The Starlight Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2009 to promote the protection of the night sky and the development of “astrotourism” and there is an ever growing list of starlight destinations in Spain to visit.
The Foundations work in Spain is making a positive impact on the environment and on the local economy and the project has certified quite a few areas in Spain as Starlight Reserves, Starlight Parks, or Starlight Villages. These areas include the Teide National Park in Tenerife, the Monfragüe National Park in Extremadura, and the Cabañeros National Park in Castilla-La Mancha.
Montsec is a mountain range in Catalonia that is known for its dark skies and stunning natural beauty. Montsec observatory.
The Foundation has also worked with local governments and tourism boards to promote astrotourism in Spain organizing stargazing events, astronomy festivals, and astrophotography workshops. They have also conducted surveys of the night sky in different parts of the country and have developed strategies in order to reduce light pollution.
The top visited and most popular starlight destinations in Spain
The Sierra Nevada mountain range in Andalusia is a section of the Betic Cordillera and runs parallel to the Mediterranean sea for around 100km.
The temperature range is dramatic with the summits under snow for many months, followed by a hot Mediterranean style summer. This creates special microclimates across the exposed rocky summits, glacial lakes, sheer sided gorges, mixed oak woods, pine woods and fast rivers with wooded banks.
Declared a National Park in 1998 and encompassing an area of 86,208 hectares it is a popular destination throughout the year. It holds an exceptional variety of animal and plant life due to the combination of altitude and its proximity to the Mediterranean sea.
The area has also become famous as a starlight destination. The Starlight Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2009 to promote the protection of the night sky and the development of “astrotourism” and there is an ever growing list of starlight destinations in Spain to visit.
Take a trip on the Wildside! Discover the wildlife and nature of Spain, its Natural and National Parks and find the top wildlife, activity and walking holiday companies in Spain.
