On Monday 2 August 2027 the Moon covers the Sun completely over Luxor for six minutes and twenty-two seconds, the longest totality anywhere on easily reached land until 2114. This Hatshepsut Temple 2027 solar eclipse tour watches it from the west bank, in the bay of cliffs at Deir el-Bahari where her temple climbs the rock in three terraces.
The setting is the reason to choose this site. Hatshepsut began as regent for Thutmose III and went on to rule as a crowned king in full pharaonic regalia, with his regnal years still running alongside hers. Her temple, Djeser-Djeseru, the “Holy of Holies”, was laid out by her steward Senenmut to face the rising sun across the river towards Karnak. On its upper terrace is an open-air court with an altar to Ra-Horakhty, the sun at the horizon, built so that offerings could be made under the open sky.
You will have stood at that altar in the morning. Then, at two minutes past one in the afternoon, the sun goes out above it.
The day starts early, before the heat. You spend close to two hours in the temple with a qualified Egyptologist while the light is low: the Punt reliefs, the divine birth scenes, the chapels of Hathor and Anubis, and the upper terrace. Then comes a break at the cafeteria and a briefing on how to watch safely. By eleven you are in position, and you do not move again until it is over.
Three honest warnings. Deir el-Bahari is a bowl of pale limestone with no trees, and Luxor on 2 August will pass 40°C. We do not provide seating or shade at the viewing area, so you watch standing or sitting on the ground, under your own hat. And we do not hand out water inside the site: cold bottled water is on the vehicle, and the cafeteria sells drinks. Book this tour knowing all three.
This is a day tour only. Accommodation and domestic flights are not included.
Small group, maximum 25 people. Eclipse day is not available as a private tour.
Totality lasts 6 minutes 22 seconds inside an event lasting 2 hours 50 minutes. It is over faster than you expect.
2 August 2027. All times local (EEST, UTC+3).
| Date | Monday 2 August 2027 |
|---|---|
| First contact (partial eclipse begins) | 11:40 |
| Totality begins (second contact) | 13:02:14 |
| Maximum eclipse | 13:05:26, Sun 82° above the horizon |
| Totality ends (third contact) | 13:08:36 |
| Duration of totality | 6 minutes 22 seconds |
| Last contact (eclipse ends) | approximately 14:30 |
| Total event duration | 2 hours 50 minutes |
| Local time zone | EEST, UTC+3 |
| Viewing site | Temple of Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahari, Luxor west bank |
| Tour duration | 8½ hours west bank, 9½ hours east bank |
| Group size | Maximum 25. Small group only, not available privately on eclipse day |
East bank guests go first. The bridge crossing sits some seven kilometres south of the centre and adds the better part of an hour to the run out to the west bank. Your guide travels with the vehicle and checks the group in at each stop. Cold bottled water is on board from the moment you get in, and stays on board all day.
Take breakfast at your hotel before you are collected. The tour does not stop for a meal.
Collection from west bank hotels and guesthouses, which sit much closer to the temple.
Vehicles meet at the visitor centre. Tickets are already held by your guide, so there is no queue at the ticket office.
Close to two hours with your Egyptologist, in the coolest air and the best light you will get today. You climb the ramps terrace by terrace. On the middle terrace your guide reads the Punt colonnade, the record of the trading expedition Hatshepsut sent down the Red Sea, and the birth colonnade, where she is shown as the daughter of Amun himself. On either side stand the chapels of Hathor and Anubis, with some of the best-preserved colour on the west bank.
On the upper terrace you pass the colossal statues of Hatshepsut in the form of Osiris and reach the sanctuary of Amun cut into the cliff. Beside it is the open sun court with its altar to Ra-Horakhty, which is the part of the temple that makes today’s timing more than a convenience.
Out of the sun. The cafeteria at the visitor centre sells cold drinks, tea, coffee and light snacks, which you buy for yourself. We do not provide water or other drinks inside the site, so bring some money. Cold bottled water stays on our vehicle throughout the day. From this point the day stops being about sightseeing and becomes about staying cool and hydrated.
Forty-five minutes at the cafeteria. Your guide covers two things.
Safety first: how to use certified glasses, the exact moments they come off and go back on, and the rule that they are never used with a camera, binoculars or a telescope. Glasses are checked individually for scratches and tears.
Then context: what the sun court you stood in this morning was for, and what the priests of Amun would have made of the sun failing at midday.
We move to our viewing position in front of the temple. There is no seating and no shade cover there. You stand, or sit on the ground, and your hat is your shade. This is the last movement of the day. There is no returning to your hotel in between, and you should expect the west bank roads to be closed or gridlocked from late morning.
A question people ask about this site: no, the cliffs do not get in the way. At maximum the Sun sits 82 degrees above the horizon, almost directly overhead, so the rock wall behind the temple is irrelevant to the view. You will be looking very nearly straight up.
The Moon touches the Sun’s edge. Glasses on, and they stay on. Over the next eighty minutes the crescent narrows.
In the final fifteen minutes the change accelerates. Colours flatten, shadows sharpen to knife edges, and the temperature drops noticeably, which is a real relief here. Watch the pale limestone of the forecourt for shadow bands in the last seconds, faint ripples of light racing across the ground.
Baily’s beads, then the diamond ring, then the corona. Glasses off. For six minutes and twenty-two seconds you look at it directly, with your own eyes, and you should. The horizon turns sunset-coloured in every direction at once. Venus and Mercury come out at one in the afternoon, and the terraces and the cliff above them go the colour of old bone.
The Sun sits 82 degrees up, almost overhead. It is not a comfortable angle to hold for six minutes. Nothing stands between you and the sky.
The diamond ring returns on the opposite limb. Glasses back on immediately, at the first spark of light. This is the moment eye injuries happen at eclipses, because people keep looking a few seconds too long.
The hard part is over and the heat is at its worst. You can walk back to the cafeteria for a cold drink at your own expense, and there is cold water waiting on the vehicle.
Last contact, approximately. Normal daylight, and by now above 40°C. Final group photographs.
Allow extra time on the road. Every tour on the west bank will be leaving inside the same half hour.
West bank hotels first, since they are closest.
Back across the bridge to Corniche hotels and cruise-ship moorings. Roughly nine and a half hours door to door for east bank guests, eight and a half for west bank.
All prices are in USD per person. This is a day tour, so there is no room type and no single supplement. The price varies only by how many people book together. Payment is online through a secure gateway with no surcharge. We accept USD, Euros, GBP, CAD, AUD and NZD.
We do not provide seating or shade at the viewing area. You watch standing or sitting on the ground in the open. Bring a brimmed hat and anything light you want to sit on.
Cold bottled water is carried on the vehicle throughout the day and is included. We do not provide water or other drinks inside the site. The cafeteria sells cold drinks, tea, coffee and light snacks, which guests buy for themselves, so bring some cash. No meal is included and the tour does not stop for one. Eat breakfast before you are collected.
This is a day tour from Luxor. Accommodation is not included, and neither are domestic or international flights. Book your Luxor hotel and your travel to Luxor separately and early.
Tipping is not included in our tour packages and is left entirely to your discretion. While it is not mandatory, it is greatly appreciated by the people who assist you during your journey.
A deposit of 50% secures your booking. The remaining 50% falls due in March 2027. All payments are by card through secure payment links.
Eclipse day operates on its own cancellation ladder, because positions, permits and vehicles are committed far in advance and cannot be resold late.
We do not provide travel insurance and we recommend arranging it before you travel.
