There are several options to reach the city of Ensenada. Here we list some for those arriving by plane to Tijuana or San Diego and moving overland to Ensenada.

Ensenada is located 116 km to the south of Tijuana. The offices of the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional - San Pedro Mártir (OAN-SPM) are at the Tijuana-Ensenada highway kilometer 107 within an academic complex that includes the Institute of astronomy - Ensenada (IAE) of the UNAM, the Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Estudios Superiores de Ensenada (CICESE), the Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología (CNyN) of the UNAM and the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC).

Operations of the headquarters of OAN-SPM are carried out from the headquarters of the Institute of Astronomy UNAM. Address and phone of OAN-SPM offices are the following:

Institute of Astronomy location

Km. 107 Carr. Tijuana-Ensenada

22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México

Phone: +52-(646)-175-0800 ext. 301, 302

From Tijuana to Ensenada

Those arriving at Tijuana International Airport can use the bus service to and from the airport offered by the company Autotransportes of Baja California (ABC). The local ABC ticket sales is located right next to the airport entrance, next to the OXXO mini market. The bus station in Ensenada is located at Ave. Riveroll and 11 Street. If you want to know the bus schedules and travel costs, please visit the ABC website

Travel time from Ensenada to Tijuana airport is just under 2 hours, while Tijuana to Ensenada may be just over 2.5 hours as the bus passes the bus terminal at Tijuana to pick up other passengers. Some buses do not pick up other travelers at the bus terminal in Tijuana, and in this case the trip to Ensenada will take 2 hours.

From San Diego to Ensenada

If you arrive to the San Diego airport, you must first get to the border between Tijuana and San Ysidro. To do this there are at least two options.

Option 1): Take a taxi to the San Ysidro border (~ $ 50 USD with taximeter).

Option 2): Take a bus to the America Plaza trolley station (~ $ 3 USD) which is located in the downtown of San Diego. The trolley (~ $ 2.50 USD) will take you to the San Ysidro border.

In addition, there are airport shuttle services, which pick you up at the airport of San Diego and transfer by car to Ensenada.

Once at the border, cross on foot (avoid heavy luggage!). You will find the ABC bus station right next to the border (within Plaza Viva).

The trip to Ensenada lasts about two hours. The buses leaving from the border do not stop at any other stops in Tijuana.

OAN-SPM offices in Ensenada

Astronomy Institute offices

Once in Ensenada, to access the OAN-SPM offices you should get to the Institute of Astronomy - Ensenada (IAE). From the bus station take a taxi to the offices of the observatory (in case of confusion ask to be taken to CICESE). The price for this service is negotiated with the driver and is around $100 mexican pesos. Uber and Didi services are also available in the city (recommended).

Upon arrival at the OAN-SPM offices in Ensenada please report to the Chief of General Services to finalize the details of your transfer to the observatory and/or accommodation in " La Casita " in case of having requested previously.

Local time

Baja California is in the Pacific Time Zone (PT). Being in the border zone, daylight saving is applied in the time period between the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November. In the rest of Mexico (except Sonora State, where daylight saving is not applied), changes are made on the first Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October.

Please visit the following link to consult the current local time in Mexico: Official time (CENAM)

Who do I contact to book accommodation and trasportation for my trip to OAN-SPM?

The Institute of Astronomy has accomodation for visiting astronomers, also known as "La Casita" which is located in the OAN-SPM offices in Ensenada. To book accommodation in this house and/or set your transfer to the observatory, please send an email to general services of OAN (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Spanish only). You will receive an acknowledgment of receipt to your email.

The reservation of "La Casita" and scheduling your transfer to the observatory should be made at least one week in advance. However, this procedure can be done once the TTAC (Telescope Time Allocation Committee) sends you the details for your observing run.

Transportation schedule

The departure time from the OAN-SPM offices to the observatory is 9:00 a.m. (the Chief of General Services or the Operational Coordinator will notify you by email if there are any changes to the scheduled transfer time). It is highly recommended to arrive at the boarding area at least 20 minutes before departure. If you need winter clothes, on loan, request them at the OAN-SPM warehouse in Ensenada (a.k.a. almacén). The warehouse is open from 08:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Note that there is no transportation to or from the OAN-SPM on Saturdays and Sundays, except in case of emergency.

OAN-SPM location in the Sierra San Pedro Mártir

The observatory is located within the National Park in the Sierra San Pedro Martir, amid a forest of conifers. The approximate altitude of the telescope area is 2800 meters above sea level. The location on the map and geographical coordinates of the OAN-SPM are the following:

Longitude: 115º 27' 49'' West

Latitude: 31º 02' 39'' North

Altitude: 2830m

In the OAN-SPM, the "campamento" is the area where the main building, the dining room, the office of the Head of Operations (supervisor), the computer room, the resort areas and the rooms for technicians and astronomers are located.

In the observatory, electricity is generated by power plants, which operate with diesel. Water is carried through a pipe from a nearby waterhole. Please, take care of water, because its distribution is a daily effort. Water for human consumption is processed in the water treatment plant at the observatory.

In the computer room in the main building, located in front of the office of Head of Operations, there is a computer connected to the network and a printer. These are available to visiting astronomers and the OAN-SPM staff. In the camp and in each telescope building there is available wireless connection (WIFI). To access any of them please fill in the following form (click here).

Telescopes area is located approximately 2 kilometers away from the camp, up the asphalt road.

Access to OAN-SPM

To reach the OAN-SPM from Ensenada, drive 140 kilometers south by the Transpeninsular highway. When you pass through the town called Colonet, you reach the Diaz Ordaz neighborhood where the deviation to the left that goes to the OAN-SPM is located. From this point you travel 100 kilometers inland towards the observatory on a completely asphalted road, although very narrow. The trip from Ensenada to the OAN-SPM takes approximately 4.5 hours. The transportation of the staff of the OAN-SPM and visiting astronomers is done in observatory vehicles driven by staff.

Accomodation and meals at OAN-SPM

To find out about the cost of accommodation at the observatory for external astronomers, which includes overnight stay, lodging, food and snacks, visit the following link: Tab for services costs for observers. The meal schedules in the dining room of the OAN-SPM are:

	Schedule
Breakfast	7:00 to 8:00 a.m.
Lunch	1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Dinner	6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The meal schedule for astronomers runs until 3:00 p.m. There is hot coffee, fruit and cookies available for most of the day in the dining room.

OAN-SPM Dinner room

What to do upon arrival at OAN-SPM?

Upon arrival at OAN-SPM, visiting astronomers should report to the Head of Operations in turn, who will assign a room, a vehicle and indicate the routine of general procedures and precautions in the observatory. We recommend that you read the following safety recommendations (see safety recommendations). The Head of Operations is the highest administrative authority at the observatory site.

For any suggestions or comments to improve this document, please write to OAN-SPM webmaster.