The Himalayan sky as a doorway to wonder
At around 1,800 metres, away from city light, the Kumaun night sky is one of the darkest in north India. Stories written in stars, guided with intention.
The sky as a reminder of scale
Away from city light pollution, the night sky above Ranikhet is dark enough that on a clear, moonless night the Milky Way is not just visible, it is overwhelming. The kind of overwhelming that makes your problems feel appropriately small.
Our astro nights are not astronomy lectures. They are guided moments of stillness under the sky, where stories from different cultures about the same stars remind us that people have always looked up and wondered.
“You are not looking at the stars. You are looking back in time, at light that left its source long ago, arriving at your eye tonight.”
The Turiya Trails wayObjects in the Himalayan sky
The Milky Way
A dense band of light across the sky on moonless nights. Our own galaxy, seen edge-on. The sight that stops every conversation.
Orion Nebula
A fuzzy star in Orion's sword to the naked eye. A stellar nursery about 1,300 light years away.
Jupiter and Saturn
Often visible, depending on season. Through binoculars you can see Jupiter's largest moons, the ones Galileo found in 1610.
Andromeda Galaxy
The furthest object visible to the naked eye, about 2.5 million light years away.
Shooting stars
Several an hour on any clear night, and many more during showers like the Perseids in August.
The Pleiades
Krittika in Indian astronomy, the Seven Sisters in Greek myth. Count how many you can see.
The sky depends on the weather. If clouds roll in, we move the session to another night where we can, or tell you honestly that it is not going to clear.
What a session looks like
- Begins after dinner, around 8 to 9pm
- A dark field or rooftop away from artificial light
- Stories from Indian, Greek and other sky traditions
- Binoculars for closer views
- Hot chai under the sky
- No phones. Just eyes and the sky.
- A walking question shared before sleep
The Oakakhi rooftop and open meadows near Kalika in Ranikhet, the Kasar Devi ridge, and on our Three Skies circuit, Kausani and Mukteshwar.
October to March for the clearest skies. The monsoon brings clouds, but the clarity after the rain in September can be extraordinary. We plan around new moon.
A maximum of eight people, so everyone can sit in comfortable silence.
On its own
Astro night at Oakakhi
Oakakhi, Ranikhet · 2 hours after dinnerNaked eye and binoculars, stories from Indian and Greek skies, and hot chai under the stars.
Astro night at Kasar Devi
Kasar Devi ridge, Almora · 2 hours after darkA darker ridge, a wider horizon, and the oldest light there is.
Prices are per person, for a minimum of two people. Solo guests are welcome to join a scheduled session. Sessions at Kasar Devi and Sattal begin there. We can arrange transport from Ranikhet at cost. Private sessions for your own group can be arranged on request.
Journeys that include it
Let’s plan a quieter kind of journey.
Tell us what you are looking for, how many of you there are and roughly when. We will help you find the right walk, sky or forest, and we will be honest if we are not the right fit.