Africa - Latin America - India
Our privately guided astronomy holidays, stargazing & solar eclipse tours to Southern & East Africa, Chile and Argentina in Latin America and India will take you to some of the greatest wilderness regions in the world - with clear night skies, free of light pollution. We also know which lodges are equipped with a telescope.
In Southern Africa, the best locations for astronomy holidays and stargazing include the vast Karoo and Kalahari regions of South Africa, as well as the Namib Desert in Namibia. In Latin America, Chile is renowned for stargazing under the clear skies of the Atacama, as well as solar eclipse tours to Patagonia. In India the best place for private astronomy holidays & stargazing tours is in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Southern & East Africa
In South Africa, Sutherland in the Great Karoo is home to the gigantic SALT telescope, the largest in the southern hemisphere. Wonderful night skies are also found in the vast Kalahari, which stretches across three countries - South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Private tours are available, but it is easy to self-drive in both South Africa and Namibia. We know which lodges offer 'starbeds', ideal for sleeping outdoors, and which have a telescope. Astronomy holidays and stargazing in Southern Africa are easily combined with a visit to the lovely city of Cape Town, or a thrilling safari in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
Further north, an outdoor stargazing sleepout on Botswana's Makgadikgadi Pans will create memories of a lifetime. This can easily be combined with a safari and a visit to the thundering Victoria Falls. Kenya has an observatory at Lake Baringo, Tanzania has one on Mount Meru and Ethiopia has one outside Addis Ababa.
Latin America
In South America, the desert skies of the Atacama in Chile are amongst the clearest on earth, offering some of the very best astronomy holidays and stargazing tours in the world, with 330 clear nights per year. Several Atacama lodges have a telescope and offer nightly stargazing tours, but avoid the Antiplantic winter (January/February) when the sky clouds over. Chile is also known for its giant telescopes, especially the Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal, and those at the Cerro Tololo and SPACE observatories. Astonomy holidays & stargazing in the Atacama can be combined with visits to the salt flats and El Tatio geyers.
On the other side of the Andes Mountains, Argentina's top observatories are at La Plata near Buenos Aires, and CASLEO in the Lake District. Patagonia is sometimes a destination for solar eclipse tours. The vast salt flats of Bolivia also offer superb astronomy holidays and stargazing tours.
India
India has eight observatories. The DOT telescope, situated near the Himalayan town of Nainital, is the largest in India. The old Jantar Mantar Observatory in Jaipur has an interesting collection of 19 historical astronomical instruments, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For more information on private astronomy holidays, stargazing & solar eclipse tours in Africa (including Karoo and Kalahari in South Africa & Namibia), Latin America (including Chile & Argentina) & India, including lodges with a telescope, contact us on 01582 766122 today. We can tailor make astronomy holidays & stargazing tours to your exact requirements.
We have been arranging astronomy holidays, stargazing & solar eclipse tours in Africa, Chile in Latin America & India, including lodges with a telecope, for over 20 years.
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