COSMOS CIRCUIT

Astro-tourism facilities are on the rise as India taps into its dark skies for sustainable night-time travel and star experiences

- SRUSHTI KULKARNI

Stargazing community-driven engagement. Many of these destinations are remote, ecologically sensitive or seasonally cut off. 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 nearby Changthang have also begun offering dark-sky safaris, merging cultural experience