The Complete Guide To: Total Solar Eclipse Trips

I'M IN THE DARK ON THIS ONE

The total eclipse of the sun that will take place on Wednesday 29 March 2006 has been far less publicised in the UK than the one that took place in 1999 - hardly surprising, since daytime darkness was then experienced in south-west England and many parts of western Europe. But next year's eclipse will be visible along a path starting in the far east of Brazil in the early morning, moving across the Atlantic, over several north African countries and across a large swathe of the Sahara desert. It will then cross the Mediterranean, pass over southern Turkey and central Asia, and end up in western Mongolia where it will be visible in the mid-evening local time.

WHAT WILL I SEE?

Wherever it takes place, a total eclipse is a spectacular phenomenon to watch. As the moon passes in front of the Sun, day turns to night and an eerie silence descends; as everything goes dark, even the birds stop singing. During the short period when the Moon covers the Sun, the Moon appears to have a ghostly halo around it, which is the corona, or outer atmosphere, of the Sun. The light disappears and reappears fairly rapidly, and the actual length of the eclipse varies in each place, typically lasting no more than two or three minutes. Exactly what you will see depends on weather conditions at the time. During the 1999 total solar eclipse, the thousands of people who flocked to Cornwall, for example, were disappointed to find that heavy cloud cover hid the eclipse from view. In March, the geographical location should mean that the weather conditions are more likely to be favourable, particularly when it is viewed from the Sahara desert.

I WANT TO WAKE UP BENEATH AN ECLIPSE

Brazil is the place to head for. The eclipse will start at sunrise - 5.36am - in the north-east region of South America's biggest country. It will be visible as a total eclipse in the provinces of Rio Grande do Norte and Paraiba. So far, the tourist authorities have not planned any special viewing sites, although somewhere with a clear view of the sky is all that is needed.

Nearer the time, the Brazilian Tourist Office in London (020-7385 9975; www.turismo.gov.br) will have details about any special events that might be planned.

The largest city in the eclipse region is Natal, a historic place on the coast which was settled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and conquered by the Dutch in the 17th; its most famous building is its original fortification, the Three Wise Kings fortress, and it also has some popular beaches. But while you are in the country, there are a number of other unmissable attractions. These include Rio de Janeiro, which has miles of lovely beaches, including Copacabana and Ipanema, and some magnificent views from both Sugar Loaf Mountain and Corcovado Mountain, which has the famous statue of Christ on the top.

The Iguacu Falls, which form the natural border between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, are spectacular, a far more impressive site than Niagara and not as crowded. Further north, in the province of Bahia, the city of Salvador, a former Portuguese capital, is a vibrant cultural hub while Manaus on the banks of the steamy Amazon was once the centre of the rubber industry.

The Brazilian national carrier, Varig, offers flights from Heathrow to Natal, with a connection in Sao Paulo, for £752. A better deal if you plan to travel around the country is to buy a return ticket to Sao Paulo, which will cost £693, and then a Brazil Air Pass. This consists of coupons which can be used to fly on any internal routes for up to 21 days after your arrival in the country. Air Passes must be bought, and the flights booked, before you arrive in Brazil, and are available from Varig (0870 120 3020; www.varig.co.uk). If your intercontinental flight is with Varig, up to four coupons will cost around $440 (£240) including fees and taxes. Each additional coupon, up to a total of nine, costs $100 (£56). If you are travelling to Brazil with any other carrier, five coupons will cost $560 (£311).

Audley Travel (01869 276 210; www.audleytravel.com) can tailor packages to Natal for the eclipse. A 10-night package, including flights from the UK to Natal and back from Recife, with accommodation in Natal, Pipa, Olinda and Nannai, starts from £1,995; a 14-night trip with two nights in Iguacu and three in the Amazon, with return British Airways flights to Rio, starts from £2,490.

WHERE WILL BE THE BEST PLACE TO SEE THE ECLIPSE?

The eclipse will last longest in Libya, where the sun should be obscured for four minutes and seven seconds. Although the country is about as far from the mainstream of international tourism as it is possible to be, the eclipse provides a good opportunity to see some of the treasures that it has to offer, particularly the impressive old Roman city of Leptis Magna, one of the most important cities in Africa in its day.

The eclipse will be seen best from the Sahara, where it will not only last longer than elsewhere, but where weather conditions are most likely to be favourable. Explorers Tours (01276 406877; www.explorers.co.uk) specialises in organising eclipse-viewing trips, and for 2006 is planning an eight-night Mediterranean cruise, starting in Crete and ending in Athens. The itinerary includes visits to Leptis Magna, Banghazi and Tripoli, as well as to the Greek ruins of Cyrene and its neighbouring port, Apollonia.

