Ahch-To: A Jedi retreat in Ireland’s Atlantic islands
Perhaps the most memorable visual signature of the sequel trilogy is the planet Ahch-To, where Luke Skywalker retreats into exile after disappearing from the galaxy. The true identity of this mystical planet is hidden on a UNESCO World Heritage island off Ireland’s southwest coast.
Skellig Michael appeared on screen as the planet Ahch-To in Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) (Episode 7: The Force Awakens) and Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017) (Episode 8: The Last Jedi), becoming the most recognizable location of the sequel trilogy. Rising in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, 12 kilometers off Ireland’s Kerry coast, the island is presented as a true place of retreat and solitude.
The island’s solitude has always been part of its identity. The monks who settled here consciously chose this location to separate themselves from the mainland and to come into direct contact with the Atlantic. The stone beehive huts known as clocháns and the steep 618 steps were built as part of the monastic settlement, and the steps were used in the film without alteration.
The island’s wildlife also became part of the production. In summer, the island hosts a large population of Atlantic puffins. When these birds frequently entered the frame during filming, the production team chose to use them as a source of inspiration rather than remove them digitally. This led to the creation of the Porgs, the famous creatures in The Last Jedi.
Surrounding locations: Ceann Sibéal, Malin Head, Crookhaven
In The Last Jedi, many of the scenes between Luke and Rey were filmed at other Irish locations due to the safety risks of filming for extended periods on Skellig Michael. The Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal, Ceann Sibéal in Dingle, and Crookhaven in Cork served as stand-ins for Skellig Michael.
Ceann Sibéal on the Dingle Peninsula became the site where the stone beehive huts Luke Skywalker lived in were rebuilt. Malin Head in Donegal, Ireland’s northernmost point, is a rugged, rocky headland. With its fractured limestone, crashing waves, and deserted boglands, it largely shaped the background texture of Luke’s island home.
Transportation tips
Reaching Skellig Michael is an adventure of discovery in itself. Skellig Michael is reached by boat from the port of Portmagee. The island journey takes about 50 minutes, and under normal weather conditions, visitors are given 2.5 hours on the island. The full program, which departs from the marina in the morning and returns in the afternoon, can take up to 5 hours. Boat services operate only during the summer months, weather permitting.
The most practical gateway to southwestern Ireland is Dublin. You can start by booking a flight to Dublin, then continue to Kerry by domestic transfer or by road. The Kerry, Killarney, and Portmagee triangle includes one of the most visually striking sections of the Wild Atlantic Way.
Jakku and Pasaana: Two different faces of the desert, Abu Dhabi and Wadi Rum
The sequel trilogy spread Tatooine’s desert legacy across different geographies. For Jakku, the planet where Rey grew up, the endless ocean of sand in the United Arab Emirates served as the backdrop. In The Rise of Skywalker, the route turned toward Jordan’s legendary Wadi Rum desert.
Rub’ al Khali, Abu Dhabi: The birth of Jakku
Some scenes from the desert planet Jakku were filmed in a section of the Rub’ al Khali, known as the “Empty Quarter,” located a few hours from Abu Dhabi. As the world’s largest continuous sand desert, the Rub’ al Khali was home not only to the planet where Rey lived but also to the scenes of Finn and Poe Dameron’s crash landing.
Today, it is possible to reach this boundless landscape via desert tours departing from Abu Dhabi. Liwa Oasis and Empty Quarter safaris offer Star Wars fans the chance to discover Jakku’s real-world face.
Wadi Rum, Jordan: Jedha and Pasaana
Wadi Rum in southern Jordan is perhaps the most frequently used location in the modern Star Wars era. The sandy landscape of Wadi Rum served as a filming location for both The Rise of Skywalker and Rogue One. Also known as the “Valley of the Moon,” this dramatic region served as the backdrop for The Rise of Skywalker and stood in for Jedha’s moon in Rogue One.
