Comarca de Las Hurdes Starlight Tourism Destination

Las Hurdes is a comarca in the north of Cáceres province, in Extremadura, made up of six municipalities: Caminomorisco, Casar de Palomero, Casares de las Hurdes, Ladrillar, Nuñomoral and Pinofranqueado. The Starlight Foundation lists the Comarca de Las Hurdes as a Starlight Tourist Destination certified in December 2021, and the comarca renewed that certification in 2026. The Starlight Foundation describes a land of mountains, valleys, rivers and dense forest, with dark skies, low light pollution and a clear view of the Milky Way.

To keep the certification, a destination has to protect its night sky, maintain suitable facilities and offer astrotourism activities. The Starlight Foundation says Las Hurdes has kept building that offer, with lodgings, observation activities and outreach programs. It sits in a region with many other Starlight sites, including Monfragüe National Park, the Villuercas-Ibores-Jara Geopark and La Siberia.

We found no published sky quality reading for the comarca. Our light pollution map estimates Bortle 4 at our coordinates. The Milky Way core peaks about 21 degrees above the southern horizon at this latitude. Our data gives May, June and July the most hours with the core up in full darkness. In steep valley country a clear southern horizon takes some planning, so scout ridges and open slopes by day.