DARK SKY® ALQUEVA

Cumeada is a small town in the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, where Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve is headquartered.

A few years ago, several countries created dark sky reserves, classified with different references according to the night sky quality and competent certification authorities, i.e. the International Dark Sky® Association and the Starlight Foundation. In December 2011, Alqueva in Alentejo – Portugal, was the first site in the world to be certified by the Starlight Foundation as a “Starlight Tourism Destination”. These reservations underscored the recognition that a dark sky is a common gain and a natural heritage to be preserved.

Due to this new and important qualification, it was mandatory to replace the traditional street lighting – with a high light pollution level – with LED lighting to ensure the minimum projection of light to the sky and respect the night sky, during the observation periods.