The eclipse in Luxor and the Nile in 8 days

Why Luxor

On 2 August 2027 the Moon's shadow crosses northern Morocco, then Egypt. According to calculations by NASA (the US space agency), totality lasts at most 6 minutes 23 seconds, in the desert west of the Nile. Luxor lies almost on the centre line: totality there lasts about 6 minutes 20 seconds, with the Sun about 82° above the horizon, almost overhead.

Three reasons make Luxor the viewing place for this trip. The duration is close to the maximum. The sky is almost always clear in summer: according to the 1991–2020 normals of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Luxor receives an average of 0.07 mm of rain in August. And you watch from dry land, at a spot chosen in advance. The boat only leaves the next day: Aswan, where the cruise ends, is just south of the path of totality and sees only a partial eclipse.

Monday 2 August, hour by hour

Egypt is then on summer time, UTC+3: 2 hours ahead of London.

For nearly three hours the Moon bites into the Sun's disc. The light fades gradually; during totality the sky darkens, the solar corona appears around the black disc, and the brightest stars and planets become visible.

Look up. With the Sun almost at the zenith, you look straight above you. A sun lounger, by the Hilton's pool or on the bank of the Nile, saves you three hours with your head tilted back.

Protect your eyes. NASA's advice is simple. Outside totality, look at the Sun only through eclipse glasses meeting the ISO 12312-2 standard (the international standard for filters for direct viewing of the Sun); sunglasses do not protect you. Take them off only during totality and put them back on as soon as the Sun reappears. A camera, binoculars or a telescope need a solar filter fitted on the front of the lens. Buy the glasses before you leave, one pair per person plus a spare.

Cope with the heat. The eclipse falls at the hottest time of day, in the middle of summer. In August Luxor's average maximum temperature is 41.2 °C, and nights only drop to 25.6 °C. Hat, sunscreen, covering clothes, plenty of water, and shade between phases. The morning of the eclipse is spent quietly at the hotel.

Before the eclipse: Luxor in summer

Saturday 31 July, arrival. The Hilton Luxor is north of town, on the Karnak side, with two infinity pools on the Nile. Rooms are available from 15:00. The airport is about a quarter of an hour away.

Sunday 1 August, what the boat does not show. The cruise already includes Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Deir el-Medina, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. Sunday is therefore for the other West Bank sites: the Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu, the Ramesseum and the Valley of the Queens. The sites open at 06:00; in summer you arrive at opening time and are back before 11:00. The afternoon is spent at the pool, and the evening on the Avenue of Sphinxes, about 2,700 m long, which links Karnak to Luxor Temple.

Hot-air balloons take off at dawn, wind permitting. A flight on Sunday morning, the only cool moment of the day, leaves Monday for the eclipse.

Monday 2 August, the eclipse. See above. In the evening, a felucca, the traditional Nile sailing boat, once the heat eases.

After the eclipse: four nights on the Nile

The Oberoi Zahra leaves Luxor on Tuesdays, from the Mirotel quay. The boat has 28 cabins and suites, all facing the Nile, a shaded 11 m pool on the upper deck and a spa. The programme below is that of the 4-night cruise, in local time; the August 2027 departure calendar is confirmed at booking.

• Tuesday 3 August. The Hilton's check-out is at 12:00 and embarkation is at 12:00: leave the hotel in the late morning. Lunch, then Karnak and Luxor Temple at 15:00. The boat stays overnight in Luxor.
• Wednesday 4 August. West Bank at 07:00: Valley of the Kings, Deir el-Medina, the village of the royal tomb builders, Colossi of Memnon and Temple of Hatshepsut. The boat leaves for Esna at noon; the afternoon is spent on board, in the shade.
• Thursday 5 August. Temple of Horus at Edfu at 09:00, sailing to Kom Ombo, then the double temple of Sobek and Haroeris at 18:15, at dusk.
• Friday 6 August. High Dam and Philae Temple at 09:00, Aswan's botanical garden at 15:00, dinner with a Nubian show at 19:00.
• Saturday 7 August. Disembarkation at 08:00. Oberoi allows 35 minutes from the quay to Aswan airport, and airport transfers are included. The Aswan–Cairo flight takes about 1 h 25.

The boat crosses the path of totality between Luxor and Kom Ombo, but two days too late: it is the order of the trip that puts the eclipse on land.

Booking

Eclipse tours are already on sale, and Luxor's rooms and the boats' cabins are in high demand for these dates. Book as soon as possible.

Oberoi's terms matter for a trip planned so far ahead. Payment is in three instalments: 25% within seven days of booking, 50% at 180 days before departure, 25% at 91 days. Refunds are in full up to 181 days before departure, that is 3 February 2027 for a 3 August embarkation; the full amount is retained within 90 days, from early May 2027.

The trip suits couples, astronomy enthusiasts and families with children aged at least 7, the minimum age on board the Oberoi Zahra; children occupy a separate cabin there, at the full rate.

Variations

• Northern Morocco. The eclipse also crosses Tangier, with nearly 5 minutes of totality around 8:47 local time. The idea "The 2 August 2027 total eclipse in Tangier and northern Morocco, 6 days" makes a shorter, less hot trip of it.
• Abu Simbel. An extra night in Aswan, after disembarkation, allows the excursion to the temples of Ramesses II and Nefertari, about 280 km to the south, leaving before dawn.