Isla de Janitzio (Patzcuaro): How to Visit & What to Expect

Isla de Janitzio on Lake Patzcuaro is one of those rare places that is marketed heavily to tourists in Mexico but is still very much worth a visit.

It’s hard to believe such a place exists in North America in the 21st century—a tiny island in the middle of a highlands lake completely covered in red-roofed residences, shops, and churches, and topped by a distinctive 130-foot statue.

About 2,300 people live on Isla de Janitzio, which measures just 55 acres, giving the island a population density of 27,034 people per square mile—three times that of Mexico City.

For the past week, we’ve been admiring this exotic and picturesque place through a smoky haze from high up on a plateau overlooking both the city and lake of Patzcuaro.

Today, we finally hop a boat to Janitzio Island to get a better look.

Here’s what we found, plus tips for getting there and making the most of your own Janitzio Island adventure.

Planning a Visit to Isla de Janitzio?

Here are our top tour recommendations:

✪ From Morelia Small Group Tour to Janitzio & Patzcuaro

✪ From Guanajuato Private Tour to Janitzio, Patzcuaro & Morelia

AND…our recommendations for where to stay nearby:

✪ Top Pick Posada de Don Vasco (Patzcuaro, near Janitzio pier)

✪ Central Patzcuaro Hotel Pueblo Magico

✪ Janitzio Island Finca Monarca

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Isla Janitzio from Patzcuaro Michoacan — Isla de Janitzio on Lake Patzcuaro, and Patzcuaro Town in the foreground.

Patzcuaro to Janitzio

Minibus to the Pier

For us, this day trip involved a ten minute walk down to the Combi stop, a 30-minute ride on the Yellow line to the main plaza (Plaza Vasco de Quiroga), another 40-minute Combi ride to the docks, and a 45-minute ferry boat to the island (repeat in reverse order for the return journey).

We’re able to take a 6A “Lago” Combi from the main plaza to Preparatoria Federal Felipe Carrillo Puerto, where we get off and walk the remainder of the way to the Muelle General.

If you’re planning your own visit, don’t miss our guide to Getting to Isla de Janitzio at the end of this article.

Brunch at Tiendita Verde

On our way to the docks, we stopped for a bite to eat at Tiendita Verde.

Artisan meats and cheeses, and a large outdoor restaurant looking out onto an expansive green space with playground.

Taking the Boat to Isla de Janitzio

It’s not every day that we get to ride a lake boat to an island. It’s also not everyday that we see a group of police officers trying to cajole a horse onto one of the boats, which is what’s going on in the picture above.

We purchase our tickets at the Taquilla and wait for about 20 minutes for an available boat before boarding.

Lake levels are at historic lows right now. The rainy season, it seems, can’t come soon enough for those whose livelihoods are tied to the lake.

We meet an American women at the muelle who made the trip down here from town just to see how low the water is.

The ride along the channel to the lake is excruciatingly slow due to the shallow waters. Bamboo polls demarcate where the channel has been dredged. We eye small wetlands birds standing in water up to their knees, just feet away from the boat.

None of this is exactly encouraging, but we make it through without incident.

This being Mexico, we’re not surprised at all to learn that the public ferry has live entertainment.

A group of musicians boarded at the last minute and played for most of the journey, leaving just enough space for the boat captain (blue shirt, below) to barely see where he was headed.

Our first view of the island from the lake.

As we near Janitzio Island, we pass a small group of fishermen in boats. Suddenly, as if on command, the nets come out—the famous butterfly nets for which this area’s known.

It’s a striking picture, framed by the island. Naturally, I start snapping away. All part of their plan, I would discover.

The front two boats immediately peel off and beeline it to the front of the ferry where we are sitting and demand money. I should have known better. These guys probably aren’t even real fishermen, which makes it all the more angering.

I stand my ground until they eventually move on. I’ll gladly give a tip to a talented performer or artist, but not somebody who pulls a fast one on me.

After about 45 minutes on the water, our boat arrives at Isla de Janitzio.

Exploring Isla de Janitzio

First Impressions

We learned from various sources that Janitzio Island can get very hectic, particularly on the weekends and ESPECIALLY during Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) at the beginning of November.

We’re here midweek at the cusp of rainy season and before school lets out. For the most part, crowds are fairly minimal for us today.

For whatever reason, I didn’t expect the village to be so well-maintained and well-organized. I was expecting narrow twisting alleyways, but not the paving stone paths, fresh paint, and concrete stairs that seem commonplace across the island.

There are also quite a few more restaurants than I thought there would be, all comida típica, and seafood, of course.

In the event the island fills up throughout the day, we thought it best to head directly to the main attraction: the Statue of José Maria Morelos.

This means making our way in a criss-cross fashion around the village, passing the town chapel, Iglesia de San Jerónimo.

Just past the chapel is perhaps Janitzio Island’s second most famous landmark: the Panteon de Janitzio.

