Dark Sky® Alqueva

An association whose objective is the creation and development of sustainable destinations, including destinations under the Dark Sky brand.

It all began in 2007, and Dark Sky® Alqueva is undoubtedly the first Portuguese astrotourism destination. Based on the knowledge acquired in other projects that allowed us to believe in and invest in astrotourism as an important future trend in tourism demand, we moved forward in 2007 to develop a sustainable destination where the night sky resource would be the cornerstone of our work. Alongside sustainable tourism development, our mission also lies in protecting the night sky and working towards achieving near-zero light pollution.

In 2011, Dark Sky® Alqueva became the world's first Starlight Tourism Destination and in 2018 the first cross-border destination. It began with six Portuguese municipalities, later joined by Mértola, Évora, Serpa, and Redondo, and thirteen Spanish municipalities, and today it covers an area of ​​9,700 km² around Lake Alqueva, between Portugal and Spain.

The Dark Sky® Partner Network offers various astronomical observation activities with the naked eye or telescopes, which can be carried out at the Official Dark Sky® Observatory in Cumeada, or in any area of ​​the certified territory, always guided by a Dark Sky® Guide. In addition to these activities, other complementary activities have been developed that can be carried out at night but also during the day, such as hikes combining heritage and nature, canoeing, Solar System yoga, horseback riding, photographic tours and workshops, wine tours and tastings (both normal and blind), team building, orienteering, bird watching, wildlife watching, among others upon request. Among the activities that can be carried out at night, we highlight the private or group astrophotography workshops, led by the international astrophotographer Miguel Claro. Among the daytime experiences, we highlight boat trips on the Alqueva reservoir, fishing, the Sunset Dark Sky® experience with sun observation through a solar telescope accompanied by Sharish Gin aperitif or a non-alcoholic cocktail, and hot air ballooning at sunrise or sunset.

As a result of the recognition of the Dark Sky® concept as a sustainable development tool, two agreements were established with two associations, ADXTUR and ADRVT, to develop the Dark Sky Aldeias do Xisto and the Dark Sky Vale do Tua, respectively. Currently in Portugal, excluding the Spanish territory of Dark Sky® Alqueva, Dark Sky® extends this mission over 13,000 km², representing more than 10% of the continental territory. **** Certifications: Starlight Tourism Destination (first certified destination in the world and first cross-border destination).