The Solar Eclipse in Egypt on the 2nd August 2027
The Solar Eclipse in Egypt on the 2nd August 2027
If you have time in your diary around the days of August 2nd, 2027, then join us for the – hands down – biggest show on the planet. A solar eclipse.
And it’s not just any old solar eclipse. It will be this century’s longest lasting of more than 6 minutes. Earthlings will have to wait until the year 2114 for a comparable experience.
Our solar eclipse happens at noon and it happens in Egypt. The sun and the moon will already have met in the city of Luxor, further south, a little earlier in the day. And as one can imagine there is already a large demand for their hotel rooms.
However, we have decided to head towards the white desert approximately 250 miles from Cairo. Partly to avoid the tourist crowds, partly because a solar eclipse is almost perfect in a desert with a landscape that looks like the planet Mars. Mars with oxygen.
Several phenomena can be observed simultaneously. We will be standing on a hilltop and just as the moon goes in front of the sun, we will see for a brief moment how fast the earth moves around itself. We will see a shadow across the plateau with a speed of 1000 miles/hour. Twice as fast as an airliner.
And for the next six minutes we are reminded that we are a (very small) part of the universe. For many, it will be an almost spiritual event.
The moon begins to move in front of the sun more than an hour before the latter is fully obscured, and will not leave the sun again for yet another hour. The Egyptian desert in August is very hot, but for two hours it gets surprisingly cold, which will only add to our experience.
Six minutes. There will also be plenty of time to revisit the winter stars, that are usually hidden away by the summer sun.
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The Solar Eclipse in the White Desert
The White Desert is located on the Egyptian side of the Libyan desert and is truly a spectacular landscape, almost surreal. When the undersigned and friends were there (by the way, a few days before the Corona crisis – maybe we should have stayed), we saw several fossils lying around.
Since we are there anyway, we will have a geologist to tell us all about what has happened in the area the last few million years. And for the second time during the day, we are torn away from everyday life.
I believe we will all walk more humbly hereafter, when we realize how insignificant we are on a universal and geological scale.
Our camp is only about 30 miles from the Farafra oasis, the place on the globe where most fata morganas or mirages have been observed. For those who are keen to drive an extra 60 miles on the Monday, before we return to Cairo, there is an opportunity to experience the oasis. We are at the outermost limit of tourism.
Glamping in the Desert
Glamping, or glamorous camping, is probably an exaggeration after all. Still, to create the greatest experience imaginable, we bring our own oasis to the desert. Our mini-buses will not only bring passengers, but tents, mattresses, blankets, food and drinks, even toilets, as well.
We leave Cairo Sunday noon on the 1st of August and will arrive at our camp where we can all settle. This is followed by a nice dinner in the middle of nowhere. (as well as breakfast and lunch the following day).
A night in the desert. Yet another experience beyond ordinary. You could not wish for better climatic conditions for the big show on Monday and no better weather conditions for what we will experience during the night. The Milky Way will show up with absolutely no light pollution around. Therefore, within a day we will see the usual stars of the summer – and as mentioned, ditto for the winter.
When the rendezvous of the moon and the sun is over, we will split into two groups. Those of you who want to go directly back to Cairo city. And those who want to continue with today’s adventure; also previously mentioned; the additional trip to the Farafra oasis.
We arrive at the oasis at approximately 3 pm where we will stay for a few hours before we head back to Cairo for late supper.
The Giza Pyramid Plateau
And of course, when in Cairo, the three unfathomable pyramids in Giza are a must see. The day before our pilgrimage to the desert on the Sunday, and therefore Saturday 31 July 2027, the Egyptologist Arto Belekdanian is at our disposal. Arto is of Egyptian-Armenian origin. He is Dr. Phil. in ‘Oriental Studies in Egyptology’ and graduated from Oxford University. He is omniscient in the pharaonic realms. He works at The Ministry of Antiquity in Cairo.
He has been an editor for National Geographic and has appeared in a number of BBC programs as an expert adviser. On top, he is an extremely pleasant and helpful person. For example, if you get stuck in the middle of deciphering the hieroglyphs, he is ready to help you move on to the next sentence.
We can’t think of a more competent guide who manages to put the era of the pharaohs into perspective. For example, during our previous trip to Cairo, he told us that when Tut-Ank-Amon lived, the Pyramid of Cheops had already existed for more than 1200 years.
Talking about Tut-Ank-Amon…
The Grand Egyptian Museum
The Grand Egyptian Museum or GEM – not far from the three Giza pyramids, as you can see on the picture – is a museum which has been a decade in the making and has blown all budgets.
When finally finished, the building will house all of Tut-Ank-Amon’s treasures. The authorities have chosen to open the museum gradually, with every good chance it will be fully accessible well before the solar eclipse. We have entered the fine-tuning stage.
In any case, we will visit the museum and see what is open to the public at that time, because it is difficult not to be blown away. When the official opening takes place, it will without a doubt be the biggest worldwide cultural event of the year.
