There is a spectacular solar eclipse, indeed, ‘the eclipse of the century’ no less, coming to the world in the summer of 2027 – Monday August 2nd 2027, to be precise. The news of this natural phenomenon is causing quite a stir at Egypt Escapes, as Egypt is going to be at the epicentre of it!
Mark the date in your calendar… Egypt is going to be the best place to witness one of the longest total solar eclipses in history!
If the solar eclipse we witnessed on 12th August 2026 in Europe (90% in London, 95% in Cornwall, 100% in Iceland & Spain) whet your appetite for more, then this solar eclipse is not to be missed!
Where Can I Watch The Eclipse in Egypt?
In Egypt, Luxor and Marsa Alam will be among the best places to appreciate this extremely rare event. This is where the ‘greatest eclipse’ will be occurring and you will experience totality. The longest is in Luxor where it over 6 minutes. Marsa Alam will be approximately 5 minutes of total solar eclipse too. Hurghada, Sharm, Cairo (all over 95%) and other places in Egypt will be excellent vantage points too.
To experience the best of the solar eclipse, we suggest being in Luxor, the Marsa Alam area on the Red Sea or on any point of a Nile cruise for the event. This is as the greatest eclipse totality will be experienced between El Quseir on the Red Sea and Aswan at the end of the Nile cruises, where the Nile becomes Lake Nasser after the Aswan High Dam. So wherever you are on a Nile cruise will be excellent. At the extremities of El Quseir and Aswan totality will be about 5 minutes, the peak in the middle (37 miles south east of Luxor, in the desert) will be 6 minutes and 22 seconds.
Luxor Holidays and Nile Cruises are Too Expensive. Can I do a Day Trip to See the Eclipse?
Yes you can. Due to the nature of this very special event, flight and hotel prices in Luxor are much higher than usual. Staying on the Red Sea in Hurghada is much more cost effective and inline with what you would normally pay at this time of the year. Then you can add a day trip to Luxor for the 2nd August so that you can experience the eclipse in full. Check our specially curated ‘Solar Eclipse Package to Hurghada Including Luxor Day Trip on 2nd August’ HERE!
Join a landmark moment of the coming years and experience the Total Solar Eclipse on 2 August 2027 from a remarkable setting. Luxor is widely regarded as one of the best places worldwide to witness this extraordinary event. As Mostafa, your local guide, puts it: “Watching the eclipse over ancient Luxor is unforgettable—like the past and the sky are celebrating together at the same time.”
Your day begins with an early morning departure from your hotel on the Red Sea Riviera toward Luxor. Start at the impressive Luxor Temple, one of Egypt’s most celebrated monuments and a true highlight of its ancient legacy. Afterward, head to Sphinx Alley—where you’ll have a front-row experience as the light gradually disappears when the Moon begins to cover the Sun, turning day into an eclipse-shadowed spectacle.
Once the celestial event has passed, enjoy a pleasant lunch before continuing your exploration. Next, you’ll cross to Luxor’s West Bank using local motorboats. Along the way, stop for stunning photo opportunities at the legendary Colossi of Memnon, two monumental statues that have watched over the Theban landscape for thousands of years.
From there, visit the Valley of the Kings and explore three royal tombs, gaining insight into the lives, power and beliefs of the pharaohs—especially their ideas about the afterlife. Finally, conclude with the breath-taking Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a magnificent temple built in honour of the remarkable female pharaoh, framed by dramatic limestone cliffs.
You’ll then return to Hurghada in the evening, carrying the memories of a remarkable experience where the solar eclipse, Egyptian history and world-class ancient sites come together in one unforgettable journey.
The path of totality crosses the Nile Valley, offering clear skies, with partial phases beginning at 1122am local time in some parts of Egypt and totality hitting in the early afternoon. In Luxor, the partial eclipse will begin at 1140hrs, with the total eclipse starting at 1302.14hrs and last until 1308.36hrs. This is an incredible solar eclipse duration of 6 minutes and 22 seconds. A solar eclipse of the century it absolutely is! At 1305.26hrs Luxor will reach maximum eclipse, making it THE place to experience this phenomenon.
Stages of the Solar Eclipse in Egypt – Monday August 2nd 2027
Starting at approximately 1140hrs local time and peaking just after 1pm, over 2 hours of magic will be visible over the Egyptian skies.
First Contact: The moon starts to move in front of the sun, creating a crescent shape (partial eclipse begins). This first phase will start over the Atlantic Ocean and moves across the map.
Second Contact: The moon completely covers the sun (full eclipse), marking the beginning of the “total” phase.
Maximum Eclipse: The point of greatest duration, lasting up to 6 minutes and 22 seconds near Luxor, Egypt, where the NSO – National Solar Observatory states the sun is completely blocked. This is the deepest point, where the sun’s corona is visible.
Third Contact: The moon begins to move away (totality ends) and the first ray of direct sunlight reappears, known as the diamond ring effect.
Fourth Contact: The moon completely moves off the sun’s disk, ending the eclipse.
Partaking in a Nile cruise at this time would be a perfect way to view the solar eclipse. Although a hotel stay in Luxor would be just as suitable, as peak totality of the solar eclipse will be present just south of the city. To experience a slightly shorter duration of the solar eclipse but still just as amazing, then maybe relaxing on a beach on the Red Sea Riviera would suit a better holiday for some.
The chances of a clear sky in Egypt in August are also very high, so no one should be disappointed with visibility. Just ask those that crammed in to Cornwall in 1999 when we had a solar eclipse in the UK, only for it to be mainly cloudy!
The maximum duration of totality will be observed in Egypt, approximately 37 miles (60 km) southeast of Luxor and will last 6 minutes and 22 seconds!
Totality will commence over the eastern Atlantic Ocean and travel across the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco, and continue across parts of North Africa and the Middle East. Also, It will be visible in Central Asia, Indian Ocean Islands.
Major cities and locations under the path of totality will include:
Cadiz and Málaga, in southern Spain
Gibraltar
Tangier, Morocco
Oran, Algeria
Sfax, Tunisia
Benghazi, Libya
Luxor in central Egypt
Jeddah and Mecca in southwest Saudi Arabia
Sana’a in western Yemen
The tip of the Horn of Africa in extreme northeast Somalia
Islands in the British Indian Ocean Territory
A partial solar eclipse will be visible from the extreme east tip of Maine, United States, far eastern Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces in Canada, southern Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Great Britain, nearly the entirety of the European continent, all but the southern quarter of Africa, the Middle East and from South and Southeast Asia.
It will be the first of three total solar eclipses that are observable in Tunisia in the 21st century, passing over the central part of the country.
It will be the second total eclipse in Spain within a year, after August 2026. An annular eclipse will also appear in Spain in January 2028. In Spain they have even had to set up a national eclipse committee has even been established to coordinate eclipse-related activities!
