Ancient Egyptian temples will inevitably dominate the story of the total solar eclipse on Aug. 2, 2027. Luxor, home to Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and some of the most famous monuments of the ancient world, will experience more than six minutes of totality and will attract eclipse chasers from around the world. Southern Spain, particularly the coast around Tarifa and Málaga, is also expected to be busy.
But the path of totality is vast. It will stretch 9,462 miles (15,227 km) across Earth and reach about 160 miles (260 km) wide. After crossing southern Spain, the moon’s shadow will race east across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt before crossing the Red Sea into Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and continuing across Somalia and into the Indian Ocean.
Along the way are mountain towns, desert oases, Mediterranean islands and historic cities where eclipse chasers can experience anything from a few minutes to more than six minutes of totality. Here are 10 less obvious places than Luxor, Egypt, to consider for the total solar eclipse on Aug. 2, 2027. All times, totality durations and historical cloud cover data come from Time and Date.
1. Vejer de la Frontera, Spain
Location: Costa de la Luz, Andalucía, Spain
Start of totality and duration: 10:45 a.m. CEST; 4 minutes, 4 seconds
Historical August cloud cover: 9%
Thousands will watch the eclipse from Spanish beaches, but inland are some of Andalucía’s gems. Vejer de la Frontera is one of its classic pueblos blancos — “white towns” — a maze of whitewashed houses and narrow streets occupying a hilltop a few miles inland from the Costa de la Luz. Elevated viewpoints across the surrounding countryside could make this an intriguing alternative to watching from the crowded coastline.
2. Medina-Sidonia, Spain
Location: Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain
Start of totality and duration: 10:45 a.m. CEST; 3 minutes, 40 seconds
Historical August cloud cover: 7%
Perched high above the Cádiz countryside, Medina-Sidonia offers something the eclipse beaches cannot: elevation. One of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited settlements, its historic center contains whitewashed streets, churches and the remains of a hilltop castle, with expansive views toward the surrounding plains. Totality lasts over three and a half minutes.
3. Arcos de la Frontera, Spain
Location: Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain
Start of totality and duration: approximately 10:46 a.m. CEST; 1 minute, 17 seconds
Historical August cloud cover: 9%
You’ll sacrifice almost all of Spain’s potential totality by heading to another of Spain’s classic pueblos blancos, but what a setting. The old town of Arcos de la Frontera occupies a dramatic limestone ridge above the Guadalete River, its buildings seemingly piled along the cliff edge. Arcos sits very close to the northern limit of the path, which some eclipse chasers seek out specifically for a longer display of Baily’s beads. For an eclipse chaser who values that, scenery over duration, or relative quiet, this geographical knife-edge could be appealing.
4. Asilah, Morocco
Location: Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma, Morocco
Start of totality and duration: 8:44 a.m. GMT; 4 minutes, 45 seconds
Historical August cloud cover: 38%
Asilah offers an enticing combination of long totality and Atlantic scenery. The compact coastal town is known for its whitewashed medina, brightly painted murals and imposing Portuguese-era ramparts overlooking the ocean. It’s just south of the centerline of the path of totality, so it gets close to the best eclipse durations available in Morocco. Its walls, towers, beach and ocean could all provide enticing foregrounds for eclipse photography.
5. Chefchaouen Kasbah, Morocco
Location: Rif Mountains, Morocco
Start of totality and duration: 8:45 a.m. GMT; about 4 minutes, 13 seconds
Historical August cloud cover: 5%
Surely one of the most photogenic surprises anywhere on the eclipse track, Chefchaouen is Morocco’s famous “Blue City,” its old medina filled with buildings painted in shades of blue beneath the rugged Rif Mountains. It also gets a substantial eclipse of roughly four and a quarter minutes, with the sun about 39 degrees high. An elevated viewpoint that captures the medina, the mountains, and the eclipsed sun could produce an extraordinary photograph.
6. Al Hoceïma, Morocco
Location: Rif, northern Morocco
Start of totality and duration: 8:47 a.m. local time; 4 minutes, 25 seconds
Historical August cloud cover: 46%
For a wilder Moroccan eclipse, look east along the Mediterranean to Al Hoceïma. The city sits amid the rugged Rif Mountains, where cliffs and steep hills descend toward beaches and intensely blue Mediterranean water. With its beach resorts, you’ll also find plenty of accommodation. It gets a long totality and the dramatic coastal landscape is attractive, though historical cloud cover is less favorable.
7. Oran, Algeria
Location: Oran Province, Algeria
Start of totality and duration: 9:51 a.m. CET; 5 minutes, 9 seconds
Historical August cloud cover: 31%
Algeria’s second-largest city could be one of the more practical ways to experience the eclipse in the country. Oran overlooks the Mediterranean and is backed by hills crowned by the Fort of Santa Cruz, offering different kinds of eclipse experiences. More importantly, it’s on the centerline and gets more than five minutes of totality.
8. Houmt Souk, Tunisia
Location: Djerba Island, Tunisia
Start of totality and duration: 10:09 a.m. CET; 4 minutes, 42 seconds
Historical August cloud cover: 21%
Djerba — the largest island in North Africa — offers an appealing alternative to the archaeological sites and desert landscapes elsewhere in Tunisia. Known as the “Island of Dreams” for its 300 days of annual sunshine, its main town, Houmt Souk, is known for whitewashed architecture, markets and a historic fortress. The surrounding island brings palm trees, beaches and Mediterranean horizons.
9. Bahariya Oasis, Egypt
Location: Western Desert, Egypt
Start of totality and duration: 12:50 p.m. EEST; 6 minutes, 21 seconds
Historical August cloud cover: 0%
For maximum totality without Luxor’s expected crowds, Bahariya Oasis deserves serious attention. Centered on the town of Bawiti, this remote depression in Egypt’s Western Desert is surrounded by barren hills, date palms, hot springs and sweeping desert landscapes. It also lies remarkably close to the eclipse centreline, delivering 6 minutes 19 seconds of totality beneath almost dependably clear August skies. Nearby desert viewpoints could provide enormous horizons — although the eclipsed sun will be 79 degrees high.
10. Ta’if region, Saudi Arabia
Location: Hejaz Mountains, Saudi Arabia
Start of totality and duration: approximately 1:26 p.m. AST; 3 minutes, 54 seconds
Historical August cloud cover: 7%
Most attention in Saudi Arabia will inevitably focus on Jeddah and Mecca, but the Ta’if region offers something completely different. Sitting around 5,580 feet (1,700 meters) above sea level in the mountains east of Mecca, it is known for its cooler highland climate, dramatic escarpments and surrounding peaks. Duration varies substantially across the area because Ta’if lies toward the edge of the eclipse path, so eclipse chasers will need to choose their precise observing location carefully.