Arecibo Observatory

I first visited this place back in 1998, and again in 2015, and it’s always super cool and AMAZING every time I go! This radio telescope is MASSIVE, and was in the 1997 movie Contact, and you’re in awe being in it’s presence. I don’t recommend this place if you have problems walking long distances in a upward climb, because it’s a bit of a hike to get up to the actual site where it is. But it won’t disappoint if you’re into space, telescope and technology. Very cool place.
Oh yeah, the drive up to where Arecibo is located is a bit tricky and takes a while to get to it. But it’s definitely worth the time if you’re into seeing cool things while in Puerto Rico.

Just an FYI, I tried to go here in early March and it’s actually closed until May. Don’t make the trip without calling ahead.

It was closed without notice near Christmas time for renivation. Will open according to the security guard probably in February 2016.

The radio telescope itself is pretty neat, and they show a nice video before taking you outside to see it. Other than that, the museum is disappointing. Most of the exhibits are broken and there isn’t even much there. It leaves much to be desired coming from Houston, where NASA’s campus is pretty amazing to tour.

Amazing thing to behold. The observatory is awesome — I could have stared at it for hours. The museum is ok; some basic interactive exhibits, some didn’t work, but I wasn’t there for those. The observation deck is where it’s at. :)

A great experience for those interested in astronomy & science. The exhibits are very good, but not infinite like some museums. This is located in a remote part of Puerto Rico so leave time to drive. Leave at least 2 hours to see everything, watch the film, & take the tour — more if very interested. There is food to purchase there as well. There is an uphill walk from the parking lot. You can find coupons for admission in some of the touristy guide books.

I’m not a huge science/​space geek, but I thought it was pretty cool! The museum and learning center had lots of info on astronomy and the telescope itself, but I honestly didn’t feel like reading all the text panels because I was lazy. We watched the 17 minute introductory film which wasn’t Oscar worthy but still answered my basic questions about what the dish is all about and its basic history.
My main reason for going here was because I’m a huge James Bond fan and the final scene of Goldeneye was filmed there. I didn’t really investigate much in the visitors center to see if there was any behind-​the-​scenes stuff from that movie because the center was flooded with school children as I was wrapping up. And, I was ready to go after that.
The drive is out of the way (hour and 15 minutes from where we stayed east of Old San Juan). There are signs that take you the observatory off PR-​22 to Hwy 129 and then over to 635.
It was a fun thing to do on our last day on Puerto Rico as my legs were tired from excessive hiking in El Yunque and Old San Juan.

This place is great for all ages. Once the video is over its out to see the huge telescope. Too bad you cant get closer or get in the booth to see the data.
They do have a small concessions outside, cheese dog was a nice treat.

I wasn’t too impressed with the Museum and tour at Arecibo Observatory. It’s a bit tricky to get here, lots of small, windy roads. But I did use a regular ol’ GPS and it eventually got me there. If you’re coming from San Juan, budget in at least an extra 20 – 30 minutes to get there. The entrance fee is $ 10 per person + tax, so $ 10.70 per person.
The museum itself has 2 floors of exhibits. If you want to really learn, there’s a lot of reading boards with big paragraphs, and not too many hands-​on activities. The tour comprises a 15-​minute video about the history and significance of the Observatory, followed by walking out to the satellite. Your tour guide gives some brief info about the satellite, and then there’s time to view it. However, you can’t really do much except take pictures from behind the metal fence. You can’t get closer for obvious reasons to maintain the satellite.
Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed, I didn’t think the museum had too much to offer, and the tour was not very impressive. Perhaps if you have a specialized interest in these times of observatories/​satellites, then this place would be for you though!

