The New Tirolesa (zip line) on Lake Pátzcuaro from the Island of Janitzio to Tecuena

The new Zip Line in Patzcuaro complements the different activities that you can make on your next visit to our Magic Town. It is located on Lake Patzcuaro and connects the islands of Janitzio and Tecuena. It is considered the longest of Michoacan, with a length of 3,937 Feet.

A different experience that we suggest to our guests at Hotel Mansion Iturbe, who want this type of adventure travel options.

Zipe Line on Lake Patzcuaro

Our friend Andrew Carhartt an American resident in Patzcuaro, shares his experience:

"The new 1.2-kilometer zip line (tirolesa) connecting the two islands of Janitzio and Tecuena on Lake Patzcuaro is fun and worth the effort, if you are up to the hikes up (Janitzio) and down (Tecuena).  $250 pesos per person covers the tirolesa and the return boat ride to Janitzio. 

Here’s how it works:

• Before you schedule the trip, go to the Internet and figure out the general wind direction.  If it’s from the south, that’s good; if it’s coming from the north, not so good – but not horrible. 

 

• If it’s from the north – even if it’s a light wind – it will probably prevent you from reaching the terminus without assistance, and you will have to be “rescued” by a guy from the other end.  He will come down from the terminus with a rope to haul you to the terminus.  You will hang over the water for 5-10 minutes waiting for the rescuer to haul you to the terminus. 

• There are two ways to get to the statue of Morelos – the arduous, countless stairs, or the gentle incline of the cobblestone road.  You want to take the latter.

• Find the church – ask the vendors or follow the signs – and walk around it to the left, through the cemetery, and exit on the far side.

• When you exit the cemetery, you will see a stairway to your right, up, up, up; maybe 40-50 stairs.  From there, it’s a nice cobblestone road all the way up to Morelos.

• Almost at the top, you will see the platform for the tirolesa to the left; you can’t miss it.  Hopefully, there will be 3-4 guys there waiting for their next customer.

Zip Line on Lake Patzcuaro from  the Island of Janitzio to Tecuena

• Chances are you will be told to put on a glove – right or left – in case you stall near the end and have to put your hand up to stop from going backward from whence you came (i.e., in case you have a north wind).  So unfortunately, photo ops are probably out of the question for the 90-second trip, with a bulky gardening glove on one hand.

Zip Line on Lake Patzcuaro from  the Island of Janitzio to Tecuena

• They will harness you up, and you will climb up a sturdy but steep metal ladder to the top.  You will be instructed to position your feet on a metal bar from which you will push yourself off into the abyss.  We weren’t given the option of looking forward, and were obliged to make the trip looking backward, which we found odd and somewhat disconcerting.  Perhaps the guys can be convinced to change the contraption so you can look forward, which means they would have to push you off.  Since we were “newbies,” we didn’t know any better, and did as we were told.

Once on terra firme at the other end, you can sit and relax while you watch your buddy arrive.  Be ready with your camera!

Island of Tecuena

One of the helpers will help you take off your harness, and then you have to walk down to the dock.  Watch out!  Your legs may be a little jittery from the trip.  There are a lot of stairs and no hand rails.  If you have to rest up a little at the top, take your time.

Keep on the path.  Shortly after we started walking down, there was a stairway down to the right.  You don’t want to go there; those are private homes, but it ALMOST looks like it could be a pathway down.

After we started down the path, one of the helpers caught up to us with our harnesses that needed to go back to Janitzio and we followed her down to the dock.  We immediately were ushered onto one of the larger boats for the return trip to Janitzio.  We disembarked at a small dock and had to walk (to the left) to the main dock.  When we observed this activity from a restaurant at the top of Janitzio, we saw several passengers going down the tirolesa, but didn’t observe boats returning immediately from Tecuena.  I.e., you may have to wait a while at the dock."

¡Buen viaje!

*We appreciate our friend Andrew Carhartt for writing this post for our Hotel Mansión Iturbe blog. We also recommend you to check the cost of the ride on the Zip Line, it may change without notice. The cost shown in this article is the one that was valid on the day that the visit took place, so it can change at any time.

We invite you to check more post in our blog, we hope you will find information about Patzcuaro and its surroundings that we hope will be helpful for your next trip to our colonial town in Mexico.

Here are some post that we suggest you:

How to get to Janitzio from Patzcuaro 

Mexican Folk Art on the Banks of Lake Patzcuaro

10 Unique Tourist Options for Our Patzcuaro Visitors

Hotel Mansión Iturbe

Portal Morelos 59
Plaza Vasco de Quiroga
61600 Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.
México

Más información sobre nuestro Hotel en Pátzcuaro

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Tel: +52 (434) 342 0368 / 342 3628
Fax: +52(434) 342 3627
Toll Free fax number USA & CANADA: 1-866 678 6102

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