Observatorio Mazatlán 1873 — Attraction in Sinaloa

The booking process is exhausting, there are two or more people in charge of the chat, I was very clear that I wanted the guided tour and the access to the sky bar. The agent explained that the guided tour ended at 4:00 PM, I was ok and booked only the access to the sky bar, had a booking of 5 people and they ask for an advance payment of $500 pesos I went ahead and pay for the fee, no problem, however, they asked me for the third time all of the booking information, then gave a different date and they said it was a small confusion and rectified it (several days for a simple booking and questions in regards of both services offered).

Asked couple of days before to change the booking from 5 people to 4 people. Arrived to the place, no parking whatsoever just outside wherever you can park, asked my mom, my cousin and my aunt (senior citizen with limited capabilities) to go ahead and pay the entrance while I parked, I asked them to give my name and pay the booking. They went ahead and paid.

Once on the funicular the driver questioned the payment and told everyone I had paid the wrong service. I went back to the cashier and received a refund to wait and pay until we got to the sky bar. The person was telling me that my mom got confused and paid for the guided tour. I explained that how is it possible to not search on the system what I have booked since she gave my name?

Then we proceeded to the sky bar, there was an employee who accompanied us to the sky bar to make sure we made the payment and find the place, she overheard what happened and explained me that the guided tours changed and now ended at 6:00 PM I asked why the person in charge of the bookings did not tell me that they changed (on my mind I was thinking "you are losing money") she simply said: "She forgot about it" then I proceeded to tell her "then there is room for improvement", nothing was said afterwards.

Once we got off the funicular she told us to follow her but yet again I explained that there was a senior citizen that could not hurry or walk faster, asked her to wait of take me to the cashier and pay, went upstairs, paid for the services. they offered us two type of tables 1) high chairs or 2) normal chairs on the back of the bar, we could not take high chairs as again we had a senior citizen and could not climb them.

The table, it was ok but no view, no fan nor anything that will provide us with a comforting atmosphere, it was hot and we were melting, drinks were not good nor bad. We had a couple of drinks, me and my cousin went downstairs to take pictures, once we got up again we went to a window to take pictures of the sunset. A couple arrived to sit down and the cashier told us to move, with a harsh tone, just took the picture and left.

Without doubt I describe this experience as bittersweet, the idea, the place and the concept is outstanding, however, the management could improve the employees attitude with incentives or make proper hiring for this kind of attraction.

This cannot compete at the moment with any of the Riviera Maya tours not even Jose Cuervo's Experience tour but it does have the potential. Hope they can improve in the future as Mazatlán needs more great...

Highly recommend to do early and make it a day. You don’t want to miss any part of it. We bought tickets and were presently surprised to hear about 9yrs daughters’ entry was free. We went on a Thursday. We took the funicular train, which had amazing views of the lighthouse and water. We saw the iguanas, turtles (mating) and peacock fluff his feathers up. The whale exhibited was incredible. The artist that did it was super and recycled some many of its items. It constructed professionally from shipping containers. The interaction element was so educational for myself as well as my daughter! You not only learn about the different varieties but all learn about their systems and habitats. The life size skeletons are pretty jaw dropping. The scans of the skeletonal, nervous and anatomical systems were fantastic! The bird exhibit is a must. They open every 20 mins and the guide there is so knowledgeable. Help the birds transfer from heads and shoulders if didn’t want to experience that. We enjoyed it. They are rescued bird so you don’t know what they went thru prior to coming to the sanctuary. They land on your hand, shoulder and even head! You can feed them as well. Then had lunch at the restaurant there which is also an historical exhibit. This location was an observatory initially then a military compound and before it was converted once again to an observatory. They have a mezcal making exhibition and they have different cacti information and labels which are amazing given the tequila and mezcal production in Mexico. The restaurant has amazing views of the city as well as spectacular water views. You can also zip line from the lighthouse if you dare. I also took the stairs down and was able to read more about the different birds in area. I can’t say enough. They have coy...

This is a great way to spend a couple hours in Mazatlan. The price for non-local visitors in $35CAN, which seems a little steep. Your visit starts with a 10 min video on the history of Maz, then with a fun ride on the funicular to the top of the hill where the attractions are. You'll get a run-down of the park from a guide there, but then you're on your own, free to roam around and check out each exhibit self-guided.

The iguana area was a bit sad looking but the rainforest feel was very nice, with the elevated walkways, and the ponds. There's some surly tortoises that you may miss if you're not paying attention lol. We waited nearly 30 mins past the start time to take part in the cacao ritual, but gave up. This really bothered me as the times are clearly listed, and the number of people waiting and waiting was unacceptable.

The aviary is pretty neat, but you don't have access to a lot of the areas to see what birds are around. The agave garden was my favorite part, such a beautiful display of different varieties! Being able to tour the fort and living areas was also a very cool historical glimpse as the decor and displays seem frozen in time.

When you're ready to leave, take the stairs down instead of the funicular for a new perspective, including some lovely tile work and local flora. The service and bathrooms were very clean. There's a small drinks counter near the iguana's to get off your feet. Be prepared for a bit of a pricey cab ride depending on traffic, but as it sits right on the Malecon there's plenty of places to visit and walk to after your visit to the...