Gaze up at the sky from your trendy urban enclave and just try to find your favorite constellation. Chances are you’ll only see airplanes or blinking cell towers.

You could always go to the planetarium to get away from the air traffic, but for passionate amateur astronomers, an artificial sky just won’t cut it. Luckily, old-soul stargazers are about to have their wishes granted and hung from the moon. In response to the increasingly common hazard of light pollution, the International Dark Sky Association has begun designating reserves, which consist of core areas that meet criteria for sky quality and natural darkness.

And for those of you doting companions who happily accompany lost-in-the-heavens travel partners, a trip to a reserve doesn’t have to be all charts and telescopes. These neck-craning sites are located in pristine landscapes with striking geological features and opportunities to climb mountains, spot wildlife and engage with nature.

Here are five gold- and silver-rated dark sky reserves and the best dates to catch meteor showers all year long and in natural high-definition.

Pic du Midi International Dark Sky Reserve

France



Photo: Pic du Midi

The silver-level reserve at Pic du Midi (also pictured at top) offers jaw-dropping views of the Midi-Pyrenees and the heavens above them, which are perfect for trekking in the summer and cable-car accessible in the winter. For skiing aficionados looking for a quieter European destination than the Alps, stay at La Mongie, right at the base of the slopes. Go in mid-December (13-14) in 2016 to see the Geminids meteor shower when there will be no moon to obscure it.

NamibRand Nature Reserve

Namibia



Photo: Dr. George F. Tucker

To best enjoy Africa’s first dark-sky reserve, book one of the 10 glass-and-stone villas at Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. Spend your days on motorbike excursions and hot-air balloon rides to take in the dramatic desert landscape. Head to NamibRand’s on-site observatory before or after dinner and let the reserve’s resident astronomers point out Saturn and Jupiter. If you missed the pre-dawn Eta Aquarids meteor shower a couple of weeks ago, don’t worry, it’ll come again next year. The projected dates: May 6 and 7. The meteors will be nearly three times more plentiful in the Southern Hemisphere.

Mont Mégantic

Canada



Photo: Mont-Megantic National Park, 1st Dark Sky Reserve

Camp under the stars, explore 12 miles of hiking trails and prep your Audubon Society membership at this National Park which boasts 120 avian species native to northern climes. The observatory runs on special hours for the Perseids shower, August 11-12, 2015. This Northern Hemisphere favorite often shows off some 100 meteors per hour.

Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve

Ireland



Photo: Michael Sheehan

The only gold-tier reserve in the Northern Hemisphere uniquely covers a residential area, which means you can sleep, eat and enjoy a pint at a pub in a village beneath the stunning skies. Check out the Skellig Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s home to a Spartan sixth-century Christian monastery and a large puffin population. Don’t let the wet Irish weather put a damper on things—go in August for the Perseids meteor shower and to make the most of summer sunshine.

Aoraki Mackenzie

New Zealand



Photo: Fraser Gunn

The world’s biggest dark-sky reserve covers Mount Cook—New Zealand’s tallest peak—and multiple companies are offering tours in response to booming astro-tourism. Go in May to pass over the busy NZ school holidays, experience late Kiwi fall and check out the Eta Aquarids meteors (May 6-7, 2016). You’ll see roughly triple from this half of the world. Another Southern Hemisphere bonus: magical views of the Magellanic Clouds, which are irregular galaxies that look like broken-off pieces of the Milky Way.

Alison is, depending on the moment: Atlantan. Bohemian. Flexitarian. Amateur comedienne.