Se Qaleh Astrotourism Area

Se Qaleh Astrotourism Area is one of the observation sites that was built for who are interested in the observation of night sky. The site was registered as an observation tourism area in 2009. There is a cement platform in the site for setting up the observation equipment, this platform was built to be the host of Amateur Astronomers Competition. The site has been the host of two national competitions and some local ones till now. The 9th and the 10th of Messier marathon also have been held in this site.

Se Qaleh is one of the districts of Sarayan County, South Khorasan Province. Se Qaleh is surrounded by a desert belt. Se Qaleh is so far from the large cities and has dark nights, especially in the clear sky nights.

Recently considerable investigations in tourism ease traveling for visitors. Especially for the ones who are interested in astronomy and observation. The site of Se Qaleh also has many attractions in the desert outskirt.

There are some Ecotourism Camps in Se Qaleh with suitable services to host visitors. There are many facilities in these camps such as crossing the desert, riding camel, visiting dunes and observation.

Astrotourism recently had considerable growth and most of the tourism agencies present astrotourism services.

Se Qaleh is located in 24 kilometers of Sarayan outskirt. The distance between Se Qaleh and Birjand, the Capital city of the province, is about 150 kilometers. The closest airport to Se Qaleh is Birjand Airport with scheduled flights to Tehran. Se Qaleh has one of the darkest skies on earth. It’s a dry area with a completely clear sky in most of the days of the year. The rainfall rate in Se Qaleh is lower than you ever think. Except for the first days of early spring, the sky is clear and deep dark. If you travel to Se Qaleh, it’s needed to carry heavy astronomy equipment. Local camps provide you basic equipment to enjoy a starry night. Don’t forget to visit dunes and salt deserts around. Traveling to Se Qaleh also gives you an opportunity to experience the silence of the desert.