More than 90% of the Luxor accommodations listed on Booking.com for the August 2027 eclipse dates were already unavailable this summer, CNN reported, and many of the rooms still open were priced at more than $2,695 for a single night. Demand centers on the afternoon of Monday, August 2, 2027, when the moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun. Its shadow will cross southern Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Sudan before reaching Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia, with the longest darkness falling over Upper Egypt.
Calculations published by Fred Espenak, the retired NASA astrophysicist behind the EclipseWise tables, put the maximum at 6 minutes and 23 seconds near Luxor, and the city itself will get 6 minutes and 22 seconds. According to Egypt’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, travelers will have to wait until 2114 to witness a longer total solar eclipse from land. The date falls in Luxor’s quiet season for international visitors and in the middle of Egypt’s busy summer travel period for domestic and Gulf tourists.
Why Luxor Sits At The Center Of The 2027 Total Solar Eclipse
Figures from Egypt’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics put the start of totality in Luxor at about 1:02 p.m. local time, when the sun will stand roughly 82 degrees above the horizon. Anyone watching from a hotel rooftop or a temple courtyard will be looking almost straight up. Jay Anderson, the meteorologist who runs the eclipse climate site Eclipsophile, writes that parts of the 2027 path across North Africa come very close to guaranteeing clear skies.
Roger Davies, an astrophysics professor at the University of Oxford who will accompany a tour group in Luxor, told CNN that the length of totality changes the experience for viewers. “Six minutes and 23 seconds is a very long time,” he said, adding that observers’ eyes will have time to adjust to the dark and pick out objects that shorter eclipses hide. The overhead sun comes with heat, as timeanddate puts Luxor’s average August high at about 106 degrees Fahrenheit. With the partial phases running from around 11:40 a.m. to 2:26 p.m., a full viewing means nearly three hours outdoors during the hottest part of the day.
How Egypt Is Preparing For Eclipse Tourism In Luxor And Siwa
Since May, a committee formed by Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, has been organizing the country’s response, and Fathy chaired its first meeting on September 1, as Ahram Online detailed. Fathy described the eclipse as “an important opportunity to promote the Egyptian destination.”
The committee plans to work with Egypt’s Meteorological Authority on exact eclipse timings for each governorate. It will also work with the Ministry of Local Development to establish public viewing sites with restrooms and cafeterias. Officials also discussed adding domestic flights and adjusting opening hours at Luxor’s museums and archaeological sites to match eclipse visitors’ schedules.
With nearly 19 million tourists arriving in 2025, a 21% increase over the previous year in figures published by Egypt’s State Information Service, the country is preparing for eclipse crowds on top of record traffic. Access to Karnak Temple on eclipse day could be limited as the ministry works to manage crowds. Travelers who plan to watch totality among its columns should hold that plan loosely.
How To Plan A Trip To Egypt For The 2027 Eclipse
Americans looking for an organized trip can book Wilderness Travel’s 11-day Luxor eclipse program starting at $16,795, featuring presentations by UC Berkeley astrophysicist Alex Filippenko. Sirius Travel has moved its Cairo and Luxor packages to a waitlist.
Entry requires a visa, and the State Department currently lists a $30 cash tourist visa on arrival at most entry points and a $36 credit-card option at Cairo International Airport. However, the American University in Cairo reports that Egypt will increase its QR-code entry visa fee to $39 on January 1, 2027.
Flying into Cairo puts travelers outside the path, since the capital will see only a partial eclipse. NASA says glasses meeting the ISO 12312-2 standard must stay on whenever someone looks at the sun outside totality. Nile cruise passengers should check where their ship will be docked on August 2, because Aswan gets no totality at all, while Edfu, between Aswan and Luxor, gets about 5 minutes and 33 seconds. Siwa, the oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert, will see about 5 minutes and 31 seconds. The State Department advises against travel in the Western Desert unless visitors go with a professionally licensed tour company.
For travelers who would rather watch from a rooftop on Luxor’s West Bank, InLuxor offers four-night packages at the Habu Hotel, beside Medinet Habu temple, and at Villa Kamose. They cost $10,000 per room for one or two guests and include rooftop viewing, meals, and guided sightseeing. Payment is due by bank transfer on the invoice date or the following day, and confirmed reservations are nonrefundable.
