The night sky of Cabañeros

On 28 March 2023, Cabañeros received the Starlight Tourist Destination certificate, which the Starlight Foundation gives to places with high-quality skies that also commit to protecting them. The ceremony took place at the astronomy centre in Alcoba. The label is not only for the park: it is shared by Alcoba, Horcajo de los Montes, Navas de Estena, Retuerta del Bullaque and El Robledo, in Ciudad Real, and Hontanar, Los Navalucillos and Navahermosa, in Toledo. The idea came from the park's European Charter for Sustainable Tourism forum and was paid for by the Tourism Sustainability Plans of the Ciudad Real and Toledo provincial councils.

People knew the sky of Cabañeros was dark long before that. In 2005, the Miguelturra Astronomical Group measured light pollution in the province of Ciudad Real to find the best places to observe, and the park came first, ahead of the Valle de Alcudia and the Campo de Montiel. In July 2023, members of the group and of Las 7 Cabrillas spent a night on the raña photographing the Milky Way and deep-sky objects such as the Andromeda galaxy: it is 2.5 million light years away and, on a dark night, you can see it with the naked eye as a faint smudge between Cassiopeia and Pisces.

Since then the destination has been getting ready. In June 2024 new Starlight guides were trained in Cabañeros, in the 31st edition of the foundation's course, with classroom lessons and practice under the park's sky.

The year in Cabañeros The weather

The one that organises most activities is Las 7 Cabrillas, from Alcoba, accredited under the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Cabañeros. It runs the planetarium and organises guided observations, night walks under the stars, solar observations and trips that combine the rut with the autumn sky. Dates and places on its website and in the Destino Cabañeros events calendar, where festivals are also announced.