31°42'23.6"N 116°23'57.0"W

YWAM Rancho Abierto is in the state of Baja California, Mexico. We are located about an hour and a half south of Ensenada. The nearest Mexican border city is Tijuana, while the nearest US border city is San Diego, California. The ranch is in a very beautiful, remote, and peaceful place. Although it is in the desert, it is in an oasis surrounded by oak and sycamore trees and a seasonal flowing creek.

TRANSPORTATION:

If you live in North America, you are welcome to drive your own vehicle. A high profile vehicle is necessary for our rough, forty-five minute, 9-mile dirt road. It's an adventure! Diesel and regular unleaded gas are readily available in town. It is nice to have your own vehicle to allow freedom to explore and getaway for the weekends, but it is not a necessity. We also have vans that can be borrowed and shared by families that want to go into town.

If you are arriving by airplane, here are your options:

1) You may fly into the USA, and arrive in San Diego, California, and we can you pick you up and drive down to the ranch in the early afternoon. Some families choose to spend the night in San Diego the night before arrival day. The San Diego airport is 3 and ½ hours from the ranch. 2) You may fly directly into Mexico. We can pick you up at the airport in Tijuana, 3 hours from the ranch.

MEXICAN TOURIST VISAS:

Whether you are driving or flying to the ranch, you will need a 180 day Mexican Tourist Visa. If you are driving across the border, this can be purchased for around $40 USD as you cross the Mexican border. If you are driving, we will give you specific directions on where to purchase the visa as you cross the border, along with Mexican car insurance. If you are flying into Mexico, you will purchase your tourist visa before you fly.

HEALTH INSURANCE:

Worldwide emergency health insurance is required for every member of the family for your entire stay at YWAM Rancho Abierto and during the outreach. Please purchase at https://www.travelerstrust.com/

WEATHER

The spring can still be a bit chilly. The nights are cold, and may be as low as 40 degrees F (4.5 degrees C), while the daytime may get as high as 80 F (26 C). Obviously, the chill will wear off more and more by the end of the FDTS… and warmer weather will come! You will need some sweats, sweatshirts, and layers for the nights. Bring a variety of clothes that include jeans and a warm coat, but also clothes for warmer weather. Clothing for outreach should include modest clothes for hot weather, and work clothes for painting or work projects. Bring sandals as well as closed-in shoes as and some type of raincoat. 

Meals

Our working kitchen and indoor dining are held in the “YURT”, which is a round canvas structure. All our meals are done community style, eating together, and enjoying conversation. Because we are a small base, we need “all hands-on deck”. This means all families wash their own dishes after meals and take turns cooking and helping with clean-up after the meals. We have many picnic tables to eat outside, in the beautiful sunshiny weather of Baja. Please let us know if you have anyone in your family with food allergies. Ultimately, we need individuals with food allergies to work with us to come up with solutions that will keep you or your children with allergies well and healthy. We are not able to accommodate individual's food “preferences” and encourage students to try new things, including unfamiliar foods. We do prepare quite a bit of Mexican food and do raise animals (sheep, pigs, chickens) for food. Mealtimes are... Breakfast at 7:00 AM, Lunch at 12:00, and dinner at 5:30 PM.

INTERNET/Electricity

Because we are off the grid, we depend on solar power, generator use, and satellite internet. Normally, we have good internet service between 6:00 am and 9:00 pm. Please do not bring electrical heating devices including blow dryers, curling irons, hotplates, water kettles, etc. as they will drain our batteries that run our refrigeration.

MAIL

There is NO MAILBOX or address for the ranch! We really ARE off the grid! We will give you a stateside address that letters from home can be delivered to.

LAUNDRY

We have three washing machines and one dryer and plenty of clotheslines and sunshine to dry clothes. We have scheduled times for each family to use the laundry facilities on weekdays. Weekends you may do laundry freely.

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS

The cabins are insulated, drywalled, and are cutely decorated. Each cabin has a queen sized bed for the parents, and a twin bed, pack and play, or crib for each child. There is no heating in the cabins, so layer up for cold nights, especially in the beginning weeks of the FDTS. Slippers may be nice to have, as there are wood floors in the cabins…which can be cold in the earlier months. We do provide all bedding but please bring your OWN TOWELS and toiletries. The micro-fiber, quick dry towels are ideal, especially for outreach. There is no kitchen or bathroom in the cabins. There are nice showers with hot water and outhouses nearby the cabins. It is nice to buy a plastic tote or tub to store your toiletries in cubbies/cabinets at the shower house. It is not camping… but it might be called “GLAMPING.”  Also, we do provide a camping style toilet if you would like to have one inside your cabin for nighttime use.

Other options for DTS as a family

Many YWAM bases around the world can accommodate families but will most likely not have a dedicated Foundation School for your children. The McCoy’s were trained in Kona, HI and have led the FDTS there and highly recommend the school scheduled to start April 9th, 2025. We also have taught in the FDTS in Chico, CA and highly recommend that school. There are also good options that we have heard about for families in Norway and New Zealand. It is our desire to see FDTS and Foundation Schools multiplied around the globe.