Wadi Rum is home to many photogenic rock formations, including the “Seven Pillars of Wisdom.” The famous ancient city of Petra is only a two-hour drive north, and both regions are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Transportation tips
Today, Wadi Rum is a popular tourist destination where you can stay in Bedouin camps and enjoy star-filled Arabian nights. You can reach Wadi Rum from Amman by road in about four hours, and the overnight tent camps offer open-air views of the stars. Combining Petra and Wadi Rum into a two- or three-day route makes sense. The journey from Petra to Wadi Rum takes about two hours, so you can visit Petra in the morning and head into the desert in the afternoon.
Transportation in Wadi Rum is typically arranged by the camp operators. After arriving at the visitor center, you are transferred to the camp areas by 4×4 vehicles, and you can explore the region through sunset tours, camel rides, and desert safaris among the rock formations. If you are traveling in your own vehicle, it is much safer to travel with licensed guides than to enter the desert on your own. Especially in the summer months, when daytime temperatures are high, it is recommended that you bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and light but protective clothing.
Eadu: Iceland’s black sands and volcanoes
While Rogue One brought the tone of a war film to the Star Wars universe, it also created one of its most visually striking palettes. For the film’s dark, stormy planet Eadu, the crew’s route took them to the harshest shores of the North Atlantic.
Reynisfjara Beach
Reynisfjara’s black-sand beach, near the town of Vík at Iceland’s southern tip, appeared on screen as the stormy planet Eadu in Rogue One. This wild North Atlantic shore has become an increasingly popular destination for science fiction filmmakers worldwide.
Reynisfjara’s black basalt sands, column-shaped rocks, and long stretch of coastline where the sea crashes in at a sharp angle naturally fed the planet’s harsh atmosphere.
Krafla Volcano
Krafla Volcano in northeastern Iceland also served as a location on the planet Eadu in Rogue One. It hosted the scenes in which Jyn Erso tries to save her injured father. Alongside Krafla’s boiling crater, Lake Mývatn also stands out as a source of geothermal energy.
Transportation tips
You can reach Reykjavik and begin following Eadu’s real-world traces through Iceland’s capital. International flights land at Keflavik Airport, about 50 kilometers from Reykjavik. From there, you can reach the city center by bus, private transfer, or rental car. To reach Reynisfjara Beach, take a road trip of about two and a half hours south from Reykjavik. Along the way, waterfalls such as Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, lava fields, and sweeping views of the Atlantic coast make the journey an impressive experience in itself.
Krafla Volcano is located in the country’s northeast, near Lake Mývatn. For this reason, it makes more sense to plan a longer route along Iceland’s Ring Road rather than visiting it on the same day as Reynisfjara. You can head north from Reykjavik toward Akureyri to reach the Krafla region, or fly to Akureyri and rent a car there. Road conditions can change quickly, especially in winter, so it is important to check the weather and road conditions in advance if you plan to rent a car. The nearly 24-hour daylight in summer and the northern lights in winter lend a unique atmosphere to the route when visiting these volcanic filming locations.
Scarif: A tropical Imperial base in the Maldives
The planet Scarif, which hosted Rogue One’s final battle, added a distinct texture to the Star Wars universe with its palm trees, turquoise waters, and white sands. This tropical base, where the Empire stored the Death Star plans, was brought to life in one of the Indian Ocean’s most pristine archipelagos.
Laamu Atoll
The calm blue-green waters and white-sand beaches of the planet Scarif in Rogue One are not the work of visual effects artists but the real-life beauty of Laamu Atoll in the Maldives. Director Gareth Edwards had Stormtroopers walk through the tropical waters around Gan, one of the largest islands.
At the 2016 Star Wars Celebration panel, director Gareth Edwards described the Maldives as “paradise”: “Scarif is based on a paradise world, so to film it, we had to go to paradise,” he said. This aura of paradise contrasted with the dramatic final clash on screen, creating one of Rogue One’s most memorable visual moments.
