Mexico is the fourth most biodiverse country on the planet. It is the only country in the world where you can see gray whales, monarch butterflies, quetzals, jaguars, axolotls, and California condors. With 182 protected natural areas covering 13% of its territory, Mexico safeguards ecosystems that exist nowhere else on Earth.
History
Mexico's first national park was El Chico in Hidalgo, established in 1898. In 1980, UNESCO declared the monarch butterfly forests in Michoacán a Biosphere Reserve. In 1988, CONANP (National Commission of Natural Protected Areas) was created to administer the system. Sian Ka'an in Quintana Roo was declared a Natural World Heritage Site in 1987. The gray whale was rescued from extinction thanks to El Vizcaíno Reserve in Baja California Sur — today its population has recovered to over 25,000 specimens. Mexico has 11 sites designated as UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites.
Top 10
The greatest migration spectacle on the planet: 300 million monarch butterflies arrive each November.
UNESCO Reserve: 528,000 hectares of jungle, mangroves, reefs, and lagoons inhabited by Maya communities.
System of 6 canyons deeper than the Grand Canyon. Home to the rarámuri people.
Volcanoes in the Sonora desert. UNESCO Natural Heritage Site. A landscape from another world.
A 1,000-meter navigable canyon with crocodiles, spider monkeys, and thousand-year-old waterfalls.
Where gray whales give birth to their calves. Ojo de Liebre lagoon, UNESCO heritage site.
The northernmost tropical rainforest in the Americas. Quetzals, toucans, and howler monkeys.
Sierra Chincura: another monarch sanctuary accessible from Toluca or Mexico City in 2 hours.
The dormant volcano that shelters Popocatépetl. Habitat of the mountain axolotl.
Reserve of pink flamingos on the northern coast of Yucatán. Mexico's most photogenic birds.
Best dates to visit
Monarch Butterfly: November to March in Michoacán. Gray whales: January to April in Baja California Sur. Flamingos in Ría Lagartos: year-round, best in May-June for nesting. Hiking in Chihuahua: October to May. Jungle in Chiapas and Veracruz: best during dry season (November-April).
How to get there
Monarch Reserve: from Morelia or Toluca. Sian Ka'an: from Tulum (30 min). El Pinacate: from Sonora near the Arizona border. Barrancas del Cobre: fly to Chihuahua. El Vizcaíno Reserve: fly to La Paz or Los Cabos. Ría Lagartos: from Mérida (3 hours by car).
Mexico is the fourth most biodiverse country on the planet. It is the only country in the world where you can see gray whales, monarch butterflies, quetzals, jaguars, axolotls, and California condors.…