The eclipse itself will be viewed from the south of the Jalu oasis in the Sahara desert, a five-hour drive from Banghazi. The trip begins on 26 March, with flights available from London and Manchester to Heraklion, returning on 3 April. There is still availability, with cabins available from £1,145.

If a cruise sounds too comfortable, the Dublin-based company Sahara Travel (00 353 1872 7934; www.saharatravel.co.uk) has a rather more adventurous option, a seven-night journey across the Sahara in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. It begins on 26 March with flights via Tripoli to Sebha, in the middle of the Libyan Sahara, and continues overland to the crater of Waw an Namus, south-east of Sebha. The return journey will include a visit to some ancient tombs and an excursion to the Mandara Lakes, whose water and palm trees are an unexpected sight in the middle of the arid landscape. The trip ends with a day spent in Tripoli. Accommodation is in basic hotels and bivouacs, and all meals are included. The trip costs £1,295, including flights from Dublin - or £1,055 if you prefer to arrange flights from elsewhere. At the time of going to press, the trip was fully booked, though names were being taken for the waiting list.

WHERE ELSE CAN I GO IN AFRICA?

The path of the eclipse begins to cross the African continent at the western end of the Ghanaian coast, moving gradually east over Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger and Chad before it reaches Libya. Tourism is undeveloped in many of these countries, but there are several tours which will offer an opportunity to combine watching the eclipse with visiting an unfamiliar and unspoilt destination.

In addition to its Libya tours, Sahara Travel has put together a couple of itineraries that will introduce travellers to Togo and Benin, or Algeria and Niger. The first of these is a five-night trip which departs from Gatwick on 25 March for Lome, the capital of Togo. The trip includes a day in Lome, a bus ride through the mountains to the town of Kpalime (a centre for local crafts) and a whistle-stop tour of Benin, taking in a floating market and a voodoo centre. The eclipse is viewed at around 9.15am from a site near Atakpame, in the plateau region of Togo. The trip, which starts in Paris, includes full-board accommodation, flights and overland transport, and costs £1,295 per person. The trip to Algeria and Niger departs on the same day, and the eclipse is viewed from dunes near Bilma, an oasis in the Niger desert. This 15-night Saharan journey costs £1,895; the price includes full-board accommodation in basic hotels and tents.

Before it leaves Africa, the eclipse will be visible in a small corner of north-west Egypt, and the best viewpoint will be at Solum, along the Mediterranean coast beyond Alexandria, El Alamein and Mersa Matruh. This is not a particularly accessible corner , but Ancient World Tours (020-7917 9494; www.ancient.co.uk) has included Mersa Matruh on a tour which combines the eclipse with some archaeological sites. There is still some availability, and prices start at £1,599 for the seven-night trip, a combination of full-board and bed and breakfast accommodation, and flights from London.

WHAT ABOUT A MORE ACCESSIBLE VIEWING POINT?

A more mainstream destination, but conveniently located on the path of totality, is the Turkish city of Antalya. It is a lively and modern Mediterranean city in the middle of an attractive bay, with its own marina and plenty to offer in the way of cultural attractions.

The city walls date from the second century BC. The monuments within the old city include a gate with three arches that commemorates the visit of the Roman emperor Hadrian to the city, examples of Islamic architecture at the Karatay Medrese, and a number of mosques and museums. Within easy reach are some interesting historical sites, including the Hittite city of Perge, where St Paul stopped on one of his journeys; the ancient amphitheatre at Aspendos; and the old cities of Selge and Phaselis. Antalya, with its international airport, is a popular destination in summer - but at the time of the eclipse the usual charter flights are not operating.

I CAN ONLY SPARE A COUPLE OF DAYS

Given the distances involved, you will have to spend at least one night away if you want to catch this eclipse. For those who have the bare minimum to spare, Omega Holidays (01524 37500) is offering one-night trips to Antalya, departing on 28 March from Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow airports. Trips start at £350 and include flights and transfers, as well as dinner, bed and breakfast in a four-star hotel on the Mediterranean coast, from where you can view the eclipse.

CAN I SEE IT IN OTHER PARTS OF TURKEY?

A few minutes after it passes over Antalya, the eclipse will be visible in the inland region of Cappadocia, a fascinating part of Turkey with an extraordinary landscape: miles of deep gorges and spiky rock formations known as "fairy chimneys". There are underground cities to explore, as well as plenty of painted medieval rock-churches, open-air museums and beautiful walking trails. The village of Goreme constitutes the heart of the area, although some of the other towns and villages, like Urgup, Uchisar and Mustafapasa are all possible bases. The eclipse will be visible in the whole of the region between Nevsehir and Kayseri.

