Eclipse Watching From Siwa Oasis
Salt lakes. Dunes. Five and a half minutes of night at noon.
Siwa Eclipse Week
The details
Siwa sits inside the path of totality.
The shadow enters Egypt here first.
Darkness lasts about 5 minutes 30 seconds.
Maximum at 12:45. Sun 76° up.
Luxor gets 48 seconds more. And the crowds.
Itinerary
- Day 1 — Land in Cairo. Night in Cairo.
- Day 2 — Road west. Arrive Siwa.
- Day 3 — Shali Fortress. Salt lakes. Spring at sunset.
- Day 4 — Eclipse day. Totality at 12:45.
- Day 5 — Great Sand Sea. Dunes and camp.
- Day 6 — Road back. Night in Cairo.
- Day 7 — Fly home. Or fly to the Red Sea.
Built around your group and dates.
What’s included
- All ground transport, Cairo to Siwa and back
- Accommodation for the full programme
- Daily breakfast and dinner
- English-speaking guide
- Desert permits, handled by Boreas
- ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses
Not included
- Flights and visa
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and drinks
- Tips
Getting there
Fly into Cairo. Everyone does.
Siwa is 750 km west. Road only.
Expect army checkpoints. Passport ready.
No permit needed for Siwa itself.
What to bring
- Hat and high-factor sunscreen
- Solar filter for your camera
- Cash. Cards rarely work here
- Modest clothing for the town
- Swimwear for the springs
Why Siwa.
No city light for hundreds of km.
Luxor expects record numbers.
Blue pools. Hot springs. Free entry.
Shali Fortress. Temple of the Oracle.
The Salt Lakes.
Salt water holds you up. You float without trying.
Nobody Else Out Here.
Luxor will be full. Siwa will not.
Shali and the Old Town.
Mud-brick walls, built from salt and sand. Still standing.
The Light Here.
Sleeping in the Sand Sea.
One night out in the dunes. No light, no noise.
What Totality Looks Like.
The corona appears only when the Sun goes fully dark.
Also On the Path.
The same eclipse crosses the Red Sea. You can watch it from the water.
Two departures. Cabins and prices.
See prices →Totality times. Sea, Nile and desert.
Read more →Sunglasses do not work. Use ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses.
- Glasses on for every partial phase.
- Off only when the Sun is fully covered.
- Back on the moment light returns.
- Cameras need their own solar filter.
Night at Noon, In the Desert.
We answer within 24 hours.