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.
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.
Five 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
- Five nights aboard a private dahabiya, full board
- All temple visits, entrance fees and excursions in the itinerary
- A licensed Egyptologist throughout the journey
- 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
Three windows, one dahabiya
A single dahabiya. Twenty places, and no more.
Early-bird
Until 31 July 2026
$5,450
per person, double occupancy
Standard
August to December 2026
$5,950
per person, double occupancy
Final
January to July 2027
$6,450
per person, double occupancy
Rates are shown in US dollars. At current exchange rates that is approximately €4,750, €5,200 and €5,650 per person.
All 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 $1,500 deposit secures your place, and international flights are not included.
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.
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 $1,500 deposit 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.