A Nordnile event
The 2027 Total
Solar Eclipse in Egypt
2 August 2027 · a Nile dahabiya tour, Luxor to Aswan
For six minutes, midday turns to midnight. We'll be on the Nile to watch it.
Totality over the Nile
Six minutes the desert won't see again for generations
On 2 August 2027, the Moon's shadow crosses Egypt. For six minutes and twenty-three seconds (the longest over land until 2114), daylight gives way to dark at midday. The Sun's corona opens overhead, and planets surface in a noon sky above a landscape that has watched the heavens for six thousand years.
Until totality over Luxor
0days
For comparison
Most totalities last two or three minutes
The eclipse that crossed Spain and Iceland this August reached two minutes and eighteen seconds at its longest. The one that crossed North America in 2024 reached four and a half. Egypt in 2027 runs to six minutes and twenty-three seconds, and that is the reason we are going.
Maximum duration of totality at the point of greatest eclipse, rounded to the nearest second.
Why Egypt, why the Nile
The point of greatest eclipse
Luxor (ancient Thebes) sits almost exactly at the point of greatest eclipse, beneath skies the desert keeps reliably clear. Early August in Upper Egypt is one of the driest and most settled stretches of the year, and that is a large part of why we chose this reach of the river. It is fitting: the temples of Karnak and Dendera still carry their star charts, drawn by people who read the sky with extraordinary care.
The path of totality
Where the shadow crosses the Nile
The corridor of totality runs the full width of Upper Egypt. Luxor sits almost on its centre line, where the Nile crosses the path, and our dahabiya waits on open water just to the south.
Times are local (EEST) at maximum near Luxor; totality runs roughly 13:02 to 13:08, and the dahabiya's exact position is confirmed before sailing. Path geometry after NASA / F. Espenak.
The dahabiya
A small boat, and the open middle of the river
You'll watch from the deck of a dahabiya, a graceful two-masted river boat with no more than twenty guests and an Egyptologist aboard. By day, Luxor, Edfu and Kom Ombo, reached by quiet riverbanks the larger ships never see; by night, dinner under the stars and the slow rhythm of the water. And on the second of August, an unobstructed view from the middle of the Nile.
Who is with you
An Egyptologist, and an astrophysicist
A licensed Egyptologist is aboard for the whole journey. For eclipse day itself we are joined by one of Egypt's senior astrophysicists, who brings his own observing equipment.
Eclipse day · Astronomy
Prof. Osama M. A. Shalabiea
- Professor of Astrophysics and Space Science, Cairo University
- Director of the Space Science Center, Cairo University
- Dean of the Faculty of Navigation Sciences and Space Technology, Beni-Suef University
Professor Shalabiea has spent his career on astrophysics and space science at Cairo University, where he heads the Department of Astronomy, Space Science and Meteorology. He is the International Astronomical Union's National Astronomy Education Coordinator for Egypt, serves on the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development review panel, and sits on the Supreme Council of the Arab Union for Space and Astronomy. His published work runs from the chemistry of interstellar dust to measurements of night-sky brightness at the Kottamia Astronomical Observatory.
He has done this before. In 2006 he took part in the International Symposium on Solar Physics and Solar Eclipses, held on the centre line of that year's total eclipse in the Libyan desert. He is also a practised public lecturer, which matters more on a boat than a publication list does.
He joins us on 2 August, and brings telescopes and observing equipment with him, set up on deck for the partial phases and for the nights either side.
