Best Places for Stargazing and Meteor Showers in India.

Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh

           

On a dark, lonely night in Pachmarhi – Madhya Pradesh’s only “hill station” – I found myself under an incredible night sky with a naturalist from Forsyth Lodge and a local guide from Pachmarhi. The three of us, lost souls in our own ways, stood there watching the crescent moon set behind the hills, deciphering constellations and hearing rustling in the bushes – this is tiger territory after all!

Then a police jeep showed up and demanded to know what two guys and a girl were doing out there in the darkness. The photos on my camera saved us, as we tried to explain we’re out stargazing and that’s only possible in complete darkness. They left us with a warning to “do this stars thing quickly and leave.”

Oh India, under a sky full of stars, your inner darkness is fascinating too!

Practical tips for stargazing in Madhya Pradesh:

• Stay: Club a trip to Pachmarhi with a visit to Satpura National Park, where I loved staying at the eco-friendly Forsyth Lodge – home to gorgeous dark night skies as well. Experience Pachmarhi with one of their naturalists and preferred guide from Pachmarhi for an immersive wildlife and stargazing experience. Note that budget accommodation in Pachmarhi is very basic.
• Getting there: The closest airport is Nagpur, from where Satpura National Park is a 3-4 hour drive. Pachmarhi is a 2-3 hour drive from Forsyth Lodge.
• When to go: Winter months from October to March when the weather is cooler and the skies clearer. Pachmarhi is at a height, so carry some warm clothes.

Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat

   

In an attempt to catch the Geminid Meteor Shower in 2016, I landed up in the Little Rann of Kutch, fingers crossed for clear and dark skies, devoid of light or air pollution. Unlike the Great Rann of Kutch with the white salt desert, the Little Rann sees few visitors, and I was glad to be one of the only people staying in a kooba (round thatched roof hut) opposite the cracked earth desert. When night fell, I lay in absolute darkness and silence, my eyes slowly adjusting to the night sky. Bright stars appeared above me one by one, shooting stars dashed through the sky and big green mesmerising Geminid meteors stole the show!

Practical tips for catching the Geminid Meteor Shower in Gujarat:

• Stay: Stay at Devjibhai Ka Kooba opposite the Little Rann of Kutch desert. There are no other accommodations in the vicinity, so it gets pretty dark at night. Devjibhai’s son is well acquainted with these parts and has some ideas for really dark spots for intrepid stargazers – inform them in advance about your interest in stargazing.
• Getting there: The Little Rann of Kutch is a 6-7 hour bus ride from Ahmedabad.
• When to go: Winter months from November to February see cool temperatures and clear skies. Carry a light jacket for chilly nights.

Havelock and Mayabunder – Andaman & Nicobar

  

The Andaman & Nicobar Islands offer much more than dreamy beaches; thanks to their remote location and little light pollution, the night skies are stupendous for both stargazing and creating astro time-lapse videos. Lay on the unobstructed helipad on Havelock Island, on a tropical night, for thousands of stars in your eyes and the waves of the Indian Ocean in your ears. Or go further off the beaten track to Mayabunder, to live with a tribal Karen family, so far away from city lights that as the sky above fills with twinkling stars, you’d begin to wonder if the former really exist.

Practical tips for spotting shooting stars in Andaman & Nicobar Islands:

• Getting there: Take the 2-hour ferry from Port Blair (the capital) to Havelock Island, or a bus from Port Blair to Mayabunder.
• When to go: November to January is best for clear skies.

Nag Tibba and Raithal – Uttarakhand

           

Living without electricity in different parts of Garhwal totally made me question why we need it at all. Days are meant to be spent outdoors and nights under dark shimmering skies. As I lay under thousands of stars, I couldn’t help but think back to my childhood days in Dehradun, when during long powercuts at night, we would sleep out in the garden, in the breeze and under the stars! These days, nights in most Indian households are for television, internet and air conditioning. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider what “development” really is.

Practical tips for spotting shooting stars in Uttarakhand:

• Stay: The Goat Villages, set up with a goal to encourage the reverse migration of Himalayan farmers, are experiences unto themselves – the fact that they don’t have electricity means that you can see incredibly dark skies right from your balcony!
• Getting there: The Goat Villages near Nag Tibba and Uttarkashi are 3 and 7 hours from Dehradun respectively, accessible by shared taxi.
• When to go: The skies are clear year-round except the monsoon months from July to early September.

Jaisalmer and Churu – Rajasthan

              

Imagine if you can. The Perseid Meteor Shower is going to peak and I make a mad dash with my partner to seek clear skies in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert. We reach Churu close to midnight, and drive out to the farm of our host family where they’ve laid out khatiyas for us to sleep on. Although there is more light pollution here than the further reaches of the Thar, we spot 5 Perseid meteors in literally the first 15 minutes – bluish, more sluggish, closer to earth than shooting stars. Then the moon rises higher and fills the sky with light and the cool breeze puts me into a deep slumber. Sleeping outside is so underrated!

Further out in the Thar Desert, accessible via Jaisalmer, I caught my first Gemenid Meteor Shower, laying on a flimsy mattress on the leeward side of a sand dune with a bottle of rum to keep warm! There’s no joy like seeing the Milky Way in the vast expanse of a desert sky, as large green meteors streak through the sky.

Practical tips for catching the Perseid Meteor Shower in Rajasthan:

• Stay: Malji Ka Kamra was the base of our meteor shower adventures in Churu – clubbed with discovering crumbling old havelis that have stood the test of time. In Jaisalmer, l loved exploring the Thar Desert and stargazing with Suryagarh.
• Getting there: Churu is a 5-6 hour drive from Delhi, while Jaisalmer is a long overnight train ride away.