Transportation tips
You can take the first step toward experiencing Scarif’s real-world tropical atmosphere by booking a flight to the Maldives. International flights land at Velana International Airport near Male, the Maldives’ capital. From there, reaching Laamu Atoll usually involves a domestic flight followed by a boat transfer, and the properties where you will stay often arrange this transfer on behalf of their guests.
Because Laamu Atoll is one of the quieter, more unspoiled regions of the Maldives, it is worth thinking of the trip not merely as a classic island holiday but as a journey that requires careful planning. Gan Island and the surrounding lagoons are a strong draw for Star Wars fans who want to get up close to the landscapes that inspired Scarif’s tropical look in Rogue One. Turquoise waters, coral reefs, and shores lined with palm trees create a distinct atmosphere that evokes the film’s dramatic final battle.
Before traveling to the region, it is important to check resort transfer times, domestic flight connections, and weather conditions. Although the Maldives is warm year-round, short showers and disruptions to sea transport can occur during the monsoon season. For this reason, coordinating your arrival time in Male with island transfers can make the journey much more comfortable for visitors to Laamu Atoll.
Crait: Bolivia’s endless salt flat
Crait, the setting of The Last Jedi’s final battle, gave the Star Wars universe one of its most distinctive visual identities. The blood-red mineral, hidden beneath a pure white salt crust, rises to the surface with every step and every vehicle track, turning the planet into an almost living battlefield. Behind the unforgettable look of this final confrontation between the Resistance and the First Order lies one of South America’s most surreal landscapes: Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.
Salar de Uyuni
Located in southwestern Bolivia on the high Andean Plateau in the Potosí region, Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat and offers an almost otherworldly landscape. Spanning approximately 10,582 square kilometers, this boundless white surface was formed by thick layers of salt left by prehistoric lakes that dried up. In the dry season, Salar de Uyuni looks like a desert stretching into infinity, with its hexagonal salt patterns; in the rainy season, it is covered by a thin layer of water and becomes a giant mirror reflecting the sky.
It was no coincidence that Rian Johnson chose Crait as the setting for The Last Jedi. When Salar de Uyuni’s dazzling whiteness was paired with the film’s concept of a red mineral, one of the Star Wars universe’s most striking battlefields emerged. During filming, special rigs that released red smoke were used to create the crimson marks left on the surface by the battle vehicles. In this way, Crait became not only the planet where the final confrontation took place but also one of the most striking locations etched into the series’ visual memory.
Transportation tips
You can begin your journey to Salar de Uyuni from La Paz, one of Bolivia’s most important transportation hubs. International flights usually arrive at El Alto International Airport, and from there, the most practical way to reach Uyuni is by taking a domestic flight. After arriving at Uyuni Airport, local tour operators in the town center organize guided day trips or multi-day tours to the salt flat.
For those seeking a more economical and adventurous option, night buses between La Paz and Uyuni are also popular. However, keep in mind that the distance is long, the altitude is high, and road conditions can be tiring. It is also worth not limiting Salar de Uyuni to the main salt flat; many tour programs offer a more comprehensive Altiplano route that includes Colchani village, the train cemetery, Incahuasi Island, colorful lagoons, high-altitude deserts, and geothermal areas.
When choosing when to visit, it is best to plan around the landscape you want to see. During the rainy season, from January to March, the salt surface can be covered with a shallow layer of water, creating Salar de Uyuni’s famous mirror effect. During the dry season, between May and October, the cracked white salt crust, hexagonal patterns, and the feeling of emptiness stretching to the horizon come to the fore. In both periods, the temperature difference between day and night can be significant at high altitudes, so extra clothing, sunglasses, sunscreen, and plenty of water are essential for this route.
