There’s no light pollution here. No streetlights competing with the stars, no glow on the horizon from a distant town. At Champagne Castle hotel, the night sky is exactly as dark as it’s meant to be, which is precisely why we can offer something most hotels can’t.
From 29 August to 5 September 2026, we’re hosting Dr Derek Fish, an award-winning science communicator, as our in-house expert for eight consecutive nights.
What to expect
Every evening at 20:00, Dr Fish presents a different angle on the universe above us. Some nights it’s about what’s directly overhead, the Champagne skies on that particular evening, tailored to the season and the weather. Other nights range further: the return to the Moon via NASA’s Artemis programme, the scale of the universe itself, or South Africa’s own place in world astronomy through the Square Kilometre Array and SALT.
Weather permitting, presentations move outdoors for guided stargazing and star tours beneath open sky. When cloud cover doesn’t cooperate, Dr Fish switches to an indoor digital planetarium session in the lounge, so the week isn’t left to chance.
Nightly Sky Updates
- What’s in the Champagne skies tonight?
- Alien encounters in the Central Drakensberg
- Artemis:- back to the moon after 50 years!
- Our spectacular spectrum! How big is space:- universal scale!
- SKA and SALT: SA astronomy leads the way!
The offer
Guests booking a direct stay between 30 August and 3 September receive a further 10% off the current Champagne Special rate. Standard terms and conditions apply.
Why it works here
The Central Drakensberg sits within the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg World Heritage Site, and the same stillness that makes the mountains feel untouched by day is what makes the sky feel enormous by night. No roads, no poles, nothing between you and it. It’s a good week to be looking up.
For bookings and more information, contact the hotel reservations team via email, or call on +27 36 468 1063, or book through the ‘Book Now’ button on our website. The special rate applies automatically when you search those dates.
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What guests said about Dr Fish’s presentation
Was a very interesting evening ( we were only there for the Monday). Loved taking a walk after dinner to check out the stars
Attended all 3 of his talks that week and enjoyed them all, so interesting and informative. Great fun too.