10 Places For Stargazing In Uttarakhand For Beautiful Night-Sky Experience

Someone has very well said that, If you never leave the city you can rarely admire the night sky, one of the face of this mother nature which has its own charm way more beautiful than the other i.e. the daytime.

Experiencing the night sky is one of the beautiful sights one can have in his lifetime. Many of us don't even know that the Astronomical galaxies can be visible and be captured by high end digital cameras these days, which are purely a bliss to experience and watch once in a lifetime. Thousands of professional astronomers and Astro -Photographers hunt for places that provide a glimpse into space.

Not just the cameras, Milky-Way Galaxy can also be visible through naked eyes provided conditions with no light pollution. The main criteria are no light pollution (which is unavoidable in the cities), clear sky and preferably high altitude.

But the main question arises now is where to find such dark places in India? Well, mostly the main popular places for stargazing in India are Ladakh in Jammu & Kashmir and Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh etc. which are quite familiar to everyone. But there are many more places much cheaper and economical than these so called mainstream places for experiencing the night-sky.

Uttarakhand has many such unexploited dark places with almost zero light pollution where you can experience this beautiful sight of nature in the lap of Himalayas in these high altitudes of the state.

Some of the most popular places among all are mentioned below.

1. Majkhali, Ranikhet

Majkhali is a beautiful village, town located at 12 km from Ranikhet. It has many picnic spots and enjoyable weather conditions for perfect holidays.

Majkhali Village provides a striking glimpse of the Milky Way with a 360° panoramic view at night time, free from light pollution or electrical lines, open.

2. Mukteshwar

Mukteshwar a small town about 72 km from Haldwani is famous for the Mukteshwar temple at such an appealing height of 7500ft above the sea level. Being a small town/village Mukteswar has almost zero light pollution, which makes one of the popular places for stargazing. Many of the Astro - Photographers visit the hill station for stargazing during the night-time.

3. Nanital

Nanital being the most commercialized and popular hill station of the state with beautiful lakes and hills covering it at such high altitude is also one of the best places for star gazing in the state.

Nanital also has the largest telescope in India, which is a part of the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational sciences (also known as ARIES), at Manora peak, 9 kilometres from Nainital where many astronomical events are recorded and observed.

4. Munsiyari, Pithoragarh

Munsiyari the Himnagri of Uttarakhand is situated almost 2200mtr from the sea level in the lap of Gorgeous Himalayan Panchachuli Peaks. Munsiyari is very beautiful in itself for its scenic landscapes and beautiful weather, but Munsiyari looks more beautiful during the night time.

Munsiyari comes under the darkest location in the state with zero light pollution, making it better for the Night Sky Experiences.

5. Kuari Pass

Kuari Pass trek also known and stated as the best beginner treks in the Himalayas is one of the beautiful popular treks in the state for trekking and camping overnight. Reaching the campsites, all the way through the forest along the trek with beautiful landscapes all around, staying overnight trekkers can experience camping and the beautiful Night Sky escapade.

6. Deoria Tal, Ukhimath

Deoria Tal is a lake located on the Ukhimath-Chopta road, at an altitude of about 2438 meters, it has heavily wooded, lush green surroundings with snow-covered mountains in the backdrop. The Lake offers beautiful picturesque sights and beautiful panoramic landscapes. Many of the travelers and photographers visit this place of the beautiful night sky experience.

7. Kedarkantha, Uttarkashi

Kedarkantha Trek in Uttarkashi is one of the most popular and beautiful trek in the state, which also is referred as the best winter treks in the country. Kedarkantha with the beautiful landscape also offers beautiful night sky experience as the trek is almost with the zero light pollution and one can capture and experience the gigantic Milkyway over the location during the night time.

8.George Everest Peak, Mussoorie

George Everest Peak situated about 6 km from Gandhi Chowk in Mussoorie and one of the major tourist attractions in Mussoorie.

The place offers a picturesque view of Dehradun city which is more beautiful when the city lights up during the night time. Milky Way galaxy can be seen and captured from the peak on a no moon day or after Moon set. It looks so beautiful how Milky way rises over the beautiful twinkling Dehradun city at night time.

9. Roopkund

Also known as the Mystic skeletal lake also comes under the beautiful treks all the way from Gehroli Patal along the beautiful Bugyals (meadows) to the final destination Bhagwabasa. Roopkund provides a glimpse of the gigantic Milky Way with beautiful Himalayan Backdrop at night time free from light pollution throughout the whole trek.

10. Chaukori, Berinag

Chaukori one of the most famous hill stations of the state situated almost 2000 meters above the sea level is the Berinag tehsil of District Pithoragarh is also very famous for its beautiful landscapes and scenic beauty. Chaukori also being at such height with no light pollution makes it a good location for stargazing.

Uttarakhand has many more such Dark locations free from the any kind of light pollution in the lap of Himalayas which are much more economical to experience the magical creation of the mother nature that you can't find in your metropolitan cities which you need to visit asap.

So, What waiting for?, Lets get lost in such magical places.