The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is Michoacán's signature experience — visiting during the wintering season (November to March) to see millions of butterflies clustered on the oyamel firs is one of the most extraordinary natural spectacles in the Americas. Paricutín Volcano, which erupted from a farmer's field in 1943 and buried a church to its bell tower in lava, is reached on horseback from Angahuan, the P'urhépecha village 25 km above Uruapan. Lake Pátzcuaro and its islands — particularly Janitzio, with its famous Day of the Dead observances — are central to Purépecha culture. The nearby ruins at Tzintzuntzan, former capital of the P'urhépecha empire, stand on a terrace above the lake with views across the water.
The state capital Morelia rewards a day or two of colonial architecture walking, centred on the Cathedral and the pink-stone streets of the historic centre. For nature, the Barranca del Cupatitzio national park in Uruapan has waterfalls and lush cloud forest; the Pacific coast around Caleta de Campos is rugged and largely untouristed.