Noctourism: why dark sky travel is huge in 2025 – and where to experience it

Northern Europe is a hot spot for the Northern Lights which are set to be the most dramatic in decades this year, as the sun reaches solar maximum. Tromsø, in Arctic Norway, is one of the best locations to see them: wear warm clothes, hope for a cloudless night, and join a local firm that knows the right locations for the best possible experience. In Iceland, another favourite northern lights spotting haunt, you can join local photographers who can not only locate the lights but help you take the most stunning pictures of them too. Or just view them while bathing in a hot spring, it’s your choice!

If you’re in the UK, you don’t have to travel too far for the best nocturnal experiences – there are plenty of star-gazing opportunities to experience. An hour out of London by train, the South Downs are a good place to start – the region even has its own festival, the South Downs Dark Skies Festival (13-23 February). Celebrate the night sky and nighttime adventures, with moonlit walks and star-focused talks to enjoy. In Wales, the Brecon Beacons are a designated Dark Sky Reserve and one of the UK’s best stargazing spots to explore, while in the Channel Islands, Sark is the world’s first dark sky island, thanks to its complete lack of street lights and light pollution.

Taking a cultural approach to star gazing, Sydney Observatory is running a programme all about Sky Country this year, exploring indigenous First Nations perspectives on space and time through art, music and much more. It’s just one of many extraordinary space experiences to have in Australia, where you can also discover Warrumbungle Dark Sky Park, nocturnal dining experiences and the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, visible in off-the-beaten-track spots in Tasmania.

Like its cousin forest bathing, star bathing is all about slowing down and intentionally experiencing something – this time the night sky – while giving into all your senses. Star bathing meditations are popping up as part of meditative retreats in South Africa and in the UK, though you can also try it yourself in a dark sky area by getting comfortable, focusing on the sky and letting your eyes just wander across the cosmos. It’s a trigger for awe, and, like spending time in nature, is said to improve your mental and physical health.

Whether you’re marvelling at a leopard’s nocturnal hunt on safari, spotting the shining green eyes of a caiman in a night-time river or wandering around Singapore Zoo’s Night Safari, going wildlife watching at night can be thrilling. Perhaps the most romantic experience of all is the Minakami Firefly Festival in Japan, where visitors hike for an hour along a dark forest trail to see a fiesta of fireflies, said to represent everything from fallen soldiers to romantic passion. Or travel to the Cies Islands in Spain, one of the few places in Europe where you can see magical bioluminescence in the water on summer nights.