Starry Nights: 10 Best Places in the World for Stargazing

There are few sights that bring out a barrage of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ like a sky full of stars. The raw beauty of nature where silver sparkling dots light up the blue midnight sky is ethereal. On your next holiday, visit these best places around the world for stargazing.

1. Nubra Valley, Ladakh

Ladakh’s landscape is picture perfect. Barren mountains, crystalline lakes, sweeping rivers and some of the highest passes on earth, nature presents its many facets here. Nubra Valley in Ladakh is a star gazer’s dream at an altitude of almost 3,050 metres above sea level. The sheer vastness of this cold desert is blanketed by starry skies.

2. Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh

With its highest point being at over 4,500 metres above sea level, the scenic Spiti Valley almost makes you want to grab a star and put it in your pocket. The clear skies are illuminated every night with an onslaught of twinkling and shooting stars. Spit Valley is also a great place to clearly spot constellations. 

3. Coorg, Karnataka

If you smell coffee in the air, then you’re in Coorg. The hill station dubbed as the ‘Scotland of India’ is marked by cascading waterfalls, undulating hills and rolling tea plantations. Add to this a star filled sky on most dark nights. It’s no wonder then why Coorg is a popular destination with diehard romantics who stargaze hand in hand.

4.Kutch, Gujarat

The flat salt marshes of the Thar Desert are known as the Rann of Kutch. Making the area almost appear as a white desert, Kutch experiences the phenomenon of Chir Batti or ghost lights wherein an unexplained light as bright as a mercury lamp streaks across the dark skies and changes its colour to blue, red and yellow and resembles a moving ball. This aside, Kutch is where several magnitude stars are visible to the naked eye.

5. Sonmarg, Jammu & Kashmir

Sonmarg literally translated means ‘meadow of gold’. At an altitude of 2,800 metres above sea level, the backdrop of this flower laden valley boasts of snowy white Himalayan peaks set against emerald green pine forests with glaciered rivers flowing through. Sonmarg is a favourite with campers who enjoy lying back and staring up at the glittering night sky.

6. Atacama Desert, Chile

The extremely arid Atacama Desert spans across the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains. Its altitude and absence of pollution in the area makes it a hotspot for astro-tourism.  At the Paranal Observatory located here, stargazers will be awed by the Very Large Telescope, which is the world’s most advanced optical instrument.  It’s easy to spot planets like Jupiter and Saturn along with galaxies from Atacama Desert.

7. Kiruna, Sweden

In northern Sweden, Kiruna is a 193 kilometres from the Arctic Circle. It has the reputation of being one of the best places in the world to see the aurora borealis or Northern Lights ribbon across the night sky. On any given night, stargazers are in for a treat given the area’s natural beauty. Kiruna is also home to the Esrange Space Center, a research centre.

8. Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, USA

Certified as a Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association, the  Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah is free from light pollution, making it one of the best places in the US to stargaze. With its rugged canyon terrain, the starry night sky is framed by natural bridges making it a stunning display.

9. Neil Island, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

As you bask under the sun with a view of swaying palms set against turquoise waters of the Bay of Bengal in the horizon during the day, darkness brings with it a completely scenery on Neil Island. The endless night sky transforms itself in to a sparkling spectacle and if you look closely, the shimmering waters reflect the symphony.

10. Wiruna, New South Wales, Australia

A stellar spot for stargazing, Wiruna attracts visitors from near and far. The area is owned by an astronomy society that hosts “star parties” on weekends close to a New Moon, which sees professionals and amateurs flock to Wiruna for a glittery spectacle and a chance to exchange notes on their observations with other star struck visitors. 

Aren’t your eyes twinkling already? Book your flights, hotels and holidays now!