Tijuana Neighbourhood Guide

Colonia Altabrisa

Tijuana, Baja California

A Planned Fraccionamiento Above the Tecnológico

Colonia Altabrisa sits in the Mesa de Otay Centenario delegación, 5.1 routed miles from the store. Residents here use a San Ysidro address for the U.S. orders that will not ship to a Mexican one, and collect several at a time.

  • Planned Housing
  • Bank Branches
  • Calimax Altabrisa
  • Campus Adjacent

Border Intelligence Center

Official CBP Wait Times • Updated Automatically Throughout the Day

  • San Ysidro 110 min SENTRI 10 min Heavy delay
  • Otay Mesa 170 min SENTRI 25 min Heavy delay
  • Tecate 60 min Current wait Heavy delay
  • Pedestrian 30 min at San Ysidro Moderate delay
  • USD / MXN 17.0260 Exchange rate
  • Best crossing Tecate 60 min
  • Updated 6:40 pm Official CBP feed

Detailed Border Wait Times (CBP)

Port of Entry General Sentri Pedestrian
San Ysidro 110 min 10 min 30 min
Otay Mesa 170 min 25 min 90 min
Tecate 60 min 5 min

Estimated Total Travel Time

From
Colonia Altabrisa, Tijuana
Drive
10 minutes
Border wait
170 min
Total estimate
180 min

Drive time is an estimate; the border wait is live and changes through the day. Check again before you travel.

Plan Your Trip (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Mexico Customs Official government resource

Returning to Mexico with purchases? Check Mexico's current traveller allowance (franquicia), declaration requirements and customs guidance before you cross.

Check Mexico Personal Allowance (Franquicia) — opens official Mexican customs traveller allowance (franquicia) information on the ANAM government website in a new tab

U.S. Border Wait Times Official government resource

Check live northbound passenger vehicle and pedestrian wait times at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa before you leave Tijuana.

Official CBP Wait Times — opens official U.S. Customs and Border Protection border wait times in a new tab

Trusted Traveler Programs Official government resource

SENTRI and Global Entry members use dedicated lanes at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa. Apply or renew through the official DHS portal.

SENTRI / Trusted Traveler — opens the official U.S. Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler Programs site in a new tab

Electronic I-94 Official government resource

Travellers entering the United States can obtain or review their electronic I-94 arrival record before crossing.

Electronic I-94 (U.S. Arrivals) — opens the official U.S. Customs and Border Protection I-94 service in a new tab

Vehicle Permits Official government resource

Driving beyond the Baja California free zone requires a temporary vehicle import permit, issued by Banjercito.

Banjercito Vehicle Permits — opens the official Banjercito temporary vehicle import permit site in a new tab

Medical FastLane Official government resource

Patients attending medical appointments across the border may use the Cruce Agil / Medical FastLane northbound lane.

Tijuana Medical FastLane / Cruce Agil — opens the official Tijuana SEDETI Medical FastLane information page in a new tab

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Colonia Altabrisa Quick Facts

  • Drive to San Ysidro 10 minutes
  • Major Shopping Calimax Altabrisa
  • Hospitals Farmacias UNION

Welcome to Colonia Altabrisa, Tijuana

San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship
380 E. San Ysidro Blvd., Ste. B, San Ysidro, CA 92173
Open today 9:00 am – 7:00 pm +1-619-213-6259
Distance
5.1 miles
Typical drive
10 minutes
Closest crossing
Otay Mesa

San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship gives Colonia Altabrisa a real U.S. street address for the parcels American retailers will not send across the border — with notification on arrival and holding until you collect.

Map

About Colonia Altabrisa, Tijuana

Altabrisa is a planned fraccionamiento on the rise above Calzada del Tecnológico, laid out in regular blocks around Avenida Altabrisa and Avenida de las Brisas. It borders Colonia UABC on one side and Colonia Otay Universidad on another, which puts two campuses within a few minutes of a quiet residential street.

Thirty-eight hectares, developer-built and uniform, with landscaped green strips rather than a formal park. A Calimax Altabrisa, two BanBajío branches and a BBVA Bancomer serve the colonia directly, together with the Colegio Familia de Tijuana campuses and the Jardín de Niños José Clemente Orozco. Two government offices — IMJUV among them — also sit inside it.

This is the demographic that orders online most consistently: salaried households with bank branches on the doorstep, buying clothing, electronics, home goods and children's equipment. The obstacle is not money, it is that the seller will not ship south.

Colonia Altabrisa covers 38 hectares in the Mesa de Otay Centenario delegación, bordered by Ampliación Lomas Taurinas, Indeco Universidad, Insurgentes and Lomas Taurinas. Calzada del Tecnológico is the colonia's through-route, and the routed drive to the store is 5.1 miles — about 10 minutes of driving, with the border wait separate and reported live on this site.

  • Calimax Altabrisa inside the colonia
  • Two BanBajío branches and a BBVA Bancomer
  • Borders Colonia UABC and Otay Universidad
  • Colegio Familia de Tijuana campuses
  • Calzada del Tecnológico access
  • 5.1 routed miles to the store

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Neighbourhood insights

What makes Colonia Altabrisa, Tijuana distinctive?

Altabrisa is one of the few planned fraccionamientos on the mesa with its own supermarket and bank branches, next door to the university.

Why do people here use a U.S. mailbox?

A San Ysidro address removes the refusal at checkout entirely, and the store holds deliveries so nothing is left with a neighbour or returned to sender.

Who uses the service most from this area?

Salaried households, university staff living off campus, and small businesses run from home.

Nearby landmarks

Altabrisa's landmarks are practical rather than notable: its supermarket, its bank branches, its schools and the two campuses on its boundary.

Shopping

  • Calimax Altabrisa

    Formal retail inside Colonia Altabrisa, inside the colonia.

    What it does not stock is what crosses the border — a U.S. address makes those orders possible at all.

    Approximately 2 minutes by car

Government Services

  • Dependencia de Gobierno

    Public administration for the surrounding colonias, inside the colonia.

    Administrative errands and a border collection are commonly combined into one trip.

    Approximately 2 minutes by car

  • Imjuv

    Civic services for Colonia Altabrisa, inside the colonia.

    Offices and the businesses around them order supplies from U.S. vendors that ship domestically.

    Approximately 2 minutes by car

Healthcare

  • Farmacias UNION

    Health services for the colonia and its neighbours, inside the colonia.

    Clinical supplies arrive at a U.S. address and are collected in a single consolidated trip.

    Approximately 2 minutes by car

Education

  • Colegio Familia de Tijuana

    Teaching provision for the colonia, inside the colonia.

    School and course equipment is ordered to a U.S. address and collected at the border.

    Approximately 1 minute by car

  • Colegio Familia de Tijuana Num. 148

    One of the colonia's school campuses, inside the colonia.

    Course materials and devices are cheapest from U.S. sellers, and those sellers need a U.S. address.

    Approximately 1 minute by car

Transportation

  • Otay Mesa Port of Entry

    The crossing most collections from Colonia Altabrisa use; the store is on the San Ysidro side.

    Routed drive only — border wait is separate, and the Border Intelligence Center reports it live.

    Approximately 9 minutes by car

Border crossing

The nearest crossing for Colonia Altabrisa, Tijuana is Otay Mesa. Wait times vary considerably by hour and by day, and both pedestrian and vehicle lanes are worth checking before you travel — the pedestrian lane is often much faster when you are collecting a parcel rather than moving goods by car.

Bring the documents the crossing requires of you. A mailbox adds no further requirement of its own: collecting mail is an ordinary errand on the U.S. side.

Driving directions

Toward the Otay Mesa crossing, then west along the U.S. side to the store.

Parking
Free parking directly outside the store. Altabrisa is planned housing with reliable street parking.
Public transport
Calzada del Tecnológico runs below the colonia and connects it to the Otay corridor and the Vía Rápida.

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Travel times

Distance
about 5.1 miles
Estimated driving time
10 minutes
Plus border wait
Varies at Otay Mesa, often by hours. Check current wait times before travelling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a courier deliver to the box in my name?

Yes — mail and parcels are received in the names listed on the agreement, which is what the carrier checks.

Are there Altabrisa colonias in other cities?

Several Mexican cities have one, so give the full address including Tijuana when you order.

Do you accept UPS, USPS, FedEx and DHL?

All four, plus most regional carriers.

Is this a real street address or a PO box number?

A real street address in San Ysidro, which is what U.S. retailers and carriers require.

What do I need to open a mailbox?

Identification and a completed mailbox agreement. The store will tell you exactly what to bring.

Why customers from Colonia Altabrisa, Tijuana choose us

  • A real U.S. mailing address

    A street address rather than a PO Box number, so retailers and carriers that refuse PO Boxes will still deliver.

  • Secure package receiving

    Parcels are signed for, logged and held securely until you collect them.

  • Border convenience

    Positioned for the Otay Mesa crossing, so collecting a parcel is an errand rather than an expedition.

  • Mail forwarding

    Have mail and parcels sent onward when collecting in person is not practical.

  • Digital mailbox

    See what has arrived without making the trip, and decide what to do with it.

  • Bilingual support

    Staff who work in English and Spanish, every day, for customers on both sides of the border.

  • Business services

    Notary, printing and a registered address businesses can use for supplier deliveries.

Why customers trust us

4.8 from 110 Google reviews

We Also Serve

Get a U.S. address for Colonia Altabrisa, Tijuana

San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship gives you a real street address minutes from the border, with package receiving from every major carrier and bilingual support.

Questions? Contact the store