• Michoacán's Million Monarch March: Mexico is an exotic land, and no place drives this home more than a mountain forest where you stand surrounded by the fluttering wings of millions of monarch butterflies. The setting is the rugged highlands of Michoacán, from mid- to late November through March.
  • Whale-Watching: Each year between December and April, magnificent humpback and gray whales return to breed and instruct their young in the waters of Banderas Bay, fronting Puerto Vallarta, and in Los Cabos.
  • Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches: Between June and November, sea turtles return to the beaches of their birth to lay their eggs in the sand. With poaching and natural predators threatening these species, communities have established protected nesting areas. Many are open for public viewing and participation in egg collection and baby-turtle release. Turtles are found along the Yucatán coast, in Baja Sur, on the Oaxaca coast, in Puerto Vallarta, and on Costa Alegre.
  • Technicolor Laguna Bacalar: The waters of this crystal-clear, spring-fed lake -- Mexico's second largest, though it's actually a lagoon -- are noted for their vibrant color variations, from pale blue to deep blue-green and turquoise. The surrounding area is known for birding, with over 130 species identified.
  • The Rugged Copper Canyon: This network of beautiful, remote, and unspoiled canyons is larger than the Grand Canyon in the U.S. It incorporates high waterfalls, vertical canyon walls, mountain forests in the canyon-rim country, and semiarid desert inside the canyons. This is the land of the Tarahumara Indians, who gained their legendary endurance from adapting to this wilderness.
  • Desert Landscapes in Baja Sur: The painted-desert colors and unique plant life are a natural curiosity in Los Cabos, where horseback, hiking, and ATV trips explore the area. The arid desert contrasts sharply with the intense blue of the sea surrounding the peninsula.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.