This April 13 is the World Astronomy Day. And from Horse, we bring you which are the cleanest skies on the planet to see the stars. Give your Tuesday the 13th a twist, and surround yourself with good luck.
Starlight, with the first reservation in the world in La Palma, is the first Foundation that values 3 very important points: the quality of energy efficiency, that there are no pollutants, and that they also propose economic savings. This Foundation inaugurates a new model of travel “gourmet skyscrapers”, thus creating a unique quality of service with a great added value, which proposes intelligent tourism and is visitable.
In Spain we are fortunate to be able to enjoy wonderful skies such as those of Menorca, the tripartite of Catalonia: Aiguestortes, Montsec and Prades, Aragon and Galicia. But today, the spotlight falls on the wonderful La Palma.
La Palma: The first Starlight reserve in the world
La Palma has been chosen as one of the best destinations for Astrotourism. Thefirst Starlight reserve in the world has the largest astronomical complex in Europe at its highest peak, the Roque de los Muchachos.
This island offers visitors a multitude of experiences such as star gazing routes and gastronomic menus with a specific theme. La Palma is the ideal destination to enjoy unique moments.
Fuencaliente, La Palma. Photograph: Eduardo Armas.
Among these many experiences that the island offers, one of the most popular activities is traveling the trails and astronomical viewpoints enabled. On these tours you can also count on specialized guides who will explain the ins and outs of the stars. Some of the most spectacular, and that if you are a star lover you should already know are: Los Llanos del Jable, laMuralla, el Llano de la Venta, and Montaña de las Toscas.
Caldera de Taburiente, La Palma. Photograph: Enrique Navarro.
In La Palma you will also find hotels and rural tourism houses equipped to complete your experience. They have basic instruments for observation (telescopes, binoculars…), for all amateurs or beginners.
Astrotourism in La Palma. Photography: Enrique Navarro.
As for gastronomy, you will also find experiences that will not leave you indifferent. Some restaurants offer themed menus with daring dishes and suggestive flavors. All the features of the menu are designed in detail so that the dish reminds you of the infinity of the galaxy.
Antonia Varela tells us about the experiences offered by Starlight:
we must take advantage of the resources of each territory to link it to the sky.
Starlight is committed to a km0, so that each territory can exploit its available resources to create a unique experience in its entirety.
Restaurant El jardín de La Sal, Fuencaliente, La Palma. Photograph by F.Cabrera (2013).
An example of this is the El Jardín de la Sal restaurant, located in the municipality of Fuencaliente, La Palma. This is equipped with telescopes with solar filters, Ipad, and audiovisual media. In addition, it revolves around a mythological legend of love between Vulcan and Venus, and that gives it a special magic when the sun goes down.
Full Moon at Roque de los Muchachos. Photograph: Miguel Calero.
One of the most sought after activities is photography. This occupies a very special place within the activities that can be done related to the stars. There are meetings to take photographs at night, and therefore, you can meet people with the same interests as you, under a beautiful blanket of stars.
What is more sustainable than a trail, or a bath in a spa with a starry sky. The tourist does not only visit a place, the tourist connects with the territory and joins it discovering scientifically, and discovering himself personally.