Canto Bight: A space stop among Croatia’s stone walls
In The Last Jedi, Canto Bight, where Finn and Rose visit to find a codebreaker, was designed as one of the most glamorous stops in the Star Wars universe. Imagined as a kind of space Monte Carlo for the galaxy’s wealthy, the city offered a stark contrast to the film’s front lines of war, with its glittering halls, luxury vehicles, and magnificent atmosphere. The real-world counterpart to this splendid planet was Dubrovnik, the Croatian city on the Adriatic coast, famous for its stone walls and polished streets.
Dubrovnik Old Town and Stradun
Monte Carlo’s curved shores, rocky headlands, and sense of wealth were a clear source of inspiration for Canto Bight’s design. Yet beneath the set decorations, digital effects, and futuristic details, the stone streets were part of Dubrovnik’s Old Town. This historic city, under UNESCO protection, with its medieval walls, baroque façades, arched passages, and marble-like limestone pavements, provided a strong foundation for Canto Bight’s elegant yet artificial sheen.
One of the film’s most action-packed sequences, the chase scene, was filmed on Dubrovnik’s main street, Stradun, and at surrounding locations. Normally lined with cafés, shops, and historic façades, this wide pedestrian axis was transformed during filming into the glittering streets of the space casino. The area around the Dubrovnik Walls, Banje Beach, the surroundings of the Rector’s Palace, and the narrow passages of the Old Town were also among the locations that helped create the Canto Bight atmosphere.
Dubrovnik’s appeal to viewers extends beyond Canto Bight. Because the city was also used as King’s Landing in Game of Thrones, it has become one of the most popular stops on popular culture routes. Those who want to explore Dubrovnik’s traces in Westeros in more detail can also read our article: Travel along cinematic routes: Game of Thrones filming locations. For this reason, walking along Stradun, climbing the walls, and spending time on the stone terraces overlooking the Adriatic feel like tracing two major universes at once.
Transportation tips
Reaching the real-world streets of Canto Bight is easy by buying a flight ticket to Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik Airport is about 20 kilometers southeast of the city center. From the airport, you can reach the Old Town by bus, taxi, private transfer, or rental car. Depending on traffic, the trip usually takes about half an hour.
The most sensible way to explore the Canto Bight route is on foot. Because Dubrovnik’s Old Town is largely closed to vehicles, Stradun, the city gates, narrow side streets, and squares opening onto the coast can all be explored at a leisurely pace. Early morning or the hours close to sunset are ideal for avoiding the crowds and photographing the stone streets in better light.
It is also possible to plan Dubrovnik not only as a filming location but as an Adriatic journey in its own right. A walk along Stradun, city views from the Dubrovnik Walls, a seaside break at Banje Beach, and Old Town restaurants where you can try Dalmatian cuisine all enrich this route. Since the city can be quite busy in the summer months, arranging accommodations and transfers in advance can help you explore the Star Wars and Game of Thrones filming locations more comfortably.
Andor’s real-location philosophy: Scotland, England and Spain
A significant part of the new-generation Star Wars series was filmed using digital backgrounds created with the LED screen technology known as “StageCraft.” Productions such as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka made extensive use of this system, which recreates the far corners of the galaxy within a studio. Andor, however, set itself apart from this trend, adopting a more old-school, more tangible, and harsher visual language. Real streets, windswept coasts, dams, quarries, and modern architectural structures became the primary elements supporting the series’ tone of political tension.
That is why Andor holds a special place among travelers seeking out Star Wars locations. The series depicts distant galaxies not as a glossy fantasy space but as real geographies that evoke a lived-in sense of place. Scotland’s high hills, England’s coastal towns, and Spain’s futuristic architecture lend Cassian Andor’s journey toward rebellion a tangible weight.
Cruachan Dam, Scotland: The planet Aldhani
Located near Loch Awe in Scotland’s Argyll and Bute region, Cruachan Dam served as the backdrop for one of the most memorable episodes of Andor’s first season. In the series, it was used as the Imperial-controlled Aldhani base, and this massive concrete structure brought an unusually realistic harshness to the Star Wars universe through its Brutalist architecture and its mountain-surrounded setting.
