Total solar eclipse, 2 August 2027

The one to plan for. The shadow crosses North Africa and the Middle East, and the trip is affordable if you choose the right rung.

Where to go

Saudi Arabia

The shadow crosses the Hijaz in the early afternoon, and Mecca is inside it. Medina is not.

• Mecca — Totality over the holiest city in Islam, in the gap between two Hajj seasons.

Egypt

The Red Sea coast is the cheapest place on earth to sleep inside this path, and Luxor is the cautionary tale.

• Marsa Alam — Sleep inside the path, move nowhere on the day. The entry rung.
• Luxor — The longest totality in Egypt, and the price wall in front of it. A warning, not a recommendation.

Before you pick a place

The destination matters less than the rung you choose. Read the cost scale first: it is the same eclipse from every one of these places, and what changes is how much you pay and how much can go wrong on the morning.