The journey to Cappadocia from Istanbul involves a 12-hour bus ride; more appealing might be the hour-long flight from Istanbul to Kayseri with Turkish Airlines (020-7766 9300; www.thy.com); return flights at the time of the eclipse will cost 258 new Turkish lire (£109). Pre-bookable shuttle buses will take you from the airport to your hotel.

Alternatively, the 14-night Highlights of Turkey tour operated by Exodus (0870 240 5550; www.exodus.co.uk) will include a visit to Cappadocia to coincide with the eclipse; other stops on the route will include Ankara, Konya, Ephesus and Istanbul. The trip includes bed and breakfast accommodation and flights, and costs £795.

ANYWHERE ELSE?

The eclipse will also pass across parts of central Asia: Georgia, southern Russia, Kazakhstan and Siberia, before ending in Mongolia. These are parts of the world that are lightly populated and rarely travelled, which of course may be just what you want. Given the logistical and bureaucratic difficulties associated with the former Soviet Union and Mongolia, it would be worth consulting a specialist such as The Russia Experience (0870 068 1000; www.trans-siberian.co.uk).

WILL I SEE ANYTHING IF I STAY AT HOME?

A partial eclipse will be visible in this country, as well as most of Europe, the northern two-thirds of Africa and most of Central Asia. This is caused by the moon's shadow, which creates a path which is much broader than the path of totality. But it is nothing like as dramatic as observing a total eclipse, so if you miss this one, you will have to wait for the next, which will take place on 1 August 2008.

The Moon won't stand in the way of the Sun until next March - but you'll need to book well before then for a prime position. Cathy Packe shines a light on where to get the best view

As the world turns: the path of the eclipse

By Kristina Ferris

Looking at the Sun with the naked eye at any time is dangerous, so it is essential to have the right equipment if you are planning to watch an eclipse. Looking through a camera viewfinder, binoculars or telescope will not provide protection, nor will sunglasses - and the danger is that any damage done to your sight won't become apparent until later. To view in safety, you should make a pinhole viewer, which involves punching a hole in a piece of stiff card, and, with your back to the Sun, allowing the light to project an image on to a second piece of card. An alternative is to use the kind of eclipse viewers that were given away in many newspapers in 1999. If you can't find one of these, glasses that conform to standard are available from Assistpoint (0114 238 7569; www.eclipseglasses.co.uk).

The View From Siberia

Siberia and Mongolia are rare locations that will be visited by successive total eclipses. The 2008 event will be visible in northern Canada, Greenland, Siberia, Mongolia and parts of China. You may not be in the habit of making travel plans this far in advance, but companies, including Eclipse Tours (00 1 281 480 1988; www.eclipsetours.com), are already working on arrangements.

The path of totality of the 2008 eclipse passes a couple of particularly interesting cities: Novosibirsk, in Siberia (pictured), and Xian, in China. Novosibirsk is the city where the Trans-Siberian railway, the longest on the planet, traverses Russia's greatest river: the Ob. A tiny white chapel, whose only decoration is an Orthodox cross, is one of the most significant points in the world's biggest nation. It is the geographic heart of Russia. Stand here at noon, and you are equidistant from Vladivostok on the Pacific, where the sun has already set, and Kaliningrad on the Baltic, where it has yet to rise. Novosibirsk is actually farther south than Newcastle, and in summer it should be positively warm.

Xian should be even hotter on 1 August 2008. The city is on the itinerary of most of the operators that offer China as a destination; try CTS Horizons (020-7836 9911; www.ctshorizons.com). Xian is one of China's main attractions because of the army of 6,000 terracotta warriors and horses, dating from the second century BC, which were discovered by accident in 1974 and are now displayed in a purpose-built museum.

DON'T GET BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

Looking at the Sun with the naked eye at any time is dangerous, so it is essential to have the right equipment if you are planning to watch an eclipse. Looking through a camera viewfinder, binoculars or telescope will not provide protection, nor will sunglasses - and the danger is that any damage done to your sight won't become apparent until later. To view in safety, you should make a pinhole viewer, which involves punching a hole in a piece of stiff card, and, with your back to the Sun, allowing the light to project an image on to a second piece of card. An alternative is to use the kind of eclipse viewers that were given away in many newspapers in 1999. If you can't find one of these, glasses that conform to standard are available from Assistpoint (0114 238 7569; www.eclipseglasses.co.uk).