Michoacán

Michoacán is a federal state of Mexico. It is located in the west of the country, bordering the states of Colima and Jalisco to the west, Guanajuato and Querétaro to the north, Mexico State to the east, and Guerrero to the southeast.

Its capital is Morelia.

In the past years, it has gained a terrible reputation due to the heavy drug cartel activities. Generally, foreigners don't have problems with organized crime, but people are not as trusting in this area and it might be a little more difficult to find a ride. Even with the organized crime, Michoacán keeps on being one of the most popular and beautiful states of Mexico, with many different things to see.

Monarch Butterflies Sanctuary
From November to March the Monarch Butterflies can be found in the area close to Mexico State.They can be found in Angangueo, Ocampo and some other areas.

Turtle Camps
The marine turtles visit the coast all year round to lay their eggs, but the main season is during late summer and early autumn. They can be found from Chiapas to Nayarit, including the coast of Michoacán. One of the most beautiful locations is Maruata. The workers at the turtle camps protect the eggs, which are often stolen by locals to be sold in the black market for their "aphrodisiac" qualities.

Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro and the near-by towns are famous for the celebration of Day of the Death at the beginning of November.

Morelia
Morelia is a beautiful colonial city and the capital of the state. There is a university which offers a major in Environmental studies, so there are many young people involved in activist movements. Morelia also hosts one of the most important Film Festivals of the country in October. There is a lot of art and culture in this beautiful historical city.

Uruapan
Close to the city of Uruapan you can find one of the world's youngest volcanoes, the Paricutín. Closeby are the remains of a little village buried by the lava. You have to hitchhike to a village called Angahuan to get there.

Places to avoid
Apatzingán is where most of the violent crime related to drugs happens.

Accommodation and Sleep
Michoacán is one of the most famous locations for marine turtle camps. There are many beautiful beaches that are protected for that reason, so no hotels can be built. The turtles camps always allow you to camp for free, sometimes asking you to do a little bit of work in exchange. The work might include cleaning around a little bit or liberating baby turtles!

isin: Mexico