One of the greatest encounters with nature, at only at 2 hours from Mexico City, is exploring one of the Firefly Sanctuaries at the foothills of the volcanoes of our majestic Mexico.
Reserva de Luciérnagas is truly one of Mexico’s best hidden treasures and a perfect way to get off the beaten path while you’re in Mexico City. The reserves are located about 120 kilometers / 75 miles from the center of the crowded capital. During the months of June, July and August, 200 hundred hectares of the forest light up by thousands and thousands of fireflies.
Walking through the narrow paths through the woods at night, watching the thousands of fireflies is truly a top-notch experience that will simply leave you breathless. The reason this phenomena occurs is due to the fact that during summer, fireflies reproduce; females light up to attract males and mate.
The Sanctuary of the Luciérnagas, is a protected natural reserve, located in the states of Mexico as in Tlaxcala, Puebla, State of Mexico and Mexico City. Currently more than 50 sanctuaries are visited during the season of the sightings of the fireflies, within the months of June to August, where you can enjoy this incredible spectacle of nature. The event lasts approximately 80 to 100 minutes at dusk.
With Aztec Explorers, the travel club of Azteca Travel Tours Art, we can take you on a safe, fun and economic day trip or weekend trip to the firefly sanctuaries. With small groups, respecting nature and the rules of the sanctuaries; explanations in English and Spanish. As said, there are now more than 50 sanctuaries, but we have explored several of them, and will take you to the best (not necesarily the cheapest / easiest), to make sure you will have the best experience posible. We can also arrange a private trip, for example during the week.
We have prepared 5 different experiences so far for 2023, departing from Mexico City, in small groups, with certified bilingual guide (all day trips); we are working also on longer trips. Also possible as private trip.
🎇 State of Mexico; just the sanctuary, from 15.30 to 23.30, 1050 pesos. On June 9, 16, 18, 24, 30 and July 8, 14, 22, 28 (7 hour trip).
🎇 State of Mexico; first a guided walk / hike in the nature reserve, and then the experience of the fireflies. From 13.00 to 23.30, 1050 pesos. On June 9, 10, 16, 23, 25 and July 7, 9, 21, 30 (10.5 hour trip).
🎇 State of Mexico; first a guided walk / hike to beautiful old railroad bridges and rural areas in and near the forest and then the experience of the fireflies. From 13.00 to 23.30, 950 pesos. On June 11, 18 and July 2, 16, 23 (10.5 hour trip).
🎇 State of Tlaxcala; first a guided visit to Tecoaque archeological site, then pulque tasting, a short visit to the beautiful town of Nanacamilpa and then the experience of the fireflies. From 12.00 to 00.30, 1250 pesos. On June 17 and July 1, 15, 29 (12.5 hour trip).
🎇 State of Puebla; first a guided visit to the Hacienda de Chautla and Castillo Gillow and then the experience of the fireflies. From 13.00 to 00.00, 1250 pesos. On June 18, 30 and July 23, 28 (11 hour trip).
Reservations and payment info on Whatsapp: https://wa.me/525513083732, Lidia Herrera.
Please make your reservation ideally 2 weeks before the trip, to ensure that the transport and guide is available. All our trips are 100% prepaid; we have been organizing trips now over 12 years and you can find excellent reviews in Trip Advisor, Facebook & Meetup.
The prices mentioned are in pesos, and include private transport for our small group, explanations in English and Spanish by certified guide and entrances. Does not include food, drinks or other concepts. We are a registered Mexican tour operator and travel agency.
Note: there is no ´best time´ to visit the fireflies, the most important are the weather conditions and group size (ideally we have quite some rain in the days before the trip and a bit of rain during the trip; the fireflies need muddy grounds to lay their eggs); we will check daily the weather forecast. And will go with small groups, respecting nature; going to the best of the over 50 current nature reserves / sanctuaries.
You can find all details and sign up for the trips to the fireflies and all our other trips on:
Our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AztecExplorers/
Our Meetup page: https://www.meetup.com/Internationals-in-Mexico-City-Mexican-Welcome/
For any other question or quote for a private tour, please send a WhatsApp to +52 1 55 1308 3732 (Lidia Herrera) or an email to Peter.Winckers@Gmail.com
Below an interesting YouTube movie, giving you an idea about this unique experience:
Note: please don´t copy some of the behaviour in this movie (talking loud, using flashlights or any other light; preferably you only take mental pictures / videos to no disrupt the fireflies). And not all the information provided in the video is correct, but we will explain once we are at the sanctuary :-).
And here another interesting video on YouTube, showing how the tiny fireflies are helping to save the towering pine and fir trees on the outskirts of the megalopolis of Mexico City:
Let´s explore México together!!!