The Aldhani heist is not only one of the series’ strongest action sequences but also one of the episodes that best captures Andor’s approach to location. The dam’s tunnels, concrete surfaces, and the harsh surrounding landscape place the Empire’s cold, mechanical presence within the natural geography. In this way, the location ceases to be merely a backdrop and becomes an active element that carries the story’s themes of oppression, resistance, and rebellion.
Today, Cruachan Power Station Visitor Centre serves as a stop that tells visitors the region’s engineering story. The scale of the hydroelectric facility built inside the mountain makes this place not only a filming location for Andor fans but also an impressive engineering feat.
Glen Tilt, Scotland: The hills of Aldhani
Aldhani’s vast, windswept, and melancholic atmosphere extends beyond Cruachan Dam. Glen Tilt in the Scottish Highlands served as one of the main outdoor locations in the series, shaping the planet’s natural texture. Wide valleys, dark green hills, stony paths, and cloudy skies gave this pastoral planet, under the shadow of the Empire, a powerful sense of realism.
In the Glen Tilt scenes, Andor’s political subtext is also felt directly. The Empire’s displacement of the Aldhani people from their lands and its suppression of their traditional way of life echo the Highland Clearances in Scottish history. This connection also explains why the series is seen not only as a Star Wars story but also as a political narrative centered on colonialism, cultural erasure, and resistance.
Winspit Quarry, Dorset: Saw Gerrera’s secret base
Located in Dorset on England’s southern coast, Winspit Quarry appears in Andor as Saw Gerrera’s secret base. Stretching along the windswept Jurassic Coast cliffs, the former quarry fits perfectly with the series’ dark, weather-beaten rebel aesthetic.
Winspit Quarry’s uneven terrain, carved rock surfaces, and dramatic position overlooking the sea convey a harshness suited to Saw Gerrera’s world. Here, the Star Wars universe takes on a very different look from glossy spaceports or cleanly designed bases: a damp, cold, shelter-like place with a constant sense of danger. This also contributes to Andor’s portrayal of rebellion not as something romanticized but as a difficult struggle that exacts a price.
Cleveleys and Black Park, England
Cleveleys on the Lancashire coast became the backdrop for one of Andor’s most striking contrasts. The town’s seafront promenade and beach were transformed in the series into Niamos, the holiday planet where Cassian is arrested. The way an everyday English seaside town becomes an alien escape point with just a few set touches and costumes is one of the strongest examples of Andor’s efficient use of real locations.
Black Park in Buckinghamshire was used to capture the series’ darker, more wooded atmosphere. The industrial areas around Ferrix and the natural textures in the Kenari flashback scenes were enhanced by the region’s dense woodland. In this way, different faces of England joined the Star Wars galaxy within the same series, as a seaside planet, a forested past, and an industrial backdrop.
Valencia and Xàtiva, Spain: The new worlds of the second season
With Andor’s second season, the route extends into Spain. The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, with its white, organic, and almost gravity-defying architecture by Santiago Calatrava, fits naturally into the Star Wars universe. The skeletal structure of the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum, combined with wide pools, sharp lines, and gleaming surfaces, evokes a futuristic city without the need for digital effects.
Valencia’s architectural language evokes the atmosphere of Star Wars’ political centers, especially Coruscant. By combining glass, concrete, water, and white structural forms, the City of Arts and Sciences feels like walking through a science fiction set even in the real world. For Andor fans, Valencia is not just a filming location but a special stop where the series’ urban atmosphere can be felt on site.
Alongside Valencia, Xàtiva Castle also became one of the striking filming locations for the second season. Sprawling across the hill above the city, this historic castle stands in strong contrast to Valencia’s modern architecture. In this way, Andor’s Spain chapter brings together futuristic city imagery and a more historical atmosphere, shaped by stone walls, ramparts, and Mediterranean light, all within the same route.
