The Sun Reborn: Fifteen Days Along the Nile, and Six Minutes of Darkness at Abydos
How this journey began
Not a trip to the eclipse, but a trip built around the eclipse, following the Nile through thousands of years of Egyptian history and arriving, on 2 August 2027, at one of the most sacred places of the ancient world just as the sun goes dark.
We want to tell you a little about this journey, why we love it, and what it will actually be like to travel with us in August.
Why Abydos?
Most people heading to Egypt for the eclipse 2027 will end up in Luxor. It is a wonderful city, but on eclipse day it will be very crowded. We wanted something different for our guests.
Abydos lies directly on the line of totality, and it is the place where the ancient Egyptians honoured Osiris, the god who died and was reborn. They had their own stories about the sun disappearing and returning, and it feels quite remarkable to experience exactly that in the place where those stories were told. We will be within the temple area itself, with very few other people around.
Totality will last just over six minutes, beginning at around 12:59 local time. The whole eclipse, from the first bite out of the sun to the last, takes more than two and a half hours.
And afterwards, Steffen will take you through the Temple of Abydos, which is a wonderful way to come back down to earth.
Steffen, and why he matters so much
We have worked with Steffen for years, on science trips and on several of our sailing expeditions, and we have always been impressed by how he sees the world. He studied Egyptology, Sudan archaeology, mathematics and computer science, which is an unusual combination, and you notice it. He can explain an inscription on a temple wall and, in the next breath, the geometry of a pyramid or the mechanics of an eclipse.
He has also worked as an archaeologist on desert excavations, so the landscapes we travel through are not just scenery to him. He knows how people lived there, and why sites were placed exactly where they are.
What touched us most: before we put this journey online, Steffen travelled the whole route himself. Every site, every road, every stop. He will be with the group from the first day to the last, and he is still refining the route wherever he sees a chance to make it richer. This is very much his journey, and you can feel it in every day of the itinerary.
What the fifteen days look like
We start in Cairo on 25 July, with the Pyramids of Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum. From there we go deeper than most tours ever do: Abusir, Saqqara and Memphis, then Dahshur, Lisht, Meidum and the Fayum. It is a bit like watching the Egyptians learn to build pyramids, including the attempts that went wrong.
Then comes the part of the journey we are perhaps most excited about: Middle Egypt. Beni Hasan, Hermopolis, Tuna el-Gebel, Antinoupolis and finally Amarna, the city of Akhenaten, the pharaoh who worshipped the sun disk above all other gods. Very few travellers ever see these places, and on the way to a solar eclipse, Amarna feels almost meant to be.
After eclipse day, we continue to Dendera, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae and Aswan, and finish with two days in Luxor on both banks of the Nile before departure on 8 August.
Travelling in August: what you can expect
We know that “Egypt in August” makes some people a little nervous, so let us be very practical here.
At the eclipse site, there will be shade and proper facilities, including toilets. You will not be standing in the open sun for hours. We plan the morning so that the group arrives in good time and can settle in calmly before the partial phase begins.
All our transport is in air-conditioned vehicles, and every hotel on this route has air conditioning. We have chosen the hotels carefully, among them Sam’s Story, Sobek Lodge, MG Nefertiti, Miskaa Nubian House, Villa Nilehouse.
Most sightseeing takes place in the early morning, when it is still pleasant, so the hottest hours of the day can be spent resting, travelling in comfort, or enjoying the hotel. Water is always on board, and medical help is never far away.
Before you travel, you will receive a packing list from us, and if you have any worries at all, we are happy to talk them through with you in a personal online call.
We will be sharing more detailed practical information close to your departure date.
About the price
This is something we really want to say openly. There are companies in Egypt asking enormous prices for eclipse trips that offer surprisingly little. We have been organising journeys since 1996, and that has never been our way.
For fifteen days with Steffen, all transport within Egypt, hotels with breakfast, the full programme and the eclipse at Abydos, the price starts at €4,470 per person. International and domestic flights are not included, but we are glad to help you with a flight offer.
The group is small, with a maximum of 16 people and with a guaranteed departure no matter how many participants we have. For us, that is the only way a journey like this really works: time for questions, time to linger, time to get to know each other.
A few questions we are often asked
Can I join this journey on my own? Absolutely. Many of our guests travel alone, and in a small group like this you will not stay a stranger for long. Shared dinners, long conversations with Steffen at the temples, and of course six minutes of totality together have a way of bringing people close. If you have questions about room options, just get in touch with us.
Do I need to bring eclipse glasses? No, we take care of that. Every guest receives proper eclipse glasses from us for the partial phases. During totality itself, you can take them off and look at the darkened sun with your own eyes. Steffen will let everyone know exactly when it is safe, and when it is time to put them back on.
Isn’t it far too hot in Egypt in August? Yes, it is hot, we will not pretend otherwise. But we have planned the whole journey around it. Sightseeing happens mostly in the early morning, the vehicles and all hotels are air-conditioned, water is always on board, and the eclipse site at Abydos offers shade and facilities. The upside of August: the skies are very reliably clear, which is exactly what you want on eclipse day.
How big is the group? There are a maximum of 16 places. Small enough for everyone to have real time with Steffen, and for us to stay flexible on the road.
Are flights included? International and domestic flights are not part of the price, but we are happy to help. Just fill in the flight request form on our website and we will send you an offer.
What if I am still unsure whether this trip is right for me? Then let’s talk. We are happy to arrange a personal conversation, online or by phone, and answer all your questions honestly, including whether a different one of our eclipse journeys might suit you better.
Come with us
If you are someone who wants to understand the eclipse, not just see it, we think you will love this journey.
And if you would like to talk about it first, just write to us at service@dabuka.de. We are always happy to hear from you.
Tarek (german-egyptian general manager)
Dorothee (german managing partner)
And the whole team of Dabuka - a fully licenced travel agency in Cairo.
