My advice to anyone who is not in the best physical shape is to think twice (maybe 3x) about walking up that hill leading to this place, especially on a hot day. It is a looong walk. If you're like me, you'll manage to drag yourself, huffing and puffing, up the stairs, (yes, there are stairs also). All this only... more

This is more like 3.5 stars. I had such high expectations of this place. I was really looking forward to spending some time here. The observatory is located in a beautiful location and just the view from the observation deck (of the telescope) is worth it, but everything else is not upto the mark - hence the 2 less stars.... more

Arecibo observatory was cool for what it was: A giant telescope. That's it, that's all there is to see. If that's all you expect, you shouldn't be disapointed. Sure they have a generic science exibit for you to look through, but you can find that info at your local planetarium. We mainly went to behold and photograph the gigantic radio... more

We visited the observatory on February 28th. It cost $6 for adults, and this gives you entrance to a large collection of exhibits and to view the telescope. From the parking area, you must walk up a steep hill and lots of steps. The exhibits are pretty interesting, more so if you are very interested in the solar system, etc.... more

My husband is a physicist and was itching to go to the Aricebo Observatory ever since we found out we would be stopping in Puerto Rico on our cruise. I was not that excited, but even if you are not into astronomy, I would highly recommend it. True, it is an app 90 minute drive from San Juan but the... more

When my parents told me about the Arecibo Observatory's enormous Radio dish, I was beyond impressed. The whole, lengthy drive up the winding mountain road, I was eager to set eyes on this fifty-year-old technology that could allow us to communicate with aliens! However, when we pulled into the parking lot, my mood began to sour. First, we climbed ten... more

I did this one by myself, as none of my travel mates were very interested. I got good directions from my hotel and had my GPS with me so I did just fine. I had no troubles as a twenty-something female traveling by myself (although I do speak spanish). Anyway, I though the observatory was interesting and the setting and... more

On Dec 28, 2005 my girlfriend and I visited the Arecibo Observatory during a week-long vacation in Puerto Rico. I'm writing this about 2 years after our visit because I was organizing some photographs. Overall, it was a disappointment considering the time it took to get there from San Juan. There is a small visitor center which has typical NASA... more

The drive to Arecibo is a little scary...back country roads with chickens running around. There are about 6 tolls on the main highway...bring change and small bills. There a plenty of signs to guide the way. There is a large visitors center and lots of "space" information. Also a viewing area to look at the telescope. We didn't need to... more