Nowadays, astrotourism is one of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism activities you can do. Visitors to inland areas of the Region of Valencia have the chance to see some incredible destinations as well as discovering a magical, unknown universe full of secrets.
Towns like Aras de Los Olmos, Alpuente, Titaguas and La Yesa have put together an attractive offer of astrotourism combined with other activities based on nature, cultural heritage and gastronomy. The Alto Turia region is proud to be one of the world's few Starlight Reserves, areas where the sky is clear, transparent and dark, as well as having the necessary infrastructure for astrotourism activities.
Other towns where you can do stargazing (astrotourism) include Culla, Morella, the area of Els Ports and Desert de les Palmes. Plus, there are places to stay with Starlight certification in areas such as La Vall d’Albaida and Penyagolosa.
These kinds of reserves offer visitors a range of activities, from amazing night-time trips to enjoy the sky and the stars, a gourmet dinner by moonlight and the chance to do astronomy courses. Unique, memorable experiences beneath the stars where a special connection is set up between tourists and the wonders of the night sky.
Aras de los Olmos is the best place in the Region of Valencia to do astrotourism due to the quality of its night sky, one of the clearest in Spain and free of light contamination. At the moment, this town has a number of astronomy facilities and observatories providing top quality services for visitors.
The following are some of the leading facilities in the Region of Valencia for star gazing:
- Observatorio astronómico de la Universitat de Valencia (OAO)
- Centro Astronómico del Alto Turia (CAAT)
- Observatorio de la Cambra (OLC)
- Observatorio de Culla
Plus, for hiking enthusiasts, there are various hiking routes to admire the skies both during the day and at night. The Ruta de los Observatorios Astronómicos (Astronomy Observatories route) runs to the top of Muela de Santa Catalina, a mountain where two of the town's observatories are located and with spectacular views over the Serranía de Valencia mountain ranges. Other fantastic routes include Alto de La Muela del Buitre and La Muela-Peña Blanca, two longer distance trails that run all the way to the Alto Turia Astronomy Centre.
Companies providing astrotourism activities: