Do you feel a sense of wonder when you look at the night sky? Novae Glamp, a luxury stargazing and glamping retreat in Bhuvanagiri, around 60 kilometres from Hyderabad, tries to deepen that feeling. It is scorching at 4pm when we arrive, and it takes a while for the heat to settle as we walk towards our suite along a path framed by greenery and open natural surroundings.
A visitor captures the night sky with her mobile phone | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Launched in December 2025, the 100-acre retreat offers a range of accommodation options — from budget-friendly dorm stays and American dome tents to cone-shaped luxury portable tents and suites. Prices start at approximately ₹2,800 per person and go up to ₹14,999, inclusive of meals, with rates varying between weekdays and weekends. The retreat also offers pre-session activities for all age groups. Guests can play box cricket, mould clay into traditional diyas on a pottery wheel, or unwind with an art session before the stargazing lecture begins.
Portable tents at the retreat | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
As twilight begins to fade, a motley group gathers under Bhuvanagiri’s star-strewn sky — professionals from different sectors, actors from web series, and college and school students alike. As the stars gradually fill the clear evening sky, our astronomy guide, Bhanu Prakash G, adjusts his laptop display on the projector and says, “We will talk about space and discover how interesting it is to look up.”
Focus on light pollution
Sandeep Reddy Moku | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
We spot the planet pair of Jupiter and Venus with the naked eye in the Western sky. The difference when it comes to observing the stars from urban spaces and away from the city lights is stark. The sky that looks mostly faint in Hyderabad is clear here and sparkles with minimal light pollution.
The Bortle dark-sky scale, a nine-level numeric scale to measure the night-sky’s brightness in a particular location, is between three and four at the retreat. This score is between zero and one in Ladakh and eight in Hyderabad. Little wonder that Ladakh has India’s first dark sky reserve at Hanle, which is a global astrotourism destination.
To observe the deep-sky objects | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Some of the questions posed during this interactive session translated into engaging discussions. The questions ranged from “Why do stars twinkle and planets don’t? “What is the lifecycle of a star?” “What are the celestial objects one can see? Why is Pluto not a planet anymore? to “Can we see the nearest Andromeda galaxy with the naked eye in the darkest sky?”
For a celestial experience
Founder Sandeep Reddy Moku discovered stargazing when he visited Ladakh for a holiday in 2025. “I was fascinated with the vastness of the universe and how small we are. It was also exciting to know that the celestial objects that we see in the sky are million light years away.”
For someone who was not keen on following his father’s footsteps in construction industry, a stargazing retreat seemed ideal. With not many options available for stargazing in Hyderabad, Sandeep mooted the venture to create a distinct experience for people of all ages. Standing near a 50-year-old tamarind tree, Sandeep says, “The idea was to set up a retreat amid Nature.”
He looks at stargazing retreats as employment opportunities for young astronomers. “Stargazing retreats need experts as guides and this is a good opportunity for post-graduates and PhD students who are looking for options.”
With telescopes sourced from Mumbai, Sandeep plans to organise stargazing retreats to Ladakh from June, which is also the month from which their collaboration with schools for the cosmos programme starts. “Students learn about the sky and its objects only through textbooks or videos. We have tied up with multiple astronomers to build a programme to enhance their learning experience.“
Till now, the retreat has hosted students from two schools, St. Andrews from Keesara and Bowenpally and Genesis International School from Madeenaguda.
Solar observation with a filter | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
With insights into how to navigate the night sky, introduction to telescopes and how Galileo Galilei was the first one to use a telescope systematically, we download the stellarium app that shows what we see when we look up before proceeding to the stargazing deck.
“If we are lucky we will see constellations, meteoroids and asteroids,” says Bhanu, as a 12-inch telescope takes centrestage. “Turn off your lights, try to not look at your phones and let your eyes adjust to the darkness.”
The celestial adventure begins with Jupiter and its cloud bands and four large moons. As thin clouds play hide and seek, Jupiter is gone, but Sirius, the brightest star that can be with the naked eye, flickers away.
The telescope’s direction is adjusted to first spot Dhruva, the polestar, and later the twin stars Arundhati-Vashishta, usually observed by newly-weds in weddings. “Do not touch the telescope. Even minute vibrations can blur the image or we lose the target,” comes the guideline.
The night ends with dinner and a promise to wake up to see the half moon. With some cheers and happy faces, the excitement continued to grow as we spotted a magical half moon with its craters.
Suites at the retreat | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The stay includes a nature walk in the property surrounded by mango trees, followed by breakfast and a final visit to the star deck — this time to observe the sun and its spots but only with the help of solar filters. “The filter blocks 99.9% of the light so we get to see only 0.01% of the sunlight. Watching the sun without filters can permanently damages the eyes.”
The stargazing sessions happen every weekend at Novae Glamp. Spotting the celestial objects depends on clear and cloud-free skies and atmospheric conditions. Winters are conducive to chase the dark skies, with the cooler conditions making clear skies possible.
For further details and to book, call 88868 66631.