08 Mar 2023
From being picked up at 6:30AM at my hotel to my return at 9PM, everything was enjoyable, well-organized. As I chose a private tour, had plenty of time along the trail to the Monarch colony to take hundreds of pictures. It's at least a 3-hour drive there but comfortable. We stopped along the way for me to get a breakfast snack. The trail to the colony is long. Be advised that you should take horse ride unless you can handle and steep challenging hike. However, if you can, the hike is amazing, absolutely amazing. I just took my time, as I'm a wildlife photography enthusiast. Thanks to my guide, Nelly, driver, and local guide, I totally controlled the amount of stops I wanted, so I could take pictures. I took advantage of Nellie and was constantly passing off my iphone to her when using my camera. I didn't carry anything but the camera. She took care of everything else....so helpful!! We spent over about 6 hours along the trail. I had plenty of sunscreen on but really didn't need it as we were in the shade alot. Also didn't need insect repellent...no bugs to be concerned about. All three of my "assistants" were very good to see that I was safely handling some of the rugged parts of the trail. It was much more challenging than I had expected but did fine as I'm a very active outdoors person, even at heading towards 76. Again, when we returned to main area, we had a lovely very late lunch(included in the price). There were lots of choices on what I ate. Afterwards I requested alittle time to shop...butterfly t-shirt, earrings and cap!! Then back in the car and returning to my hotel. I did arrange with them while determining my trip, that they were able to pick me up at my hotel. I knew I wanted to stay at the Mexico City Internation Airport Hilton. That was agreeable with them too. Initially all communication was through email. Later on they suggested, if I had "whatsap" that we correspond that way. So that's what we did and really worked great, as responses became so much quicker. The company was so professional and helpful throughout. Can't say enough about that. Forgot one thing...they stongly suggested that I visit on a Monday or Tuesday, as it's less people. That's what I did. We went to the colony on a Monday.