Tag: star gazing

Although we're craving the warmer months, let's just sing the praises of long winter nights for a moment. The Balkans has some of Europe’s most spectacular dark skies for star gazing and these are at their best in winter and spring. It's no wonder given areas of natural beauty are still so remote and untouched by light pollution. Think of star gazing here as the Balkans equivalent of watching the Northern lights! Hunting for the best dark sky spots - or planning a trip around the chance to see metro showers - is just another reason to go on an outdoors adventure holiday. You can always find us heading up into the mountains, away from the glare of coastal hotels. On a recent Montenegro Family Adventure, guest Katie Baker said the star gazing at our zero light pollution rafting base in Montenegro's Durmitor mountains was "breathtaking." Here we give you a sneak peak into some of the places we go on our adventures where you can see the best starry skies. From night hiking on our winter holiday at Kolašin, to our bushcraft camp at Lake Skadar, to our very own Villa Miela which is the perfect place to watch the Perseids meteor shower.  Best Dark Sky locations in Albania Prokletije (the Accursed Mountains) in Albania & Montenegro The Prokletije live up to their name with wild landscapes that demand fitness but reward hikers with pure night skies. Also known as the Albanian Alps, or Theth-Valbona National Park, they offer some of Europe's darkest skies, with hiking trails and homely hospitality in small guesthouses that don't have the hotel glare. Remote valleys and high passes mean there is almost no light pollution. Our day hikes from Theth to Valbona on the Peaks of the Balkans trail take you deep into