El Rosario Monarch Sanctuary, Michoacán - November 28-30, 2003.
The El Rosario Monarch Sanctuary was established in 1986. It is the winter home for as many as 20 million butterflies, who come from as far north as Canada and the Great Lakes region. The astonishing thing is that no butterfly makes the full round-trip. They simply don't live long enough. So, somehow, the map to this winter home is passed down genetically from one generation to the next.
Finding the sanctuary is just the beginning. Once you arrive, a six-mile uphill hike that includes nearly 1,000 stairs remains between you and the insects.
