Seeing the Monarch Butterfly hibernation in the mountains two hours west of Mexico City had been on my bucket list since a co-worker told me about the awe-inspiring experience 18 years ago. So, when we decided to spend the winter in Mexico, visiting the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was my number one priority.
Continue readingDay 3 (Llano Grande to Amatlan): The sweet, earthy scent of warm pine filled the air as we hiked out of Llano Grande. The trail to Lachatao and its sister pueblo, Amatlan, crosses the center of the Pueblos Mancomunados territory with significant changes in elevation and vegetation. The first third of the hike was through dry pine forest, dotted by small agricultural fields. The absence of tractors suggested all of the farming here is powered by humans and/or animals.
Continue readingThe Pueblos Mancomunados (Commonwealth of Villages) is made up of eight remote villages in the Sierra Norte mountains northeast of Oaxaca city. These villages, where rural indigenous life is much the same as it was hundreds of years ago, operate under a self-governing cooperative system.
In the last two decades they have focused on ecotourism to sustain the communities, even closing their gold and silver mines in the pursuit of a sustainability and ecotourism focused future.
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Lower the Bar for More Fun 