Starlight Camps & Astronomy at Dharoi Adventure Fest, Ladakh Astro Festival, Corbett Dark Sky Conclave, Nakshatra Sabha series and now the Himachal Pradesh government has launched a stargazing facility in Kaza, a remote town in Spiti Valley. This new wave of tourism is slowly transforming India’s most remote landscapes — not through wellness retreats or heritage stays, but by turning travellers’ gaze upwards — at the sky, at the stars and the cosmos beyond. Backed by the Department of Environment, Science and Technology, the new facility in Kaza is equipped with high-powered Sky-Watcher GoTo telescopes and will be operated by trained local youth, many from Spiti’s tribal communities. The initiative is as much about generating livelihood as it is about skywatching. With no light pollution, high elevation and over 250 clear nights a year, Spiti offers some of the most ideal conditions for stargazing in India. With the introduction of formal infrastructure in place, it is being repositioned as a destination where silence and science meet under some of the darkest skies in the country.
India’s astronomical tourism circuit has been quietly expanding over the last few years, led in part by science outreach programmes and regional tourism boards tapping into the growing demand for immersive, low-impact travel experiences. What connects these destinations is not just the quality of their night skies, but the intent behind their development. Astro-tourism in India is being shaped not as a passive activity, but as an interactive, community-driven engagement. Many of these destinations are remote, ecologically sensitive or seasonally cut off.
By linking tourism with astronomy, they are finding new, sustainable ways to support local economies without overwhelming their natural environments. At the forefront of this trend is Hanle, a high-altitude village in Ladakh, home to the Indian Astronomical Observatory — one of the highest in the world. In 2022, Hanle was declared India’s first Dark Sky Reserve, a protected area where artificial light is strictly controlled to maintain optimal conditions for astronomical observations. The designation has spurred the development of guided night sky tours and astro-friendly homestays, where telescopes are provided and electricity is kept to a minimum. More recently, parts of Changthang have also begun offering dark-sky safaris, merging cultural experiences with deep-sky observation.
Cosmos circuit
Meanwhile, Rajasthan has taken a more state-wide approach. In 2023, the government announced the installation of stargazing telescopes in all 33 districts, making astronomy accessible beyond just urban science centres. Destinations like Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Mount Abu are now part of curated night-sky trails, often hosted by amateur astronomers or trained guides. Mount Abu, in particular, is home to the Mount Abu Infrared Observatory (MIRO), which occasionally opens its facilities to the public for night-time viewings. In the Thar Desert, stargazing is now paired with camel safaris and folk music performances, creating a unique confluence of science and local culture.
Uttarakhand offers another stronghold for astro-tourism, especially near Nainital, home to the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES). While the primary observatory at Devasthal is restricted to scientific research, the ARIES outreach centre conducts regular public sessions and telescope tours. In surrounding towns like Mukteshwar and Pangot, eco-resorts and homestays have begun incorporating night-sky observation into their guest itineraries — usually with smaller telescopes and zero artificial lighting during key stargazing hours.
A 1000 wishes
In the south, Karnataka’s Swami Vivekananda Planetarium in Mangaluru offers a tech-forward version of the experience. It’s India’s first 8K 3D hybrid planetarium, offering immersive sky simulations that replicate celestial phenomena during cloudy monsoon months when open-sky observation is less feasible. While not strictly astro-tourism in the traditional sense, the facility plays a crucial role in building public interest and astronomy education.
Lastly, the surreal white landscape of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat has become a hotspot for astro-photographers. Here, on moonless nights, the salt flats reflect the stars so vividly that it feels like standing between two skies. During the Rann Utsav, several operators offer night photography workshops, guided sky observation and camp stays without any electric light sources.
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