These Astrotourism Ideas Are Out of This World

There's more ways to vacation under the stars than just camping. Astrotourism is giving tourists even more opportunities to see stars, planets, comets and other astronomy-related events in comfy, if not luxury settings.

Great Basin National Park in Nevada is a certified dark place by Dark Sky International, which means they promise to reduce light pollution. The Stargazer Inn offers a prime location for exploring the park with both rooms and RV access. To see marvels like Andromeda Galaxy or Jupiter, Saturn or Mars, Baker Archaeological Site and The Ranching Exhibit are some of your best bets.

Also in Great Basin National Park, this evening train tour will take you through some of the darkest skies in the country. Dark rangers guide the journey, which stops at a special telescope station away from town for a look at the beautiful night sky.

This luxury tent resort is the first Dark Sky Approved Lodging by Dark Sky International. The glamping experience in southern Utah includes two person canvas tents, some with special stargazing windows over the head king-size bed. There’s also private bathrooms, private decks and wood-burning stoves.

Up Norway is a luxury travel curator that will help you plan the Northern Lights experience of your dreams. You can either pick from one of their pre-made itineraries that include dog sledding and ice hotels or create a bespoke journey with a travel curator. The trips are designed to be both adventure-filled journeys in search of natural wonders and cultural immersion.

Amangiri, a remote luxury property in Utah, offers open-ceiling sky terraces and private stargazing opportunities in red-rock country near Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. From spacious suites to tented pavilions (with plunge pools!), there’s two different experiences to enjoy. During the day, explore the lakes and canyons and at night, take in the unadulterated views of the night sky.

In Colorado, there are over 10 distinct locations for stargazing. Colorado Stargazing: Experience the Night connects together a group of communities with certified dark skies, observatories and state of the art telescopes. The website not only lists the communities but also catalogs the best places to see the stars, upcoming events like annual dark sky celebrations and other fun things to do in each area.

Instead of finding a location near an observatory, why not just stay in the observatory (or at least on the same property)? This one-of-a-kind Airbnb also has multiple game rooms, a hot tub under the stars and a fire pit. It has three bedrooms and fast wifi so you and your group can livestream your astrological observations and any contact you make with aliens along the way.

If you have your heart set on staying in the Wet Mountain Valley in Colorado, home to 300 clear nights per year, this site will help you find listings in and around Westcliffe, the first certified Dark Skies Community in the state. The views of the Milky Way are unparalleled.

Forty feet in the air near Tiller, Oregon is this amazing tower that makes you feel like you are part of the sky. There’s no TV or WIFI, but there is 160 acres of private land surrounded by the Umpqua National Forest. Modeled after a fire lookout tower, it offers stunning views, plenty of land to roam, but also has a waiting list thousands deep.

This desert oasis in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile features chicly appointed rooms, four natural pools and world-class cuisine, but the crown jewel of the resort is a state-of-the-art observatory. One of the stargazing capitals of the world, there will be plenty to see.