Las Vegas Zip Line Takes Visitors to New Heights: VooDoo Zip Line Opens at Rio

By Scott Roeben, on May 28 2014

4 min read 5 comments

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Las Vegas visitors have a brand new way to get their adrenaline flowing. The long-awaited VooDoo Zip Line has opened at Rio Las Vegas.

The VooDoo Zip Line may not be the kind of zip line you’d expect. For example, there’s no harness, as with a typical zip line. It’s more akin to a ski lift chair that travels down, and back up, a line. Passengers sit side-by-side, two at a time.

Riders buzz down the line from the 41st floor of the hotel’s Masquerade Tower to another hotel tower, the 20-story Ipanema Tower. (Worth noting: The Rio’s publicity material says its Masquerade Tower is 51 stories tall, but that’s untrue. The hotel skips floor numbers in the 40s to avoid spooking superstitious Asian gamblers. So, 51 is really 41. Even bigtime newspapers get this wrong, all the time.)

Trust us, 41 floors is harrowing enough!

Here’s a look at this stomach-churning new Las Vegas attraction.

As promised, the VooDoo Zip Line is an exhilarating experience. We know this because we asked people who rode it, and they seemed exhilarated.

For the record, no, we didn’t ride. We are a Las Vegas blog, not a Knievel.

The folks at VooDoo Zip Line have clearly thought through the ticket-buying, check-in and ride process, making it seamless and apparently kink-free, even though it’s been open just a few days.

Tickets are $27.49 during the day (before 5:30 p.m.) and $42.50 at night.

Here’s how it all works: Riders can get tickets online (at Ticketmaster) or in person at the new VooDoo Zip Line ticket office on the second floor of the Rio.

While in line, you sign a release with lots of words you probably won’t take the time to read.

Do, however, read the signs on the walls in the ticket office. There, you’ll learn you can’t be pregnant on the ride. There’s no age limit, but you must be at least four feet tall to ride. You have to be 21 or older to ride after 8:30 p.m.

You also can’t be intoxicated or hopped up on drugs.

The combined weight of the two riders can’t be more than 450, and an individual rider can’t weigh more than 300 pounds.

Oh, and you have to have both your feet and arms. Seriously. It’s a rule.

One you have your tickets, you visit a check-in kiosk, just outside the ticket office.

If there’s a line, you can opt to provide your phone number, and you’ll get a text when it’s your turn to ride. We love this convenience, as it frees one up to roam, dine, gamble, whatever.

Once you’re ready to go, getting up to the ride is part of the fun at Rio Las Vegas, thanks to glass elevators. The top of the Rio has one of the most stunning views in Las Vegas, so enjoy.

The ride lasts a minute and 10 seconds. So, roughly the same amount of time it takes to have sex with this blog.

Riders are held in their chair by what appears to be a simple seat belt. No shoulder straps. No restraint bar. Let the “Aieee!” begin!

The ride, we’re told, is silky smooth, all the way down and back up again. There’s a pause for a few seconds before you head back up, just so you can catch your breath.

Once you’ve finished your ride, you have to option of purchasing photos, of course. They’re taken either by a person or a camera affixed to the launch platform. The price of a 5×7 is nearly as heart-stopping as the ride: $30. But, hey, you can’t put a price on YOLO. Additional copies cost less, by the way.

Make sure to hang out on the VooDoo Lounge level of the Rio after your ride and drink in the view of The Strip. We’re saying that because the ride itself doesn’t necessarily afford an ideal view of The Strip.

As you can see from the diagram below, the ride sends you in pretty much the opposite direction of The Strip (and when you’re heading in the direction of The Strip, you’re going backwards), so you’d have to turn almost completely around to get a glimpse of even the north tip of The Strip. Doesn’t matter too much, though. Thrillseekers are going to love the rush, regardless.

So, if you’re one of the aforementioned thrillseekers, you now have two Las Vegas zip lines to conquer. The VooDoo Zip line, just off The Strip, and the Slotzilla zip line, at Fremont Street Experience, downtown. (This blog’s day job, by the way. Our opinions are our own, of course.) Each zip line provides a different experience, so try both and let us know what you think.

Find out more at the VooDoo Zip Line official site.

In the meantime, luxuriate in our exclusive VooDoo Zip Line photo gallery.