Mon 02 Aug 2027 · Luxor, Egypt
6:23
minutes of totality. Longest of the century.
A total solar eclipse passes directly over Luxor with the longest land totality from 1991 to 2114. Six minutes twenty-three. Directly above the Valley of the Kings. We have an office in Luxor. This page is how we're planning it.
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Luxor · 25.69° N
The line of greatest eclipse runs above this riverbank. The pharaohs mapped this sun for three thousand years from here.
Path of totality · Aug 2 2027
The shadow enters Egypt over the Western Desert, crosses Luxor, exits over the Red Sea.
Why Luxor
The line of greatest eclipse, three-thousand-year-old sightlines, and the clearest sky in the path.
The August 2 2027 eclipse track crosses southern Spain, North Africa, the Arabian peninsula and the Horn of Africa. The centre line – the place where totality lasts longest – runs through Upper Egypt almost exactly over Luxor. Greatest eclipse falls at 12:43 local time with the sun 82 degrees above the horizon, which is essentially overhead. The corona will read cleaner than at any low-altitude site on the track.
The climatology is the reason this eclipse works so well in Luxor. Early August in Upper Egypt is the driest, clearest weather window of the year – chance of an overcast 12:43 is statistically nil. Compare with the 1999 Cornwall eclipse, which the entire UK watched through cloud. Compare with Antarctic centre-line totalities you can't actually fly to. Luxor in August is the rare site that is long, clear, and reachable.
The line of greatest passes within a few miles of Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, the Ramesseum. Egyptian astronomy mapped this sun for three thousand years from this riverbank. You will not get this combination of subject and event again in our lifetimes.
- 01
6m 23s
Totality duration at Luxor
Longest land totality 1991–2114. 2017 US eclipse: 2m 40s. 2024: 4m 28s.
- 02
82°
Sun altitude at greatest eclipse
Nearly directly overhead. Corona display unusually clean at this angle.
- 03
~97%
Clear-sky probability
Upper Egypt early August: effectively zero rain risk. The reason astronomers picked Luxor.
- 04
25.69° N
Centre line of greatest eclipse
Luxor sits within 12 km of greatest duration. Aswan and the Valley of the Kings are inside the path.
What we're building
Six trip shapes for the eclipse. Cairo-run, honest about August heat, sized from three nights to ten.
Every shape below is a bookable product page with full itinerary, cabin or room pricing, cancellation ladder, and the eclipse-day plan locked in. They share three things – ISO 12312-2 viewing glasses, an astronomy escort, a midday cooling plan – and differ on everything else. The 5-day Luxor→Aswan cruise is the most-booked shape; the 4-day Aswan→Luxor with eclipse-on-disembarkation is the cleverest scheduling; the dahabiya is the smallest and quietest; the hotel-only suits travelers running their own program; the grand tour is the full Egypt arc with three Red Sea decompression nights.
- 01
Luxor hotel-only · independent · 4 nights
Karnak-side 5★ allocation for travelers running their own plan
Rooms only – no transfers, no guide, no eclipse-day program. For independent travelers and astronomy clubs bringing their own kit and itinerary.
4 nights Jul 31 – Aug 4 · transfers optional
- 02
Aswan → Luxor cruise · eclipse-day exit · 4 days · 3 nights
Aswan to Luxor, disembark Mon Aug 2 – eclipse from the sun deck after checkout
The clever shape. Board in Aswan Fri Jul 30, sail north through Kom Ombo, Edfu and Esna. Dock in Luxor Mon Aug 2; cabin checkout at 09:00 as normal, but you stay onboard – bags in storage, sun deck yours through 12:43 totality, plated lunch, then transfer to Luxor airport for evening flights.
Aswan · Kom Ombo · Edfu · Esna · Luxor · eclipse onboard
- 03
Cairo + Luxor · short shape · 5 days · 4 nights
Cairo, the GEM, and eclipse over Luxor – the fly-in option
Two nights Cairo, two nights Luxor, eclipse on day three. For travelers who can't take eleven days off but still want Pyramids in the same trip.
Pyramids · GEM · eclipse · Karnak · Valley of the Kings
- 04
Luxor → Aswan cruise · most booked · 5 days · 4 nights
Luxor → Aswan aboard a 5★ ship – eclipse on day one
Arrive Luxor Mon Aug 2, board the ship, watch totality at 12:43 from the sun deck, then sail south through Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan. The ship is your accommodation on eclipse day – no 9am checkout to negotiate.
