The World’s Top 10 Stargazing Spots

The Landscape: The 5,436-foot Arenal Volcano, in northwestern Costa Rica, is one of the world’s most active. Though the last major eruption took place in 1968, rivers of bright-orange lava often pour down Arenal’s precipitous slopes (anywhere from several times daily to several times monthly).

The Skyscape: Astronomically, Costa Rica is one of the few places above the equator where the Magellanic Clouds, two galaxies first identified by explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the 1520’s, are visible. Visitors during the dry season, from mid-December through mid-April, have the best chance of seeing them.

How to Experience It: At the Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort (www.tabacon.com), set right at the base of the volcano’s western slope, guests can soak in one of the dozen thermal hot springs while taking in the nightly light shows—not just stars, but colorful lava eruptions.