Still a little giddy from the magical moments of totality during Monday’s solar eclipse? Or did clouds roll in to block your view? Maybe you just didn’t make it to the path of wholeness this time. No matter what, the question now is “Where and when will it happen again?”
“People who haven’t seen it before, the first words out of their mouths after the set is over are, ‘I’ve got to see another one, that’s incredible, that’s incredible.’ That’s when you get addicted to these things and end up traveling to wherever the next one is,” said Joseph Rao, an eclipse chaser and guest speaker at the Hayden Planetarium.
So if, like Mr. Rao, you’ve developed a rabid case of umbraphilia — the love of eclipses — you’ll have three chances in the next four years to see the moon blot out the sun. The first, on August 12, 2026, will start over Greenland, then hug the west coast of Iceland and move across the Atlantic Ocean and over Spain. Almost a year later, on August 2, 2027, another will cross the Mediterranean coast of North Africa and then cross Egypt and part of the Arabian Peninsula. The third, on July 22, 2028, will cross Australia and the southern tip of New Zealand.
Last week, as Victoria Sahami, owner of Sirius Travel, prepared to guide a group of tourists to Mazatlán, Mexico, for Monday’s big event, she was also planning these other upcoming eclipses. Ms Sahami joined the ranks of eclipse obsessives when she saw one in Venezuela in the 1990s. “Like many people, I was hooked. There was no going back,” he said.
Total solar eclipses occur fairly regularly—about every one to two years—in locations scattered around the world. “That’s the great thing about them: you end up in places you wouldn’t normally go,” Ms. Sahami said.
A major spoiler is the weather, which will be a big variable in the 2026 eclipse – one Greenland, Iceland and Spain will see.
“Iceland usually has a lot of clouds at that time of year,” said Paul Maley, who runs Ring of Fire Expeditions. “The data shows that Spain has the highest good weather prospects of the three. However, the sun is low in the sky and the eclipse ends as the sun hits the horizon at sunset.”
Due to Iceland’s mercurial weather, Ring of Fire Expeditions is going all in on Spain, with a 10-day excursion to the mainland. Sirius Travel offers not only a five-day trip to Mallorca but also an eight-day Iceland tour. It will be based in Reykjavík and the itinerary will remain flexible on the day of the eclipse so that the tour can easily be diverted to the location with the least cloud cover. Ms Sahami recommends the trip to those who already have a few eclipses under their belt and will be happy to just take in the sights of Iceland if the weather doesn’t cooperate.
The 2027 eclipse, on the other hand, promises to be truly stellar: Egypt’s Luxor – the site of many ancient temples as well as the Valleys of the Kings and Queens – is right in the middle of the path of totality and will be bathed in darkness for full 6 minutes 23 seconds. Weather-wise, it’s what Ms. Sahami called a “slam dunk.” “You know you’re going to see it. You know you’re not going to have clouds,” he said.
However, for all its potential, those considering Egypt should be aware that the State Department has a Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” warning for the country due to the risk of terrorism.
The 2028 eclipse will darken the sky over Sydney, Australia for 3 minutes and 49 seconds. It will be the first time the city has experienced a total solar eclipse since 1857. Ms Sahami has her eyes on a trip based there, while Mr Maley has chartered a cruise ship off Australia’s northwest coast. It will be winter there, he said, but that’s not likely to mean bad weather for viewing the eclipses.
If you want to see any (or all) of these eclipses, you should start planning and booking now, especially if you want to sign up for a trip organized by a tour company. One of Sirius Travel’s tours to Luxor is already full.
Look carefully at refund policies and consider your travel insurance. Many companies will refund your deposit in full if you cancel a year early. A lot can happen, Ms. Sahami said, “but if you think you’re going to leave, why not?”
