that there are more than 6,000 of them in Yucatán. With that in mind, our goal was to see as many of them as possible while at the same time trying to choose, with more or less success, the most remote and the least visited ones! Whenever possible, we also did our best to arrive there at lunch time as this was the time slot where we realized there were less visitors.

The first cenote we saw was Cenote Hubikú (meaning “the great lord” or “nest of iguanas” in Mayan language), an underground sinkhole which you enter through a 115-step tunnel.

It is a young half-closed cenote with an almost circular shape whose vault got perforated when the roots of the large tree above it made the roof collapse. 

The depth of the water reaching 27 meters is impressive and slightly scary!

The nearby Cenote Chichikan is an open one.

It is therefore older than Cenote Hubikú.

Cenote Chichikan is only 12 meters deep but 24 meters high...

You will need to go down an impressive staircase to reach the bottom.

The highlight of this cenote is the gorgeous waterfall which creates a magical rainbow... 

There are also cute turtles swimming around in the transparent water...

Cenote Aktun-Ha is another tiny open cenote. It is home to cute turtles and dragonflies.

The color of the water is out of this world, but the place was unfortunately way too touristy for us...

Another crowded but at the same time spectacular place is the Kaan Luum Lagoon, meaning “Yellow Earth” in the Mayan language, in reference to the clay in it.

It is actually a shallow transparent lake with some surreal colors of yellow, green and turquoise blue.

In the middle of it lies a 80-meter deep dark-blue cenote where it is possible to scuba dive or free dive, but only if you are a highly experienced diver!

If you want to see a really young cenote, Cenote La Noria is a beautiful cave with exquisite rock formations. 

There are tons of hammocks around where you can chill out when you are not having fun jumping or swimming in the cool water.

In addition to the cenotes in the area, it is of course possible to swim in the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico as well. 

Unfortunately the only almost acceptable spot we found was the small town of Puerto Morelos. 

It remains one of the very few places which are neither the way too touristy beaches near Tulum nor the horrible huge resorts along the Riviera Maya...

Puerto Morelos is not that overbuilt... Yet...

It was pleasant to walk along the sandy beach in the early morning. 

Puerto Morelos was also the place where we learnt a thing about the efficiency of the Mexican postal services. Since we visited the town by the end of our trip, we tried to find postcards and stamps to send to our families and friends in the US, Asia and Europe. We found the postcards, not without some difficulties, but, after many attempts - not the stamps. A local even gave us a strange piece of advice - to post our cards from Europe - as most letters and cards either take several months to arrive at their destination or do not arrive at all… We decided to follow her advice and will probably never know whether the story was true or an urban legend!

If there are no cenotes around and the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico are too far away, it is still possible to find places to swim and relax on the Yucatán Peninsula. There are some stunning waterfalls around Palenque. We skipped the touristy Agua Azul and Misol-Ha and visited the less known, and as beautiful, waterfalls of Roberto Barrios and Welib-Ha instead.

The turquoise blue of the waters, the white of the foam and the green of the lush vegetation around are a mix of incomparable beauty.

The Roberto Barrios waterfalls are located next to an authentic indigenous village.

Since we visited the place on a Sunday, the locals were swimming in the pools, relaxing on colorful hammocks or preparing the barbecue.

There were many waterfalls cascading down... 

Each of them was more stunning than the previous one...

There were hundreds of fish in the ponds for an improvised and completely free fish spa treatment!

On the way back we bought from the local women some intricate embroideries that definitely did not come from a container! 

The nearby Welib-Ha waterfalls were smaller but there was nobody around.

We decided that it was the perfect spot to enjoy nature while having our lunch next to the blue-green waters, surrounded by the jungle and the chirping birds!

If you really want to go off the beaten track and have time, you can visit the El Chiflón Waterfall and the Montebello Lakes which are further south near the Guatemalan border. We had to make difficult choices and unfortunately did not have time, so we will need to go back for more of the stunning Chiapas region!

Last but not least, our favorite place for a swim was the gorgeous Bacalar Lagoon, aka the Lagoon of Seven Colors, and the less touristic Laguna Milagros nearby.

I think that the name is an understatement as there were definitely more than seven colours out there!

The nuances of the water were out of this world…

The place was, without any exaggeration, magical...

We spent our days walking along the beautiful boardwalks…

And along the mangroves...

We were gasping at the white water lilies…

And were admiring the purple morning glories...

We visited the local fort with an interesting exhibition about some of the greatest pirates in the world...

It also offered some breathtaking views of the lagoon and a few cute iguanas lazing in the sun…

We were also watching out for wildlife…

We were told that the crocodiles were shy not only during the day but even during the night...

We were admiring the colorful street art and flowers…

There were lots of toucans!

Every day we had breakfast at a breathtaking place near the lagoon…

It definitely felt like Heaven!

However, the highlight of the Bacalar Lagoon for us was a stunning sailing and swimming experience in the lagoon!

Some beers and tropical fruits were waiting for us after the swim!

 

It could not get better...

The day ended up with some jaw-dropping sunset views!

You need to keep your swimming suit on at all times as you can always take a dip in the lagoon from the pontoon of your breakfast place...

Or from any of the picturesque boardwalks along the water...

After each refreshing swim, you can relax in a hammock on one of the pontoons of the lagoon, above the swimming pool of your hotel or sometimes even in your hotel room!

In Bacalar you can even do your laundry and kill the time swaying on one of the hammocks in the outdoor laundry place, while sipping a beer or a coffee! It was our best laundry experience ever and we actually genuinely enjoyed washing clothes for the first time in our lives!

Yes, Mexico has white-sand beaches, vibrant colonial cities, fascinating archaeological sites, breathtaking natural sceneries, sunny climate, friendly people, diverse cultures and delicious food and drinks.

However, at the end of the day and at the end of the trip after several weeks on the road, Mexico is indeed sipping your Margarita in a hammock after all!

Published in Elle Bulgaria in March 2025.