Panteon de Janitzio

This cemetery is said to be the inspiration behind the one featured in the movie Coco.

In addition to being the final resting place for many local residents, it’s also the final resting place for pilgrims making their way to the island on candle-lit boats during Día de Muertos, which also happens to be Janitzio Island’s biggest festival of the year.

Onward (and upward) to the Morelos statue.

José Maria Morelos Statue

Perched on the highest point of the island, there’s no easy way to the Morelos Statue. It’s stairs and stairs, or ramps and stairs.

These statues and monuments always appear far different up close than from a distance.

It’s not apparent until you’re here that the statue is constructed of dozens upon dozens of dark grey cement bricks and white mortar, with even a handful of windows to let light in.

The best part of the statue, however, is that you get to go inside and climb the 130 vertical feet to the top of Morelos’ clenched fist.

On the way up, you’re treated to a seemingly endless spiral of murals by artist Ramón Alba depicting the life of Mexican Independence hero José Maria Morelos, for which the state of Michoacán’s capital is named.

When the statue and murals were completed in the 1930s, there wasn’t a whole lot else on the island. Much has changed on Isla de Janitzio in the past century, and the statue’s presence has had a lot to do with that.

There are several rules you must abide by when visiting, such as no touching the murals, no flash photography, no running, and no loud voices.

We knew this last one would be a challenge for our youngest (age 5), but he managed to pull it off.

Fortunately, there were plenty of large and colorful pictures to keep him engaged, even if some are a bit terrifying for a five-year-old.

murals of José Maria Morelos Statue on Isla de Janitzio

It’s a bit of a hike to the tippy top, but we’re rewarded with commanding views of Lake Patzcuaro and its other inhabited islands, of which Isla de Janitzio is the largest.

Below, is the view looking back towards Patzcuaro Town.

Tiki Bar Janitzio

On the way out, we pass this “Tiki Bar” and couldn’t help ourselves.

Tourist trap, certainly. But how often do you get to grab a drink at a Tiki Bar at the highest point of an island at 7,000 feet above sea level?

Lori and I split a Michelada. A real Michelada with Clamato and lots of kick to it.

Around the Island

We knew we reached our high point for the day, both literally and figuratively. That of course means stairs. Going down this time, at least.

On our way back to the ferry dock, we poke our heads into the few places that are open during Siesta hour. The Janitzio Chapel happens to be one of them.

We arrive back at the dock only to find we just missed a boat back to Patzcuaro. We’re the first ones on the next boat, but have to wait until this boat fills up. Just shy of an hour later, we’re on our way back to Muelle General.

Return to Patzcuaro

On our way into the shallow channel, we pass a ferry going in the opposite direction that’s run aground. The water seem to be receding by the hour, it appears.

We slowly inch our way around the stranded boat only to find ourselves in the same predicament just minutes later. Riley looks on as if he knew this would happen all along.

Ten minutes of the captain revving the engine forward, then reverse, then forward again eventually pays off, and gliding into the docks right beside an airliner…

Just in time to make our way back during rush hour in bustling Patzcuaro.

A successful day trip to one-of-a-kind Janitzio Island, and definitely worth the time in our minds if you happen to find yourself in the area.

How to Get to Janitzio Island

If you’re putting together this trip on your own utilizing public transport, you’ll want to first get yourself to the city of Patzcuaro.

There are buses that leave multiple times a day from Morelia and Uruapan and take around 1-2 hours depending on traffic, construction, and number of stops.

Alternatively, you can hop on a tour. We recommend this top-rated tour if you happen to be coming from Morelia, and this private tour if you’re coming from Guanajuato.

Once in Patzcuaro, to get to the Janitzio Embarcadero (water taxi dock) from the center of town, it’s fairly straightforward to take a Combi or catch a taxi.

If you’re not confident in your Spanish negotiating skills, taking a Combi (public minibus) might be the easier of the two. You can also ask your guesthouse or hotel to arrange a taxi for you as well.

There are a few different Combis you can take from various points in town to get you down to the water (which takes about 40 minutes).

After a bit of trial and error, we had luck picking up a Combi at this five-way intersection bound for “Lago“. It’s our understanding that you can also hop on any Quiroga-bound Combi.

Either way, you’ll want to get off near this Pemex at the intersection fo Av. Lazaro Cardenas and Nocupetaro. From here, it’s a short walk to the Janitzio Embarcadero.

At the Embarcadero, you can purchase your water taxi tickets for the next departing boat to Janitzio. We waited about 20 minutes to board and left about ten minutes later. The boat taxi to the island took about 45 minutes.

On the way back, you basically repeat the above in reverse, but you’ll want to be mindful of when the final boat of the day departs Janitzio (try to confirm this with your inbound boat or the ticket office if you can).

For us, it took about an hour for the boat to fill up for the return journey before departing Janitzio.