Natural Mexico: Monarch Butterflies & Gray Whales

On arrival into Mexico City, you will be met be and transferred to your hotel.

Tour the historical surroundings of Mexico City. You will drive down Reforma Avenue, built by the emperor, Maximilian, along which some of the most important monuments in the city are located; Juarez Avenue, along La Alameda Park and the Palacio de Bellas Artes, designed and erected by the Italian architect, Adamo Boari; then 5 de Mayo Street, until reaching the main square or Zocalo.

At this last site, you will visit Palacio Nacional, current seat of the government, which walls are decorated with frescoes by Diego Rivera, one of Mexico's great contemporary painters; the Cathedral, a living example of colonial architecture; and the Templo Mayor (Main Temple). Later, the tour takes you to Chapultepec Park, driving through Las Lomas residential area, one of the most high-end neighborhoods of the capital city. The largest museum in Mexico. The building is one of the most beautiful examples of Mexican contemporary architecture.

After lunch you will visit the famed Anthropology Museum. Here you will visit the Mesoamerica halls, where the origins of ancient Mexico's civilizations will be revealed; Teotihuacan, Aztec, Olmec (the mother culture) and the Maya civilization that developed in the Mexican southeast and in part of Central America, whose greatness has been recognized for its advanced knowledge of architecture, astronomy, mathematics, philosophy and art.

It is a very early departure to the Sanctuary of Piedra Herrada and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. A UNESCO World Heritage site, and one of the most important ecotourism destinations in Mexico, the reserve is located 95 kilometers northwest of Mexico City, and extends over the limits of Michoacan and the State of Mexico, in the highlands of central-western Mexico.

Getting to see this amazing site of millions of butterflies "nesting" in the forest involves a steep walk. Before reaching the sanctuary, itself you will be teased swarms of butterflies before swirling around your head. Every day, around noon, millions of butterflies head down the mountain along the road on their way to a nearby river that serves as a watering hole.

After a literally immersion in one of nature's most mysterious migrations, you return to Mexico City with a stop in Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico and visit the famous Botanical Gardens. The building in which it was originally housed a market that was built in 1909 and operated as such until 1975, when it was decided to turn it into a botanical garden respecting the style of its original construction "Art Nouveau". The large windows were used, transforming them into a Cosmovitral (stained glass mural) whose complete structure is made up of 71 modules totaling three thousand square meters.

After breakfast you will be transferred to Mexico City the airport to board your flight (not included in the trip price) to the capital of Baja California. On arrival you are transferred to your hotel.

With only 220,000 inhabitants and being the commercial and political center of the region as well as the state of Baja California Sur, La Paz remains a tranquil port town. It reflects a provincial atmosphere that suggests that little has changed here for decades.

From La Paz, travel to Magdalena Bay. Baja California is well known as a great place to see whales. Along its Pacific coasts there are three main lagoons where whales return every year. The three areas offer an excellent place to observe Gray whales up close.

The gray whale spends summers in the waters of Alaska and then heads south to the warmer Baja lagoons in January, February and March. Their main reason for heading south is to mate and give birth in shallow protected lagoons in Baja California. No other place on Earth offers such an experience.

This lagoon on the Pacific side of Baja California hosts an incredible number of marine species. Seeing a whale gliding silently under your boat is an experience that will last forever.

The island of Espiritu Santo is the closest to the bay of La Paz and has the most impressive views of all the islands in the Sea of Cortez. Its contrasting desert landscapes and reddish limestone cliffs juxtaposed with a turquoise blue sea are an impressive example of the exquisite views found here. Travelers from all over the world visit the coves and canyons of Espiritu Santo to camp, dive or just relax on its beautiful beaches.

Today enjoy a visit to Ensenada de Pescadores, a quiet beach with few visitors. The huge crater walls that surround this area and the vast expanse of shallow water provide a spectacular view.

Today you move onto Los Cabos with a stop to enjoy the town of Todos Santos.

Todos Santos is a small town on the shores of the immense Pacific Ocean. It was founded as a mission in 1774 and later became a major producer of sugarcane. It is located just south of the Tropic of Cancer. This town has been declared by the Mexican government as a historic city. It has always been considered a special place as reflected in its live theater, in its art galleries, centers for workshops and seminars, as well as historic houses. The cultural vocation of this picturesque town has attracted artists, painters, sculptors, artisans, poets and intellectuals who have settled there.

Continue to San Jose del Cabo and your hotel.

After breakfast you are transferred to the airport for your onward travels.