Starry Starry Skies – Best places to stargaze
Have you ever looked up at the sky and gazed in awe as the stars shine down on the only planet we believe inhabits life?
As a kid I used to be fascinated in looking up at the sky and trying to find fluffy animals in the clouds. When night fell I’d often lie on the grass and look up trying to find a shooting star, but in London it’s hard to see any stars with so much light pollution! My interest grew as I aged and a visit to Florida’s Space Kennedy when I was eleven was a true experience. For the first time those magical lights in the sky became hard rocks in my hands and metallic dust in a tube. Even now when I go away on holiday I often find myself stopping and looking up at the night sky trying to find the Big Dipper or Orion’s Belt. Below are some of the places I have visited where I have seen shooting stars, satellites and even the rings of Jupiter….
Egypt Mount Sinai
During my trip to Egypt back in 2008 I visited a traditional Bedouin Camp close to Mount Sinai. It turned out that this particular family of Bedouins were “watchers of the stars” and had a $20,000 telescope set up behind their make shift tents, lent to them by an American Space Observatory. For the first time I was able to look through a telescope and see in great detail the rings of Jupiter. The mass darkness in the middle of the desert allowed us to sit and gaze at passing satellites, the North Star and even the occasional shooting star! Definitely a great place to visit to feel one with the earth and sky!
Mount Sinai in Egypt
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Probably one of the largest national parks in Africa, the Kruger National Park is another great place to see the stars above. With such a vast open space and no light pollution, you can take a laze in your hammock (from the safety of a private lodge) and stare for hours. Why not take a two or four night luxury camping safari and experience the open bush with safari walks, game drives and camp fires at night – in my opionion the best way to experience the real safari experience! You can sleep out under the stars on a treetop platform – and don’t worry mosquito nets are provided so you aren’t bitten to bits!
Kruger National Park in South Africa
The Atacama Desert, Chile
Rising from the sea level to over 4,000 metres into the Andes towards Bolivia, the Atacama Desert is the driest place on earth but never have I seen some truly breathtaking landscapes! Near perfect visablity allows us star gazers crystal clear views of the shining legends above! and to keep with the space theme – you can also visit the Valley of the Moon. No you won’t be walking on the moon – but this landscape offers an impressive range of color and texture, looking somewhat similar to the surface of the moon.
Atacama Desert in Chile
Where have you been that is good for star gazing?
Category: Experiences
