How we "walked" the Milky Way on La Palma and experienced a close encounter of the third kind, or Astrotourism in practice for the layman
Dark Sky Reservation
There are, of course, many places to go stargazing, and there are organized "star tours" in the Czech Republic. But although they are in the mountains, we can still be far from talking about "ideal conditions". As far as observing the night sky is concerned, there are even twelve international dark sky reserves in the world, where light pollution is extremely low. They are located in Africa, America and Europe (e.g. Germany and France). However, as far as astrotourism is concerned, some of the most perfect conditions to see the Milky Way with your own eyes and without any other equipment are in La Palma. One of the Canary Islands which, thanks to its location, is becoming one of the most popular astrotourism destinations in the world.
"The Laws of Heaven"
Scenery that recalls the volcanic origin of the island and the fact that there is still an active volcano. Watching the calming waters of the deep blue Atlantic. Visits to the mysterious laurel forests. These are all attractions for which more and more tourists are heading to La Palma today. But it is also literally a top destination for those fascinated by the vastness of the universe. The atmosphere is clean and stable thanks to the Atlantic Ocean that surrounds the island. In addition, La Palma is relatively sparsely populated, so the effect of scattered light is minimal. And so the night is deep and dark. In it, the starry sky stands out in a way that can hardly be imagined. Because of these factors, La Palma is considered one of the most perfect places to observe the night sky.
La Palma is also a place where the "laws of the sky" literally apply. But forget about any supernatural, this is real legislation. In 1988 a special law was passed here to protect the quality of the night sky for astrophysical observation. Thanks to this law, La Palma is protected from light, atmospheric and also radio-electric pollution, and even prevents interference through air routes. In 2007, the La Palma Starlight Declaration was also signed on the island to protect the night sky and the right to starlight. And in addition to being the first "Star Reserve" in the world, La Palma was also recognized as a special "Star Tourist Destination" in 2012. Not only is it possible to observe the starry sky from virtually anywhere on the island, but there is also much to learn about stargazing. We were able to see all this for ourselves.
How we met the stars
Although there are a number of fantastic activities for everyone to enjoy at La Palma, stargazing is one of the most enticing. What's more, you only need one thing to enjoy an unforgettable night among the stars here: a car. The easiest way to get to the highest point of the island, Roque de Los Muchachos, is by car. And so, with a rental car (we really don't recommend a station wagon for this terrain, and with a weak engine), we set off in the early evening up to 2,426 metres, where there are also specialised observatories and a visitor centre. As it closes at 4:30pm, a visit doesn't quite coincide with watching the sunset and the Milky Way. So we postpone it, hoping to climb among the clouds again during the day.
We keep track of the exact time of sunset on our mobile phones and enjoy the fantastic scenery on the way up. At Roque de Los Muchachos, scientists from all over the world work in various specialised observatories, and there is also the second largest telescope in the world, the Gran Tecan, the William Herschel Telescope, as well as the mirrors of the special MAGIC telescope for cosmic ray research. All these buildings literally tower on the highest ridges of the island and can be reached relatively easily (apart from the specifics of the terrain, where the road is actually one big serpentine) by car. But even the view from the more distant road that winds through the mountain terrain is absolutely magical. Finding a place to park (know that most of the rest areas are already occupied, literally, by countless enthusiastic stargazers), we sometimes feel like we're in a sci-fi movie.
Even though the hi-tech observatories are only accessible to astronomy professionals, ordinary tourists don't miss out either. It is possible to use ordinary telescopes to observe the nighttime splendour, or it is sufficient to watch everything "with your own eyes" from selected astronomical vantage points. There is an elaborate network of these on the island. At each viewpoint, there are information panels on the constellations or planets that are best seen from that spot. We don't really know exactly where we are going after sunset. We simply look for a place where we can park safely and enjoy the view of the stars. And little do we know that we'll end up with a totally bonus experience.
A close encounter of the third kind
Although many of the rest stops and viewpoints are obviously busy after dark, we eventually manage to find a spot where a single car is parked - and so we join it. There's an elderly lady trying to take a picture on her cell phone, but her battery is dead. So we get to talking and find out that her name is Larissa and she is a pure world traveler. Originally from Poland, she has lived in a number of European countries - and when she got married in Germany, she and her husband decided to move to La Palma, which they fell in love with on one of their holidays together. As we soon learn, Larissa's husband died a few years ago. But she has decided to stay on the island and is celebrating her birthday today. As she does every year: alone on the peaks of La Palma watching the stars.
So, in the end, we celebrate together. Larissa has a small toast with her, and we are equipped with a packet of sweets. We sing "Happy birthday" to Larissa, watch the Milky Way and eat chocolate (also milk chocolate...). Larissa then shows us the planets and stars that are part of each constellation in the starry sky, telling us how they move through the seasons. And it's absolutely impressive and basically indescribable in words. The whole experience is finally enhanced by the expedition of professional stargazers who - equipped with headlamps and rather bulky telescopes - emerge from behind one of the rocks. We really feel like we are in the "beyond reality".
When we finally say goodbye to Larissa, she puts us in touch with her and adds that she lives in a cave - so if we go on a boat trip (which we plan to do), she says to wave at her. We don't quite understand what she means. We can't imagine that she "lives in a cave". However, as it turns out to our surprise a few days later, this is indeed the case (more on that next time...). And in the end, we actually wave to each other from the boat. Which is as incredible to us as the shared nighttime experiences from the peaks of La Palma.
Roque de Los Muchachos one more time
And since we didn't make it to the visitor center at Roque de Los Muchachos in the early evening, we head in that direction one more time. And we definitely don't regret this climb again. From the highest point of the island we can also see the neighbouring islands of El Hierro, Tenerife and La Gomera, thanks to the favourable weather conditions, so we are already enjoying ourselves on the way up.
The Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory itself, which dates back to 1985 and is one of the most important observatories in the world, literally towers over a sea of clouds. And even if tourists can't get here, the truly generous visitor centre is ample compensation. So we watch a film that gives an insight into the circumstances surrounding the choice of La Palma to house the world's largest space telescopes, and then set out to explore the depths of the universe for ourselves. The whole exhibition is interactive and we could easily spend a whole morning just at the individual stations, where we can learn, among other things, how we see the planets with the naked eye and how we see them through telescopes, etc. Ultimately, the scope and facilities of the centre are, given its location, similarly fascinating to the observatories "scattered" around the area.
A "trendy" holiday?
Astrotourism is a hit these days, in a sense. But not nearly as widespread - and that includes the popularity of La Palma. After all, one doesn't have to be a stargazing expert at all to enjoy moments on La Palma that one can hardly experience anywhere else. What's more - while many classic holiday destinations suffer from overtourism, no such thing applies to La Palma. Life here still flows peacefully, quietly and without the extreme flood of tourists. So, at most, you'll be in for a similarly surprising encounter on your Milky Way trip as we were.
In collaboration with www.spain.info and www.visitlapalma.es