Four nights on the river
The Itinerary
- Karnak Temple and its great hypostyle hall of 134 columns
- The Valley of the Kings
- Transfer to Esna; board the dahabiya, welcome and lunch onboard
- Totality: an unobstructed 360° view from the middle of the river
- Sail to El Hegz, mooring beside the sugar-cane fields; dinner on the upper deck
- El Kaab, a 5,000-year-old city, and the tombs of the Nekheb governors
- Edfu by horse carriage to the Temple of Horus, the best preserved in Egypt
- Fawaza Island: barbecue dinner with music, and the night under the stars
- A morning swim, and Basaw village, with optional fishing alongside local fishermen
- The ancient sandstone quarries of Gebel Silsila, the Horemheb sanctuary and flood steles
- Kom Ombo Temple, to Sobek and Horus, with its mummified crocodiles and ancient surgical instruments
- Herdiab Island, with time to swim; barbecue dinner on the island
- Philae Temple, the UNESCO-relocated sanctuary of Isis
- Tea on a Nubian island at sunset, the sound-and-light show, and farewell dinner onboard
- Breakfast onboard, then disembarkation and airport transfer
What's Included
Included
- Four nights aboard a private dahabiya, full board
- All temple visits, entrance fees and excursions in the itinerary
- A licensed Egyptologist throughout the journey
- Prof. Osama Shalabiea, astrophysicist, with the group on eclipse day
- Telescopes and observing equipment on deck, provided by Prof. Shalabiea
- Eclipse viewing from open water, with certified solar glasses
- All transfers and ground transport within the itinerary
- Welcome and farewell dinners, and onboard music
Not included
- International flights to and from Egypt
- Egyptian entry visa
- Travel insurance (required)
- Personal expenses and tips (bakshish)
- Optional extras (Abu Simbel, hot-air balloon)
Rates & availability
Two pricing windows
Standard
Until 31 January 2027
$5,950
per person, double occupancy
Reserve a cabin at the Standard rate of $5,950 per personFinal
February to July 2027
$6,450
per person, double occupancy
Reserve a cabin at the Final rate of $6,450 per personAll rates are per person, based on two sharing a cabin. For solo travellers, a private cabin is a $2,500 supplement, or we can pair you with another guest. A deposit of 50% secures your place, and international flights are not included.
Rates are set in US dollars.
Good to know
Questions you might have
On 2 August 2027, with around six minutes and twenty-three seconds of totality, the longest over land until 2114. We position the dahabiya on open water near Luxor, the point of greatest eclipse, for an unobstructed 360° view.
Good. Early August in Upper Egypt is dry and settled, and cloud over the desert is uncommon at that time of year. It is part of why we chose this stretch of the river rather than a coastal site.
Yes, for the partial phases before and after totality. Certified solar-viewing glasses are provided for every guest aboard.
A licensed Egyptologist is with you throughout, at the temples by day and on deck as the light goes. For eclipse day we are joined by Prof. Osama Shalabiea, Professor of Astrophysics and Space Science at Cairo University and the International Astronomical Union's National Astronomy Education Coordinator for Egypt. He took part in the 2006 solar eclipse symposium held on that eclipse's centre line in Libya.
Yes. Prof. Shalabiea brings telescopes and observing equipment and sets them up on deck. They are for the partial phases and for the night sky either side of eclipse day, since totality itself is best watched with the naked eye. You are welcome to bring binoculars; a boat is a poor platform for a personal telescope, so we would suggest leaving heavy equipment at home.
Of course. Prices are per person based on two sharing a cabin. For solo travellers, a private cabin is a $2,500 supplement, or we can pair you with another guest.
Gentle. Temple visits involve some walking on uneven ground, but the pace is unhurried, and the boat is your calm base between them.
August in Upper Egypt is hot and dry, often around 40°C (104°F) by mid-afternoon, and a little cooler out on the river. The dahabiya is air-conditioned throughout, in every cabin and the indoor common areas, with shaded seating on deck for the open air. We keep temple visits to the cooler early mornings, so the heat is something you watch from the shade rather than endure.
A deposit of 50% per person secures your cabin, and the balance falls due closer to departure. The full booking, payment and cancellation terms are shared before you commit, so do ask.
Reserve your cabin
Hold a cabin with your deposit, or write to us first with any question. Places are few, and we'll always tell you honestly what's left.
Egypt, with reverence.