Dorine Linestein
Destinations such as the Atacama Desert in Chile and the Southwest of the US have long dominated the astrotourism market, but South Africa has quietly emerged as a player under the radar.
Earlier this month, Blade Nizimande, Minister of Science and Technology Innovation, presented South Africa's Parliament with its first Astrotourism strategy, officially citing the government's intention to take advantage of one of its least utilized attractions. did. .
The strategy, launched in collaboration with the Tourism Bureau, brings South Africa to the constellations by integrating astronomical research facilities, astrophotography experiences, dedicated dark tourist zones and indigenous heavenly tales into the national tourist landscape. We aim to position it as a destination.
Some of South Africa's most established private lands are working to match the already dark tourism best practices. Among them, Limpopo's Lapalala Wilderness Reserve is in the process of securing Dark Sky Park certification from Darksky International. If successful, it will become the first officially certified dark sky park in South Africa, with status currently held in just 195 locations worldwide.
The adaptations required to earn Dark Sky Park certification are extensive, but it protects the skies for future generations, according to Bronwin Marie, the Biodiversity Centre Curator at Lapara La Wilderness School. For Lapalala and similar preparations, Astrotourism is not an add-on. It is becoming a part of the safari experience itself.
Star-studded sleepout
While traditional safari focuses on early morning and afternoon game drives, most luxurious itineraries have historically concluded the day with campfires and fine dining under lantern light decks. Astrotoism has changed its model, pushing the gorgeous lodge to expand the experience far past the sunset, and recently expanding the night sky as the charm itself.
“Imagine lying in a skybed at one of the Repogo lodges in the Laparalla Wilderness Nature Reserve, or being a learner going to school in a bedroll at a sleepout camp in the Laparalla Wilderness under an uninterrupted sky. Nightbirds recognize how bright the Milky Way is when there is no artificial light for miles,” Marie said. “For city travelers, this is often the first experience of true darkness.
In Africa, cultural storytelling complements the dark skiing experience. At the Xaus Lodge within the Aehai Kalahari Heritage Park (declared as the Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2019), travelers don't just look at the space through a telescope. Shape travel routes and ancient survival techniques.
“We say we see the world at Xaus Lodge, but we say we see the universe at night,” said Eleanor Muller, marketing manager at Transfrontier Parks Destinations, who helped develop the astrotositious experience in Kalahari. It states. “And there's something about what captures your heart.”
The offering of high-end sleepouts has evolved into a completely immersive retreat where luxury meets nature. At Tswarkala Halistar Bed, a pair of telescopic, heated bedding and private stargaze decks offer a unique sensory experience. (Outside South Africa, you can also get similar experience with natural selection skybeds in the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana, where it is a three-storey building surrounded by wildlife, with no walls and artificial lighting. No, there is nothing between them and the universe.))
Eclipse on the horizon
Beyond the reserves of the dedicated dark sky and sleep, Eclipse Tourism has emerged as another major driver of astrotoism's expansion, not just across South Africa but across the subcontinent. On November 25th, 2030, the solar eclipse cleaned the northern Drakensburg and the coastline of Durban in South Africa, as well as the Soss Vray Desert in Namibia, and brought to the most dramatic landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa directly below the Ecripps road. Place it in.
African Lodge has already been inquired by travelers looking to secure their stay five years ago, with specialized operators curating private viewing experiences in remote locations.
“Eclipse Tourism is nothing new, but Africa's infrastructure is catching up,” Muller said. “For gorgeous travelers, this appeal lies in experiencing a solar eclipse somewhere in a crowd where there is zero crowd and the momentary silence is as powerful as the heavenly events themselves.”
The lodges that place themselves for viewing major solar eclipses include Andbeyond's Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, which offers its own astronomers and private observatory, and Wolwedans Dunes Lodge, both in Namibia.
Advice to advisors
A travel advisor who is looking to combine traditional safari experiences with astrotoism products will blend daytime wildlife adventures and night skiing experiences to create a niche itinerary for high-end travelers. You should consider this.
“What we might see in dark tourism is that people will come on a safari and have the first moments when they realize what the informal sky actually looks like, and at other destinations these You start actively looking for experiences,” said Muller of Transfrontier. “When guests get that 'amazing' moment, they don't want Stargaze to be an afterthought anymore. They want to be woven into their trips just like watching first-class games. ”
This means integrating astrotoism through deep space telescope sessions, nights of indigenous storytelling, and multiple sleep focusing on a variety of heavenly phenomena. A well-designed itinerary combines lodges and in-house astronomical experts with reserves that offer night drives for moonlit predator sightings, as well as meteor showers for tailored door strot tourism experiences You may be able to match your trip with peak days.
