On August 2nd, 2027, the moon will slide unhurriedly between the Earth and the sun, plunging parts of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast into six minutes and two seconds of total darkness. It will be the longest total solar eclipse to fall on land anywhere this century, and the first total eclipse visible from the Kingdom in 77 years. Long before eclipses were mapped by astronomers, they were woven into folklore across civilizations, interpreted as omens, warnings or divine messages. Today, they're understood to the second, yet the feeling remains surprisingly unchanged. Whether you're standing on a coral-fringed island, atop a desert mountain, or aboard a boat just offshore, watching the sun's ghostly corona emerge as daylight slips into eerie twilight still feels almost impossible. Fortunately, the 2027 eclipse's path of totality crosses a region that's just as compelling on the ground as it is overhead, where birdwatching in the Farasan Islands, tracing Nabataean history through AlUla, and snorkelling in the Red Sea make a compelling case for sticking around long after daylight returns. Here are some of the best tours that turn six extraordinary minutes into an unforgettable journey through the Kingdom. The Full Kingdom Traverse: Exodus Travels 📅 July 24th – August 6th, 2027 💸 From $9,735 per person For the traveller who believes a glimpse of a country is never enough, Exodus offers the long game: a fortnight that treats Saudi Arabia the way a serious biographer treats a subject, refusing to skip the difficult middle chapters. This is a journey from Riyadh to the Red Sea, travelling through deserts, oases and mountain landscapes while taking in three UNESCO World Heritage sites along the way: the Nabataean tombs of Hegra, the mud-brick old town of Diriyah (birthplace of the first Saudi state), and Jeddah's coral-stone Al-Balad district. The route also includes a farm stay in bell tents beneath the cliffs of AlUla and a village homestay in the Asir Mountains, offering a glimpse into the communities and landscapes shaping a changing Saudi Arabia. On eclipse day itself, the group will follow the coastal corridor between Jeddah and Abha, meeting an astronomy specialist who introduces the science behind the eclipse and guides the experience, with totality expected to begin shortly after 1:22pm. Afterwards, rather than returning straight to a hotel, the group continues into the Sarawat mountains for the marble-built village of Thee Ain and a homestay dinner on the floor in Al Shaaf. It is, in short, the tour for those who believe the eclipse should be a chapter, not the whole book. The Discovery Tour: Memphis Tours 📅 August 1st – 8th, 2027 💸 From $5,197 per person Where some trips take the scenic route through the entire Kingdom, Memphis Tours takes a more focused approach through Jeddah, Madinah, AlUla, Riyadh and beyond, with the eclipse slotted neatly into day two like an appointment that simply cannot be moved (which, of course, it cannot). The itinerary leans into AlUla’s headline acts within the World Heritage site of Hegra itself: Qasr Al-Farid, the solitary unfinished tomb rising from the desert; Jabal Al-Banat, a collection of more than thirty tombs believed to have belonged to elite Nabataean women; and the Diwan at Jabal Ithlib, a rock-cut hall once used as a gathering place for discussions around trade, governance and religious ceremonies. Two accommodation tiers are available, Comfort and Luxury, with the latter upgrading stays to Cloud 7 Residence in AlUla and the Sheraton on the Jeddah coast, for travellers who want their ancient wonders paired with a little more indulgence. The Mountains and Fortresses Special: Wild Frontiers 📅 July 30th – August 6th, 2027 💸 From $7,583 Wild Frontiers has taken one look at the crowded coastal viewing spots and decided, politely but firmly, to go elsewhere. Their eclipse special skips the Red Sea crowds entirely in favour of the inland town of Baljurashi, tucked into the foothills of the Sarawat range, where totality will unfold from a local park overlooking the surrounding landscape beneath an unobstructed sky. The tour is really a love letter to Saudi Arabia’s little-known south: the UNESCO-listed stone houses of Thee Ain, stacked up to four storeys on a defensive hilltop; the 900-year-old hillside village of Rijal Almaa, once a trade hub between Yemen, Mecca and the Levant; and the vertigo-inducing hanging village of Al Habala, reached by cable car and once accessible only by rope. This is not a trip for anyone expecting polished resorts and seamless highways; it is for those who would rather watch the moon’s shadow sweep across a mountain range than a car park. The Birder's Eclipse: Saudi Birding 📅 July 25th/August 1st, 2027– multiple departures 💸 On request This is the eclipse tour for the traveller who considers a rare celestial event a mere warm-up act. Saudi Birding's ten-day expedition through southwest Saudi Arabia treats totality as one spectacular sighting among many. Travellers will begin with Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse and Crab-Plover along the Jeddah coast before ending with a private boat tour of the Farasan Islands in search of Sooty Falcon, Brown Booby and Red-billed Tropicbird. The eclipse itself is watched from the comfort of a coastal resort, before the group heads into the cooler highlands around Al Bahah to seek out the critically endangered Asir Magpie, Saudi Arabia's sole endemic bird species, across villages including Tanomah, Billasmer and Billahmer. The Boutique Circuit: Saoedi-Arabië 📅July 27th – August 4th, 2027 💸 From €3,955 per person The Dutch operator's offering feels like an eclipse trip designed by someone who has asked what a traveller might actually want from the journey, not just where they need to be when the moon moves into place. It opens in Riyadh with dinner at a local family's home, heads to the dramatic clifftop of Edge of the World, and flies north to AlUla for an optional sunrise hot-air balloon ride over the ancient ruins of Dadan and the inscription-covered cliffs of Jabal Ikmah. The eclipse itself is watched from a stretch of coast just south of Jeddah, positioned along the path's central line to offer both the longest duration of totality and a strong chance of clear skies. The trip closes with a Red Sea snorkelling excursion and a wander through Al-Balad, Jeddah's UNESCO-listed old town, a gentle return to earth after six minutes of cosmic drama and a reminder that not every eclipse itinerary needs to end in a mountain fortress to leave an impression.