National parks near Mexico City

Mexico City is ringed by volcanoes protected as national parks. Iztaccihuatl-Popocatepetl, ninety minutes away via Amecameca, offers high-altitude walking from the Paso de Cortes, with Popocatepetl itself closed because it is active. La Malinche, near Puebla, is a popular acclimatisation climb to 4,461 metres. The Monarch Butterfly reserve, three hours west, is visited from November to March, ideally on a sunny weekday when the butterflies fly.