Totality runs down the Nile valley from Minya to Daraw, and Luxor is inside it for 6 minutes 22 seconds. Aswan, Abu Simbel, Hurghada, Giza and Cairo are outside: they get a deep partial eclipse (99.8% at Aswan, 92% at Abu Simbel) but the Sun never goes fully dark.
No. The Aswan Corniche lies about 15 km south of the southern limit. The eclipse peaks there at 13:08 local time with 99.8% of the Sun covered, which is the deepest partial you can get without totality, and the sky does not go dark. There is no diamond ring and no corona. Philae (99.7%) and the High Dam (99.6%) are in the same position.
Many articles still say otherwise, so check the source before you book a hotel on the strength of a sentence like "the path crosses Luxor and Aswan". It crosses Luxor. For Aswan it comes within a short drive and stops.
The path is about 258 km wide. Along the Nile it covers roughly 420 km, from Minya in the north to Daraw in the south. Beni Suef and Fayoum sit just outside to the north, at 98.2% and 97.9%.
Times are Egypt local time (UTC+3 in August) with UTC beside them, so the table stays right even if a clock rule changes. The margin is the distance to the nearest edge of the path: the smaller it is, the faster the duration changes with every kilometre.
| Place | Totality begins (local · UTC) | Lasts | Margin to the edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siwa Oasis | 12:42 · 09:42 | 5 min 29 s | 65 km |
| Bahariya | 12:50 · 09:50 | 6 min 17 s | 109 km |
| Minya | 12:55 · 09:55 | 4 min 07 s | 31 km |
| Asyut | 12:56 · 09:56 | 6 min 07 s | 93 km |
| Sohag | 12:58 · 09:58 | 6 min 22 s | 121 km |
| Abydos | 12:59 · 09:59 | 6 min 21 s | 116 km |
| Dendera | 13:01 · 10:01 | 6 min 14 s | 102 km |
| Qena | 13:01 · 10:01 | 6 min 11 s | 98 km |
| Luxor (Luxor Temple, Karnak, Valley of the Kings) | 13:02 · 10:02 | 6 min 21 s | 114 km |
| Esna | 13:02 · 10:02 | 5 min 45 s | 73 km |
| Edfu | 13:04 · 10:04 | 5 min 31 s | 63 km |
| Kom Ombo | 13:06 · 10:06 | 3 min 24 s | 20 km (very tight) |
| Daraw | 13:06 · 10:06 | 2 min 39 s | 11 km (very tight) |
| El Quseir | 13:06 · 10:06 | 2 min 28 s | 10 km (very tight) |
| Marsa Alam | 13:08 · 10:08 | 5 min 30 s | 65 km |
Our own computation from NASA's Besselian elements, at sea level and without a lunar-limb correction. Published tables give 6:22 for Luxor and differ by a few seconds elsewhere. Sources: NASA path table and Besselian elements.
Two practical readings. First, totality begins within about a minute of the same clock time from Dendera to Luxor, so one schedule works for the whole area. Second, Kom Ombo, Daraw and El Quseir are inside but so near the edge that their duration moves by several seconds per kilometre. They are real totality sites, and they are not where we would stand a group.
A figure like 99.8% sounds like a total eclipse and is not one. Eclipse glasses stay on for the whole event at all of these places.
| Place | Maximum obscuration of the Sun | Distance to totality |
|---|---|---|
| Aswan (Corniche) | 99.82% | about 15 km outside the edge |
| Philae | 99.69% | about 21 km outside the edge |
| Aswan High Dam | 99.58% | about 27 km outside the edge |
| Abu Simbel and Lake Nasser | 92.00% | about 249 km outside the edge |
| Safaga | 99.61% | about 25 km outside the edge |
| Hurghada | 98.54% | about 65 km outside the edge |
| Sharm el Sheikh | 95.55% | about 154 km outside the edge |
| Kharga | 99.51% | about 29 km outside the edge |
| Beni Suef | 98.19% | about 76 km outside the edge |
| Giza (the Pyramids) | 95.23% | about 163 km outside the edge |
| Cairo (centre) | 94.81% | about 174 km outside the edge |
| Alexandria | 93.35% | about 213 km outside the edge |
Same method. Hurghada shows 98.5% in our computation and 99% in another calculator; either way it is outside totality.
Pick Luxor. Totality there runs from 13:02 to 13:08 with the Sun about 82 degrees up, and the hotels, guides, temples and the airport are all in one place. If you already hold a Nile cruise that includes Aswan, check where the ship will be on 2 August. It should be in Luxor or north of it, or at Edfu, which gets 5 min 31 s.
Hardly, for the length of totality. The central line passes about 15 km from Luxor Temple and Karnak, and the duration falls off the way a chord does in a circle: almost nothing near the middle and a lot near the edges. Luxor, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, the West Bank and the Nile moorings are all within 5 seconds of each other. Driving 25 km into the Eastern Desert gains only 2 or 3 seconds.
So the spot is worth choosing for what does change the day: real shade, restrooms, cold water, an exit that is not gridlocked and a hotel nearby. With the Sun almost overhead, temple walls and columns give very little shade, and the average August high in Luxor is around 41 C.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities formed an eclipse committee in May 2026, and it held its first meeting on 1 September 2026. It is studying viewing sites, opening hours and transport. As of 31 October 2026 it has published no designated viewing sites, visitor caps or special opening hours, and we do not promise any particular monument. The report is on Ahram Online. We will update this page when official details appear.
These have the longest totality on Earth, up to 6 min 23 s in the desert between them, but little tourism infrastructure. They suit astronomers with their own equipment.
5 min 29 s at Siwa and 6 min 17 s at Bahariya, under very dry skies. Reaching them takes a long trip across the Western Desert, best done with a licensed operator. See Siwa Oasis.
5 min 30 s on the Red Sea coast, with beach hotels. A fair choice if you are already staying there; it is not something we build programs around. More on Marsa Alam.
Our programs are in Luxor because it is the longest totality that a traveler can reach with proper hotels, guides, airport and temples in the same city. The itinerary and the price are on the 4-night Luxor eclipse trip and the 3-night version. For the science, eye safety and weather, read the main guide: the total solar eclipse in Egypt.
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