Transportation tips
When planning the Andor route, it is more practical to treat three distinct regions as separate trips: Cruachan Dam and Glen Tilt in Scotland; Winspit Quarry, Cleveleys, and Black Park in England; and Valencia and Xàtiva in Spain. For the Scottish leg, you can begin by booking a flight to Edinburgh, then continue toward Loch Awe, Oban, and the Cruachan Dam line by renting a car or taking regional trains and buses. Since Highland locations such as Glen Tilt are far from city centers, it is more comfortable to plan this section with a nature-focused mindset and spread it over a few days.
For the England leg, you can build a broader route that extends to Andor’s different filming locations by flying to London. Black Park is one of the easiest stops to reach in this section thanks to its proximity to London. For Winspit Quarry, you need to head toward the Dorset coast, while for Cleveleys, you need to head toward the Lancashire shore. Since these locations are far from one another, it makes more sense to think of the England route not as a short city break but as a thematic cinema journey spanning several days.
For the Spain leg, you can easily reach the City of Arts and Sciences by flying to Valencia. Well connected to the city center, this complex can be comfortably explored on foot and by public transportation. Xàtiva, meanwhile, can be planned as an enjoyable day trip reachable by train from Valencia. This makes it possible to combine the modern and historic Spanish locations from Andor’s second season into a single journey.
The Andor route can be explored much more comfortably when planned not as a single long trip but as three distinct chapters: Scotland’s Aldhani landscapes, England’s coastal and forest locations, and Spain’s futuristic architecture.
Practical tips for your new-generation Star Wars route
The location map for the sequel trilogy and new-generation Star Wars productions moves beyond the Mediterranean- and North Africa-focused routes of the classic era, spanning a much wider global geography. For this reason, although combining all the stops into a single trip is not very realistic, thematic routes can be created to explore different faces of the galaxy in the real world.
The first suggestion is a European coastal route: Skellig Michael in Ireland (Ahch-To), Reynisfjara and the Krafla area in Iceland (Eadu), and Dubrovnik in Croatia (Canto Bight). While bringing together some of the Disney era’s most iconic scenes, this route offers strong visual variety, spanning Atlantic islands and volcanic beaches, stone streets along the Adriatic, and medieval walls. It creates an ideal line, especially for those who want to remember Star Wars through dramatic coastal landscapes, windswept islands, and historic urban textures.
The second suggestion is a Desert and Indian Ocean route: Wadi Rum in Jordan (Jedha and Pasaana), the Rub’ al Khali in the United Arab Emirates (Jakku), and Laamu Atoll in the Maldives (Scarif). This route brings together the most striking visual contrasts of the new-generation Star Wars films: red deserts, boundless seas of sand, turquoise lagoons, and tropical islands. The idea of completing a journey that begins with a desert trip and ends amid the calm island atmosphere of the Indian Ocean makes experiencing both the harsh and peaceful sides of the Star Wars universe in the same trip especially appealing.
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, meanwhile, deserves to be considered a destination in its own right. Crait’s pure white salt surface and the final scene, remembered for its red trails, form one of Star Wars’ most impressive visual moments in recent years. For this reason, for travelers planning a South America trip, Salar de Uyuni may be one of the most special and photogenic stops on the list.
We have now reached the end of this long guide, spanning the classic era to the modern Disney universe, from anthology films to new-generation series. Knowing that the magic of the Star Wars galaxy on screen is fueled by real geographies at the farthest edges of our world adds a new layer of meaning to travel for fans. Whether in Tunisia’s adobe villages, Norway’s frozen heights, Ireland’s Atlantic islands, the Maldives’ tropical lagoons, or Bolivia’s salt mirrors, these galactic locations are now within reach, so you can create your own memories. May the Force be with you.
