Natural Habitat Adventures & WWF are Giving Away a Trip to See Millions of Monarch Butterflies In Mexico’s Central Highlands
BOULDER, CO, April 20, 2017 – Together with WWF, Natural Habitat Adventures is shining a spotlight on monarch butterfly conservation by giving away an exclusive trip for two to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico.
As World Wildlife Fund’s official conservation travel partner, Nat Hab is using the sweepstakes to highlight WWF’s ongoing efforts to save the monarch butterfly. The six-day/five-night prize offers a journey to the front lines of butterfly conservation in Mexico’s Central Highlands.
Entries must be received by April 30, 2017 to be eligible to win this trip to the monarch’s ancestral wintering grounds. The winner will be drawn at random in May 2017 for a 2018 trip. No purchase is necessary. The sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the United States who have reached the legal age of adulthood (age 18 in most states). This offer is void where prohibited, and travel must be completed by March 31, 2018.
Nat Hab’s Kingdom of the Monarchs trip visits Mexico’s critical fir forest sanctuaries, where butterflies congregate each year to spend the winter. WWF is working with local rural communities to counter illegal logging, boost responsible tourism and support sustainable economic development—essential elements in helping protect threatened monarch habitat.
The monarch sweepstakes winner and a guest will make three visits to two monarch sanctuaries where millions of butterflies roost. On horseback and foot with Nat Hab’s naturalist Expedition Leaders, guests explore El Rosario and Chincua butterfly sanctuaries, spending unhurried time watching the monarchs flutter overhead in a swirl of orange gossamer wings.
Travelers will learn about the monarch’s epic migration between Canada and Mexico, a 2,800-mile annual journey that relies on a flyway of milkweed habitat across North America. They will also gain insight into WWF’s work to reduce habitat loss to agriculture, urbanization and herbicide use. Guests visit mountain villages and a traditional market, exemplifying the benefits of butterfly ecotourism for local people.
Nat Hab’s small-group monarch expeditions are limited to 14 participants led by Expedition Leaders who are butterfly experts. All are certified naturalist guides with an average of 19 years’ experience among the monarchs. They also draw upon the resources of WWF’s top scientists.
The trip begins in Mexico City and continues by road to the small mountain hamlet of Anguangeo. Travelers will enjoy the charm and hospitality of local hosts during their stay at a small inn featuring home-cooked meals sourced from fresh local food reflecting the region's cultural heritage.
Back at home, travelers are encouraged to join the 1 Million for Monarchs Squad, WWF’s effort to engage gardeners in planting milkweed across North America’s monarch migration flyway, saving the butterflies “one backyard at a time.”
Kingdom of the Monarchs adventures are available from January through mid-March 2018. The per-person double rate starts at $3,095.