This was one of the most, if not the most, informative science museums I’ve ever been to. There was so much information posted on the boards of this two-​level science museum. I loved how there was a 15-​minute video that showed the history of the Arecibo Observatory, and the museum is operated with a number of young, passionate students that were happy to share their knowledge with you.
I never knew anything about a radio telescope until now. Definitely interesting to see it in real life, but it wasn’t as humongous as I thought it would be. It’s really awesome to see this place dedicated to advancing society’s understanding of the universe.
It was definitely a great day trip! If you’re open to a day of learning about the galaxies and physics, this is a good place for you.

Most boring tour I have ever been on.
Most of the exhibits were broken, and the movie you have to sit through is complete crap. You get what you pay for, and the drive isn’t worth it.
The actual telescope is very cool! Stay away from the food, and make this a quick pitstop on an adventure to do better things.

I loved his place. Its definitely a trip worth combining with Rio Camuy Caverns. The narrow hilly terrain can ensure the drive is quite long, but definitely worth it. The $ 10 admission ticket is money well spent. I suggest watching the well made documentary before beingbawe struck by this magnificent engineering work.
Gemma, our guide for the tour was helpful both with the information about the observatory and suggestions on nearby places. Her suggestion for a roamntic dinner in Salitre was spot on.

I love this place. I’ve gone here quite a few times as a kid and it has changed tremendously. The drive is a bit confusing for those who do not pay attention to the roads. If you look for the observatory symbol while driving, you cannot get lost. The roads are typical of Puerto Rico– drive slow because there are lots of potholes.
Get gas if you are low before you head up the mountain– heaven forbid you run out of gas getting there :)
$ 10 entry fee– I dig it. English or Spanish tours are available. The museum is pretty cool, especially for little kids. I took my cousins here to see the largest telescope in the world! I have always loved this place.
Side Note: If you are in the area, I would make this one of a few stops along the way. I would also go to Utuado (oh-​too-​ah-​do) to get some Taino history/​see caves, take a day trip to Ponce, and drive around the coast to San Juan if you are staying there.
You can also choose to visit las Cuevas/​Cavernas Camuy or las Cuevas Ventanas (another cool cave). Either one is awesome but have an entry fee for cars. If you choose Camuy, know that it fills up early, so I would go there first– but it makes getting to Arecibo Observatory a bit trickier. Make sure you have a map or your handy dandy GPS.

Mmm. Very cool place to visit but considering the infamous crappy turning and dangerous roads in retrospect I’m not sure it was totally worth it. Don’t get me wrong, once you see «El Radar» or the actually satellite, it is very beautiful and breathtaking. But that’s pretty much it. I paid like 10 – 12 bucks for admission to act like I was interested in some astral informational stands. The place is pretty clean and you will have to climb some stars to get to the actual observatory site but it’s not hard work for anyone relatively in shape. Just in case your severely handicap or just lazy they offer a free of purchase golf cart to bypass stairs.
Anyway, theres a small souvenir shop which is kinda meh. The guides here as with any typical touristy spot in PR are bilingual (English/​Spanish) guided presentations. There are some educational presentations and stands of space and stuff but I feel like it is geared towards kids… like preteens kids. Cool stuff but a bore for me.
The actual view of El Radar is beautiful, breathtaking but lasts only a couple seconds after you realize how massive it is but yet so far away.
Overall, it is a once in a lifetime visit. It is a great view but just not something I could gaze at time after time. If you want your typical tourist fare then go here but as a local its not such a big deal I am told.

This place was such a letdown. I regretted paying that $ 10 admission afterwards haha.
The whole place is so outdated, and it needs a serious makeover (insanely overdue lol). The displays have that yellowish tint like when old newspapers sit out for a long time. Half the buttons did not work and the lights on the displays were out of commission as well. Pretty sure nothing has been updated in the whole place in 20 years. The only halfway decent/​interesting thing they have there is this fog/​smoke machine. The video we watched prior to seeing the telescope was old and outdated as well. The information they provided about the telescope was actually interesting, which is why I’m not rating it one star.
The place was that bad that we would rather have spent that $ 10 on the soda machine outside and have a soda party lol.

