Who we are

LaPalmastars.com is the trademark and website for ‘AstroLaPalma SLU‘ company working fully on Astrotourism with a variety of activities and experiences related to astronomy for amateurs, general public, outreach and photography. We detailed here who we are and our ethos. Ecotourism – always!

Our team has successfully organized astronomical tours in La Palma, Canary Islands, since 2012. All team members have experience in astronomical instrumentation, public outreach, teaching and amateur astronomy. This experience has been acquired both in Spain and in other countries. All team members are also Starlight accredited guides.

We are very proud of the history of the company and our carreer path. It is clear that our priority is the quality of the services we provide. We have Certificates of Excellence on Tripadvisor (5 *) annually since 2013 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021). We were awarded “Tripadvisor Travellers Choice 2020” which is great honour. Also, we have contributed to La Palma receiving the “Merit National Award in Tourism for Emerging Destinations” (2015) granted by the Government of Spain and also the Best national active leisure option issued at FITUR for 2018. From July 2019, it belongs to the Tourist Product Club of the La Palma Biosphere World Reserve, which distinguishes the company for promoting the enjoyment of natural heritage from the point of view of sustainable development.

 Covid and the volcano eruption in 2021 have been a problem for our work and personal lives. No doubt the year 2022 will be a year for recovery!

 

National Fitur Award 2018
National Fitur Award 2018
Guides at LaPalmastars. Tripadvisor Excellence certificates
Guides at LaPalmastars. Tripadvisor Excellence certificate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LaPalmaStars.com y AstroLaPalma SLU Team

The team is lead by Ana García Suárez, a PhD and an astroPhysicist. She is a member of the AstroTourism Entrepreneur Group & AstroTourism Board of La Palma; she is the founder of AstroLaPalma and LaPalmastars, the largest AstroTourism business on La Palma; Ana is also the founder of the AstroMaster La Palma International photography workshops; she has been organising visits to the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos from 2013 and she has been the organiser for the AstroFest La Palma (largest astrorelated festival on the island) in 2015, 2018 & 2020. Ana García was awarded the “Women with a Star” Award in 2017 on the island of La Palma. Ana García publishes regularly on the newspaper eldiario.es. Her column is: https://www.eldiario.es/autores/ana-garcia/

    «Every night I look at the sky, even if cloudy. I have been doing this from as early as I can remember. This job combines perfectly my passion for astronomy with public outreach. I always joke that I am trying to “convert” everyone to look up, even if life is a little bit cloudy ».

Candy Bethencourt. Starlight guide. Astronomer. Since May 2015.
   “What I like so much about my job apart from the astronomy, is to be able to bring people the knowledge of the Universe. I am amazed that I can learn more every day and see what this generates in people. It really is a unique experience.”

Bianca Welsch. Bachelor of Humanities. Master degree on Cultural Management. Starlight guide. Official Tourism Guide. Since July 2018.
  “For me, working in astronomy and public outreach is indispensable as well as very romantic. Every night, my job becomes a magical challenge which bridges the intangible world of the Universe to the perceivable by understanding and observing. ”

 

Team at the LaPalmastars office
Team at the LaPalmastars office
Celebrating our 7th anniversary
Celebrating our 7th anniversary
Visiting GTC telescope. LaPalmastars team
Visiting GTC telescope. LaPalmastars team

Photo gallery

Occasional contributors:

Petra Berendsen. Engineer. Since June 2016.
   “Looking at the sky with my own eyes or with a telescope allows me to explore the magical space in all its vastness and dimension. It’s fascinating, especially when you can share what you learn with other people and push them to discover it for themselves. ”