Our Signatur-dinner BEFORE the Solar Eclipse
What better way to end the day than with a dinner at Mena house, a short distance from GEM and right in front of the Pyramid of Cheops? Mena House is a hotel, inaugurated in 1886, whose mythology is linked to the 20th century. Here, heads of state, kings and queens and all kinds of celebrities would land when they visited Egypt. Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, Charlie Chaplin to name a few.
Here, in December 1977, Egypt and Israel sat down and began their peace negotiations which culminated in the Camp David Agreement the following September.
And here we will sit down as well Saturday evening, 31 July 2027, at 19.00 with a view over the first of the seven wonders world.
Usually, the pyramids stay in the dark, but not during our evening. The plateau’s lighting master is ready with his enormous lights. And then humanity’s most enigmatic structure will be lit up for us for an hour. You will be spellbound.
The magic isn’t over yet. We have requested entertainment as well. Archaic dances await us at our tables.
A Day in Cairo
That leaves us with one more day in Cairo before we head back to real life.
We can visit Islamic Cairo and look inside a number of mosques. Onwards to the Citadel continuing to the city of the dead and the El-Azhar Park.
Followed by St. Thomas’s Cave Church (there are actually 400 Coptic Christian churches in Cairo) and El-Khalili’s bazaars, the Garden City and afternoon tea in luxurious surroundings at St. Regis.
You can also simply choose to walk out and about in the city or join us for our two planned tours for the day. Cairo is a cacophonous city, so perhaps you prefer to simply relax in the garden of the 5* Hotel Marriott at Zamalek.
Or how about a bit of shopping? Egyptian cotton is the finest in the world. Everything is exported, except for a few shops that have permission to sell in the city. We can point you in the right direction, if the idea appeals to you.
It will be very hot in Egypt in August. We will naturally ensure that our bus has air conditioning. Furthermore, we will choose places and restaurants that have air-condition as well, that offers more well-tempered conditions during our dinners. Which brings us to the evening of our final day in Cairo…
Gala Dinner AFTER the Solar Eclipse
Our trip will be celebrated in style on our last evening in Egypt’s capital. We have hired a boat – a disco boat no less – that will bring us to our gala dinner number two with emphasis on elegance and from where we will have an unrivaled view of the city.
After the dinner, and for everyone who wants to, we have rented a bar where there is an open tap for our guests. If you’re not familiar with Cairo, you might be surprised at how laid-back the country is when it comes to tourists and drinks.
We will, at that time, have had a week with boundless experiences. Therefore, it’s not unlikely that a cocktail or two, might just be what you are looking for.
On a Personal Note
My late brother, Bent Bach Christophersen, moved to Cairo in 1992 and lived there for 30 years, up and until a few years ago where we sadly had to say goodbye to him, due to declining health.
His little brother, the straggler in fact, often visited him and through Bent I got to know his city. I have since then taken over his apartment in Cairo and inherited his circle of friends. They have been fantastically helpful with all facets of Parnassos’ trips to Egypt, not least Dorte Vestentoft, cultural attaché at the Danish embassy, who incidentally also arrived in Cairo the same year as my brother.
There are of course logistical challenges in connection with the above trip in 2027. But we know which suppliers are reliable and thorough.
The deposit for this solar eclipse trip is quite low (DKK 2,000, € 270). No need to tie up a lot of money at this time. We have already booked a number of hotel rooms in Cairo. As you can well imagine the prices for airplane tickets, hotel rooms and buses will be progressively more expensive.
So even though the year 2027 is a long way off, don’t wait too long to order if you are eager to join. Three more trips around the sun and then the experience of a lifetime awaits you.
Inflation?
NB: Inflation must be expected during such a long period. However, the first 10% inflation is built into the price.
Should inflation be more than 10% from the day of invoicing and until the start of the journey, we will adjust the price accordingly. So, everything above 10% inflation will be extra invoiced 60 days before departure. In this way, we ensure that there is a match between income and the expenses that we will have during the trip.
We will follow the consumer price index from Danmarks statistik. We will naturally be wholly transparent with how we reach the hopefully and likely relatively small extra price.
And our Purpose is?
We want to create exclusive experiences – without excluding anyone.
Granted, our tours are not among the cheapest, but they are still accessible to most of those who walk in the footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish poet who once said, ‘to travel is to live’.
The ‘trick’ is to be a large group. We’re talking about around 40 people. Being many has its own dynamic. And a larger budget allows us to offer truly unique adventures that surely will be beyond most of us if we acted on our own. Sometimes we will split us up in 2 groups of 20 when that makes more sense.
Our purpose is to tear us away from our day to day lives, to ensure that when you are back home again, you will ask yourself, ‘did I really experience what I think I experienced’?
What Exactly do you get for your 20,000 dkk? (aprox € 2,700)
- Return flight with EgyptAir from Copenhagen.
- Five nights at the 4* hotel Flamenco in Cairo, breakfast included.
- Five dinners, including the gala dinner at Mena House.
- In addition, an overnight stay in the desert breakfast and lunch included.
- Afternoon tea at St. Regis Water Gardens.
- Tickets and entrances to all museums and the Giza Pyramids.
- Bus transports.
- Wine and small snacks at the oasis.
