---
title: "Space to grow: Carnarvon sets sights on jobs through astrotourism"
description: "The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory is training star guides to transform the Karoo’s night skies into economic opportunity."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "GROUNDUP"
author: "Ihsaan Haffejee"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/ihsaanhaffejee/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-15-space-to-grow-carnarvon-sets-sights-on-jobs-through-astrotourism/"
published: "2026-03-15T13:44:04"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 394
---

# Space to grow: Carnarvon sets sights on jobs through astrotourism

> The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory is training star guides to transform the Karoo’s night skies into economic opportunity.

By Ihsaan Haffejee · Published 15 March 2026, 15:44 SAST

## Key points
- Carnarvon, a small town in the Karoo, is embracing astrotourism to tackle high unemployment.
- The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory is training local guides to enrich stargazing with indigenous stories.
- Visitors experience the beauty of the Milky Way and learn about astronomical wonders blended with San mythology.
- The nearby Square Kilometre Array will further enhance astronomical discoveries, creating more opportunities for the region.

## Content

The small Karoo town of Carnarvon is a haven for stargazers. Located in a sparsely populated corner of the Northern Cape with minimal light pollution, it is the perfect place for viewing pristine night skies.

Locals are hoping that astrotourism will create sustainable jobs in an area struggling with high unemployment.

A unique selling point for Carnarvon’s stargazing experience is how guides combine modern astronomy with indigenous knowledge and storytelling from the San.

![P10 astrotourism groundup](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/H7jEH48c58U7Hs78Qy2ASFtEbV4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2989/10star_gazing_7_huge_464674.jpg)

*Astro guide Amy-Lee Visagie hosts a stargazing evening with pupils from a local primary school, teaching them about the cosmos in combination with indigenous mythology. (Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee)*

Information about the rings around Saturn and the size of Jupiter, for instance, is relayed along with mythology and the story of how the Milky Way was created by a young girl who threw ashes up into the night sky.

Amy-Lee Visagie, one of six residents trained as professional astro guides by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (Sarao), encourages her tour group to sit in silence for a minute and just gaze at the night sky to fully take in the awesomeness of the universe.

![P10 astrotourism groundup](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/YLd1ibdCtJtj9x2L4licTFb2RQg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2989/10star_gazing_6_huge_780333.jpg)

*Local astro guide Amy-Lee Visagie peers through a telescope during the early evening.*

The Milky Way is clearly visible with thousands of stars, and yet it is a mere fraction of the 100 billion-odd stars in our galaxy.

Just more than an hour’s drive from Carnarvon is the Meerkat National Park, which serves as the host area for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), one of the world’s largest radio telescope installations.

![P10 astrotourism groundup](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/mOSD8aDPGxHXDrQBQZfoJT-FWgA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2989/10star_gazing_10_huge_258524.jpg)

*Carnarvon in the Northern Cape. (Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee)*

Construction is continuing, with some of the telescopes coming online early this year. When completed, the telescope will comprise 197 dishes, including the integration of the existing MeerKAT radio telescope built and operated by Sarao.

![P10 astrotourism groundup](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/VwAu4Zfq6TvtukzLbbJxfw_8-rU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2989/10star_gazing_5_huge_798883.jpg)

*The KAT-7 radio telescope were some of the first dishes built on the site to test the viability for the larger SKA project.*

The project will enable astronomers to monitor the sky in unprecedented detail and survey the entire sky thousands of times faster than any system now in existence, unlocking more stories and mysteries of the universe. **DM**

*First published by GroundUp.*

*This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.*

![P1 jhb vs ct](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/oNihke2KbngsQcAvbJLN1K204bY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DM-13032026001CPTJHB_763962.jpg)

*Graphic: Jocelyn Adamson Image sources: iStock; Fani Mahuntsi; Brenton Geach; Frieda/Gallo Images and Leanne de Jager MPL*