The Rise of ‘Noctourism’—And the Best Places Around the World to Experience It

I skipped many hours of sleep while researching my new book, 100 Nights of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Adventures After Dark, and one all-nighter, in particular, remains etched in my memory.

It was March 2023, and I was on a moonlit canoe trip with Jarol Fernando Vaca, a scientist and guide at the Ecuadorian Amazon’s upscale Sacha Lodge. We’d spent over an hour watching the water’s crest for glow worms and caimans (small, nocturnal relatives of the alligator) when a thunderous roar reverberated through the forest.

“That’s a howler monkey,” Vaca whispered. I cupped my hand behind my ear to listen closely. Soon, I heard not only primate calls but a chorus of cicadas, frogs, and nocturnal birds. “Most of the time you don’t see a lot of the action,” Vaca said of an Amazon safari. “But you can listen to it.”

That’s one of many things I love about adventuring by moonlight—a travel style I began prioritizing years ago out of a personal fascination with the night sky. The world looks, feels, and sounds different under the cover of darkness. Sometimes the night adds a sense of eerie mystery, like that Amazonian cacophony we could hear, but not see. Other times, twilight outings provide grounding, a sense of awe, and stress relief, especially beneath the northern lights or a fresco of stars.

Increasingly, globetrotters are seeking out the night’s unmatched magic—so much so that Booking.com predicts after-dark tourism, also known as “noctourism,” will be among 2025’s most sought-after travel experiences.

My new book on noctourism, out now with National Geographic, provides a roadmap for exploring the world after dusk. It highlights happenings across over 50 countries, from full-moon festivals and midnight food markets to eye-popping stargazing, aurora hunts, after-hour safaris, and out-of-this-world accommodations (think: glamping on the side of a sheer Peruvian cliff).

So, to inspire your own nocturnal wanderings, here’s a sneak peek at six “nights of a lifetime” from the book—as well as a selection of their accompanying National Geographic imagery.

Stargaze in Southern Africa’s NamibRand Nature Reserve