Luxor · West Bank · Edfu · Kom Ombo · Aswan · Philae
- 05
Dahabiya · private charter · 8 days · 7 nights
Eight-cabin dahabiya, moored at a private bank site for totality
Sail-powered, no engine note. The boat moors at a riverbank site we hold for the charter group – ten guests max, one table, no other tourists in sight.
Esna · El Kab · Edfu · Kom Ombo · Aswan
- 06
Grand tour · everything · 11 days · 10 nights
Cairo + cruise + Abu Simbel + Red Sea – the full arc
Two Cairo, four-night Luxor→Aswan cruise through eclipse, Abu Simbel as a full day, three Red Sea nights to decompress. All domestic flights included.
Cairo · Luxor · Edfu · Kom Ombo · Aswan · Abu Simbel · Red Sea
Allocation locks ~9 months before. The register-interest list below is how we contact you when these go on sale.
From the desk
We have one Luxor office and a finite number of partner hotels. The astronomy community is competing for the same rooms we'd use. The interest list is how we know who to call first when allocation locks – usually 6-9 months before the eclipse.
– Suhaila · Client Experience, Discovery Tours Egypt
The practical questions
Eight things people ask us about August 2.
01When exactly is the eclipse over Luxor?
Monday, August 2, 2027. First contact (partial eclipse begins) around 11:20am Egypt time. Totality reaches Luxor at approximately 12:43pm and lasts 6 minutes 23 seconds. Fourth contact is around 14:05. The sun is nearly overhead – 82 degrees altitude – which means no horizon obstructions matter and the corona display is exceptional.
02Why Luxor specifically?
Luxor sits very close to the centre line of greatest eclipse. The duration of totality is longer there than anywhere else on land – anywhere – for this eclipse. Weather statistics for early August in Upper Egypt show essentially zero rain risk and high probability of clear sky. Aswan, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings are also inside the totality path. This combination – longest totality, almost-certain clear sky, and the most celebrated archaeological landscape in the world – does not repeat in our lifetimes.
03How long is totality and how does that compare?
6 minutes 23 seconds at Luxor. For context: the August 2017 American eclipse maxed out at 2 minutes 40 seconds. The April 2024 North American eclipse hit 4 minutes 28 seconds. The 2027 Luxor totality is the longest from land between 1991 and 2114. If you only see one totality in your life, this is the one to fly for.
04Is this a Discovery Tours Egypt product yet?
Hotel allocation for August 1–3, 2027 is the bottleneck – Luxor's quality hotel stock is finite and the world's astronomy community is competing for it. We are negotiating allocation with our hotel partners now and will publish formal eclipse itineraries once contracts are firm. The register-interest form on this page puts you on the call list when those itineraries open – early indicative pricing, first refusal on rooms, no obligation.
05What will the trip look like?
Two formats. The 5-day shape: 2 nights Cairo + 2 nights Luxor. Arrive Cairo Saturday July 31. Sunday: Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Monday August 2: early Cairo–Luxor flight, straight to a dedicated observation site for the 12:43 corona, then check into your Luxor hotel. Tuesday: Karnak and Luxor Temple (east bank). Wednesday: Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut (west bank), afternoon flight back to Cairo, home. The 11-day shape: 2 Cairo + 4 Nile cruise (Luxor→Aswan, with the cruise as your accommodation on eclipse day so the 9am-checkout problem disappears) + 1 day Abu Simbel + 3 Red Sea decompression nights. Both include eclipse-grade ISO 12312-2 viewing glasses, a dedicated observation site, English-speaking astronomy escort, private Egyptologist guiding, and a daytime cooling plan – August in Luxor is 40°C plus.
06Can I bring my own telescope or camera?
Yes – and we encourage it. We are arranging dedicated equipment-friendly observation sites with shade tents, mounting platforms, power, and chase support for serious astrophotographers. Tell us on the interest form what you'd be bringing and we'll route you to the right tier.
07What about flights, visas, the practical bits?
We arrange domestic flights Cairo–Luxor as part of the package. International flights are separate (LHR/JFK/LAX direct to Cairo, or one-stop via Istanbul, Frankfurt, or Paris). Egypt requires a visa for US passport holders – $35 on arrival or $30 e-Visa. We send full briefing materials when itineraries open.
08What does it cost?
We will publish firm pricing once hotel and cruise allocation is locked. Indicative range (subject to change as the market shifts): from $4,800 per person for the 5-day Cairo + Luxor package, from $8,400 per person for the 11-day Cairo + Nile cruise + Abu Simbel + Red Sea arc, both ground-only, twin share. Solo and luxury supplements apply. Eclipse-specific demand for Luxor hotel and ship space will push prices above a normal August week – finite cabins, global demand.
Monday, August 2, 2027. The Egypt your ancestors planned trips around.