This place was pretty cool and if you are into science, you will appreciate their museum. They have planets and a periodic table in spanish… oxigeno, carbono… etc its like nerdvana.
There is a presentation on the satellite given in both languages and at the end you get to see the satellite. you can always go to the back, skip the presentation, to see the satellite. Totally recommend!!!

Yes, Arecibo is out of the way. Yes, it takes effort to get to. But when do you get the chance to see something that’s the worlds largest anything? Right, not that often. So take the trip out, watch the short presentation, and check out something really big. The staff is really great and helpful. Plus, it beats trying to get a tan when it’s cloudy.

The observatory was fair at best. You get to walk out on an observation deck that is a few hundred feet or so above the «dish» the view of the surrounding mountains is off the map. The telescope is mildly interesting at best. The tour starts with a short video that you could probably see on YouTube. Then you go out on the deck and get an interesting «tour» (so to speak, you really don’t go anywhere). Then we finished up in the «museum» looking over the same stuff you see at any observatory in the U.S. The disappointing part to me was you never got to see any images from the telescope itself. Which to me was the point of going.
If this is on your «to-​do» list, I’d slide it over to your «to-​skip» list.

Super hard to find and very confusing as you’re trying to drive on a narrow path with limited signs to follow. We pulled over so many times just to ask for directions and the residents speak very limited English.
Parking is free. There’s a small uphill walk with the humidity and sun beaming you’ll be a little tired. $ 10 per adult to go into the observatory. There’s vending machines for soda outside. Mid way up the walk way to the ticket booth there’s a little drink shop. Make sure you get a piña cola slush. It’s BOMB! Super delish! They have ice cream, water bottles, soda, juice, etc as well.
Inside the observatory which is actually pretty small compared to the Griffith observatory back in LA you get to walk out the door and and there is, the really awesome satellite. Biggest in the world or so they say. It’s been in 007 & contact. Outside there’s also a small refreshment vendor (I.e. ice cream, hot dog, drinks, etc.)
There’s also a short 20 minutes video about the satellite but if you’re like me, I fell asleep unfortunately. Overall, I would reccomend going just to learn a piece of history and see it for your very eyes.
You can use your cellphone but only on airplane mode. Pictures are okay.

Arecibo is located at the top of the mountain, so be prepared to drive up a very small and windy road. Considering some of the roads we had to drive through in Puerto Rico… what’s new? The Observatory charges $ 10, which is actually pretty pricy considering some of the other landmarks we visited that were free but considering its recent renovation, I was willing to shell out the $ 10 in support of the sciences!
When you walk into the Observatory, there are a lot of displays discussing how the dish works, history fo the observatory etc. You can go into the auditorium to watch a film about the history of the Observatory, some of its main discoveries, and hear from some of the scientists who worked there. Then you will exit the auditorium into the viewing patio, where you can look down on the grand dish itself. Everyone in our group spoke Spanish, so they showed the Spanish version of the video. Our guide gave us a little synopsis later in English. I would call myself a science geek, but even with that, I cannot say that I was super impressed with what the video showed or what I saw with my own eyes.
I don’t know why, but I was expecting a telescope. And I was sort of excited to see a planet. But don’t be misinformed like me!
Arecibo is an observatory. The big dish they have there is able to measure the velocity and speed of say, an asteroid in space, but they do not have a big telescope for you to look through to see Saturn. You will be able to admire the dish itself though, and appreciate how nature had created this perfect spot for them to build this dish made up of tiny plate reflectors. Coming from California, I have visited Griffith Observatory many times. Although Arecibo is no Griffith, it is able to offer you insight into some of the history of the study of space in Puerto Rico. The people here are warm and friendly, and you can tell that they are all very proud of what this Observatory has to offer.
Conclusion: If you’re going to be in the area, pay Arecibo a visit. If you’re not going to be passing through, don’t bother.