In a year’s time, the longest total solar eclipse, easily accessible on land in the 21st century, will take place.
The best locations to watch this incredible moment on 2nd August 2027 are in North Africa and the Horn of Africa.
Untamed Borders specialises in travel to challenging and unconventional destinations and is organising trips to Puntland, Eastern Libya and Algeria – to view the eclipse and explore the regions.
The next total eclipse of this length won’t be until 2114, so it really is the most spectacular moment of its kind in our life-time and the popularity of these trips has been extremely high.
Three group departures to see the eclipse in Algeria with Untamed Borders are now sold out, two tours to Libya are full and the Puntland trip is also completely sold out. There are only a few spaces left on a third Eastern Libya eclipse departure, showing how high demand is for this moment in history.
The Eastern Libya trip is a 6-day tour, which begins in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, before guests catch a flight east to the country’s second largest city – Benghazi. We enjoy a short city tour, then embark on a scenic coastal drive to the ancient remains of the Greek, and later Roman, city of Ptolemais – once the capital of Pentapolis.
Next, we drive to the capital of the Green Mountain district, spending a night in Shahha, before venturing on to explore the historic sites of Apollonia and the traditional village of Sousa. We also have time to explore one of the world’s largest caves – the Haua Fteah Cave and take in the stunning remains of the ancient city of Cyrene.
We continue to soak up the Mediterranean coast, between Ra’s Al Hilal and L’Atrun, with a stop at a Bzyantine Basilica and then we take to the seas, exploring large sea caves by boat. The trip concludes as we soak up the total solar eclipse back in Benghazi, before we fly back to end the trip in Tripoli. The eclipse in this part of the world is expected to last more than six minutes.
The Puntland trip is a 7-day tour, which begins in Bosaso, before road tripping to Xaafun on the Indian Ocean Coast, and heading to the eastern most point of continental Africa to view the eclipse.
We continue north along the coast, past pristine beaches and historic fishing villages, to the Baargal, which has better links to Yemen, than other parts of Somalia, providing an intriguing cultural experience.
We continue on to the very north-eastern tip of the Horn of Africa, where the Indian Ocean meets the Red Sea, spending time at the Italian colonial lighthouse, which marks the tip of the Horn. We then return on a long road trip to finish in Bosaso. The total solar eclipse is expected to last around five and a half minutes in Puntland.
The 7-day Algeria trip begins in the capital Algiers, visiting the labyrinthine-like Kasbah and other key sites, before we venture westwards along the Mediterranean coastline to the fabulous Roman remains at Tipaza and Cherchell.
We continue our journey further west to the coastal city of Oran and take in the total eclipse at the nearby M’Sila Forest. It’s at this point we head inland, to the town of Tlemcen, known for its Moorish architecture, before road-tripping back to finish the adventure in Algiers. In Algeria totality is expected to last more than five and a half minutes.
The company is also offering private trips to all three destinations to take in the total solar eclipse, to find out more information about these unique trips in unusual destinations, please email – info@untamedborders.com