Overview
Tour Description
Ten days built around one of the great sky events of the century: the total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027, seen from Luxor. Around it you have three days in Cairo and five nights on a luxury dahabiya, so you watch the eclipse from the heart of ancient Thebes and then sail slowly south to Aswan while the experience sinks in.
The eclipse
Luxor lies near the center line of the eclipse path, where the Sun is completely hidden for about six minutes and twenty seconds, around 1:00 PM local time. No total eclipse visible from land will last longer until 2114. August skies over Luxor are almost always clear, which is why astronomers and eclipse chasers from around the world are heading there.
Highlights
- The Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum
- The Citadel, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili
- 5 nights on a luxury dahabiya from Luxor to Aswan
- Totality over Luxor on 2 August 2027
- The Valley of the Kings, including Tutankhamun’s tomb, and Hatshepsut Temple
- Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, a felucca sail and a Nubian village
Itinerary
Day 1 (29 July 2027): Arrive in Cairo
Our representative meets you at Cairo International Airport and drives you to your 5-star hotel in a private air-conditioned car. The rest of the day is free.
Overnight: 5-star hotel, Cairo.
Day 2 (30 July): Giza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum
After breakfast your Egyptologist takes you to the Giza Plateau for the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, the Valley Temple and the Great Sphinx. You then visit the Grand Egyptian Museum, the largest archaeological museum in the world, with the full treasure of Tutankhamun.
Meals: Breakfast. Overnight: 5-star hotel, Cairo.
Day 3 (31 July): The Citadel, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili
You start at the Citadel of Salah el-Din and the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali, whose domes and minarets dominate the Cairo skyline. Then you visit Coptic Cairo: the Church of St Sergius, believed to stand where the Holy Family rested, and the Hanging Church above the Roman fortress of Babylon. The day ends in the lanes of Khan el-Khalili, with time to shop for handmade crafts.
Meals: Breakfast. Overnight: 5-star hotel, Cairo.
Day 4 (1 August): Fly to Luxor, board the dahabiya, Karnak and Luxor Temple
A morning flight takes you to Luxor, where you board your luxury dahabiya for the next five nights. Your private Egyptologist takes you to Karnak, built and enlarged over 2,000 years, and in the evening to Luxor Temple, built by Amenhotep III and Ramses II and beautifully lit after dark.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: dahabiya, Luxor.
Day 5 (2 August): The total solar eclipse
A slow breakfast, then you head to your viewing spot near Luxor. Over the next couple of hours the Moon gradually covers the Sun, until the sky darkens and totality begins, lasting about six minutes and twenty seconds. Wear light, breathable clothes and use your solar viewing glasses during the partial phases. Afterwards you return to the dahabiya to relax and share the moment.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: dahabiya, Luxor.
Day 6 (3 August): Luxor West Bank and Edfu
You cross to the West Bank to see the Colossi of Memnon, the Valley of the Kings, where your visit includes the tomb of Tutankhamun, and the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. Back on board, the dahabiya sails to Edfu, where you visit the Temple of Horus, with its towering pylon and detailed reliefs.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: dahabiya.
Day 7 (4 August): Kom Ombo
You visit Kom Ombo, the double temple of Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus, built with two identical halves side by side. The rest of the day is spent sailing towards Aswan, watching the riverbanks go by.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: dahabiya.
Day 8 (5 August): Aswan: High Dam, Philae, felucca and Nubian village
In Aswan you visit the High Dam that created Lake Nasser, and Philae Temple, the temple of Isis on Agilkia Island. In the afternoon a traditional felucca sails you around Elephantine Island, and at sunset you visit a Nubian village for tea, strong Nubian coffee and perhaps a henna session in a brightly painted home.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: dahabiya, Aswan.
Day 9 (6 August): Optional Abu Simbel, fly to Cairo
After breakfast you leave the dahabiya. If you choose, you can first visit Abu Simbel (optional, $1,300 per person). You then fly from Aswan to Cairo for your last night.
Meals: Breakfast. Overnight: 5-star hotel, Cairo.
Day 10 (7 August): Fly home
After breakfast we drive you to Cairo International Airport for your flight home.
Meals: Breakfast.
Included and Excluded
- Meet and assist at all airports
- 4 nights in a 5-star hotel in Cairo with breakfast
- 5 nights on a luxury dahabiya, full board
- Domestic flights Cairo to Luxor and Aswan to Cairo
- Eclipse viewing near Luxor on 2 August 2027
- Private English-speaking Egyptologist guide
- Entrance fees to all sites in the itinerary
- All transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle
- All service charges and taxes
- International flights and Egypt entry visa
- Abu Simbel (optional)
- Drinks on board
- Tips for guides, drivers and crew
- Personal expenses
Prices:
What will it cost you?
Prices per person change with the season and how many of you travel. Set yours and see the real number — no email needed.
Per Person
Per Person
Note:
Price quotes are available until April 30th, 2027, and are expressed in US dollars per person per trip. Please ask about prices during the holidays of Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter.
To secure the desired vacation, reservations should be made as soon as feasible. A 25% deposit of the total cost will guarantee a spot on a certain tour. During the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, this payment will be 50% for packages that include flying.
Your final payment includes this deposit. Deposits can be paid using a credit card (Visa or MasterCard), delivered via Western Union, or made by bank wire transfer. After making a reservation, payment must be paid within seven days.
Tour Attractions
FAQs
How much does the 10-day eclipse tour cost?
$16,500 per person for two or more travelers sharing, and $23,000 for a solo traveler. It includes 4 hotel nights in Cairo, 5 nights on a luxury dahabiya with full board, domestic flights, a private Egyptologist and entrance fees.
Why watch the 2027 eclipse from a dahabiya?
You are already in Luxor on eclipse day with no early flight to catch, and the small boat gives you a calm, private base before and after the event. It is a much more relaxed way to experience the day than a large group trip.
What are the exact dates of this tour?
Arrival in Cairo on 29 July 2027 and departure on 7 August 2027, with the eclipse on day 5, Monday 2 August.
Do I need special glasses?
Yes, during the partial phases. Look at the Sun only through certified solar viewing glasses (ISO 12312-2). During the few minutes of totality, and only then, it is safe to look directly.
When is the 2027 eclipse?
On 2 August 2027, with about six and a quarter minutes of totality in Luxor.
