Total Solar Eclipse in Nigerien Sahara

1

I know there are thousands of tourists planning to visit Niger for the eclipse. If you don't have airplane reservations, you should get them now. I expect there will be some tours available, but the prices will be high.

That price quoted is on the low side for other tours I have seen. This is not going to be a budget experience.

2

Thank you, Tessoro.

I will already be travelling through Mali and Burkina in the proceding month before the eclipse, so I won't be fighting for the plane tickets in and out of Niger.

I realize this isn't going to be a budget experience and have set aside extra fund for it. How high do you think the prices will be for locally-organized tours?

I also would like to visit Toureg camps in the Air Mountains area before the eclipse -- perhaps on camel. But am wondering if it will be pleasant, with so many people coming in for the eclipse at the same time.

Do you have any recommendations regarding tour operators/camel guides with websites/emails?

Thanks again!

3

If you are coming in from Mali, get info on the express bus from Niamey to Agadez. You need to buy tickets the night before and leave luggage there for the 5:30 am departure. I think the express bus will be very full the week or so before the eclipse.

t least $100 Euro per day per person. There will be a very high demand for vehicles, guides, etc. You won't be able to bargain much once you get to Agadez. A tour must have 2 4WD vehicles and a guide to pass the police checkpoint outside of Agadez. You will have to find a group to hook up with to make the minimum number of vehicles.

I can imagine a satellite photo from space showing a little ant-like line of white Toyota landrover roofs nose-to-tail across the Tenere from Agadez to Bilma. Really.

Many of the european tours are also planning to visit the Air either before or after the eclipse. There is a pretty well-defined tourist route. It won't be as tranquil as at other times.

It is also going to be very very hot. April is the hottest month of the year, and the eclipse is March 29. It can be very unpleasant.

Someone had been getting info on camel trips during December. Look back in the other posts to find out.

I don't have any particular recommendations other than local agencies that other travelers have recommended. I've used Dunes-Voyages. I think their prices are probably a good gauge of the going rates.

It will be an easier, and possibly less expensive, experience if you can speak some French.

4

Hi again,

Yes, I'm whipping my basic French back into shape at the moment. :-) And hopefully the preceding weeks spent in Mali and Burkina Faso will help improving it somewhat. But will French make it less expensive because I'll have more options or something else?

Your satellite image is funny, but most likely will become true. I'm still debating if I want to be part of the 'ecliptic tourist invasion' on the Air. Do you think it's still worth it? Or should I just take a quick look around Agadez and makes my exit in time to see the eclipse elsewhere, say, Zinder?

The heat, I think, I should be able to handle as well as other non-natives, although this will be a dry heat different from what we have in Thailand. I guess nobody can complain, as the desert weather makes it ideal for eclipse gazing.

5

KL,
I've included the link to astronomical tours. It is very pricey but i don't get the opportunity to see a solar eclipse so close to my birthday....
I will be in Egypt from 15 Mar and would like to make my way to Niger, but it seems Libya or the Egyptian border may be the path of least resistance for me...
I'm subscribing here and would love to be part of a group trip if i could.
Anyone know about north east Libya, safety, expense...etc...

6

astro tours niger trip

sorry forgot to include the link
here you go....

7

For sure, the details here, and on the thread I linked over from (thanks khunlee!) are all right on.

What I posted on the other thread was a question to utt959 who is Cairo...

Quote

---

Why not stay in Egypt and just head up to the northwest coast. The center line is only a few miles inside Libya from that point (ie., only a few seconds shorter totality), and you wouldn't even have to leave the country! [P]Just curious, because I'm hoping to be up that way in Egypt for the eclipse, but am not finding dealing with getting a Libyan visa too prospective for our group.[/P]

---

Of course, similar to the small difference in duration (between the point where the center line crosses the al Kufra road in Libya, and the nearest point on the Egyptian coast by Sallum, you will have not more than a 6 second difference), the difference in cloud cover potential between Libyan desert and the Egyptian coast is also minimal - and of course, the cloud cover models do not factor in near-surface sand or dust in the atmosphere, which on even a slightly breezy day in the sahara could definitely impact eclipse viewing.

So what this really all comes down to is the kind of environment that sounds best to you for this experience. For instance, if you really dig stark, immense landscapes like the Libyan Sand Sea, then that would of course be an AMAZING place for an eclipse. On the other hand, there are many special nuances of an eclipse, particularly in the suspense-filled hour or so before totality, such as tidal expressions, bird movements, solar crescent shadows, etc., which will likely not be witnessed in the desert. But the sand desert might allow you the best potential of witnessing the temperature changes and rushing onset and departure of the 'umbral shadow' moving across the land - a high point in the desert would be PRIME for this phenomenon. Sand or dust, though, could make a huge difference on how clear the starry sky under totality will be - in such a case, you might not see the approaching shadow, or the midday stars as well as in a more dust-free area. So... from my point of view, with duration and cloud cover predictions almost equal - I'd say that one can take whatever luxury is available to them to choose from a prefered landscape with this eclipse - which this eclipse affords very well! Of course, if you wake up in Benghazi on eclipse morning, you'll have the choice of either the desert or the coast depending on that day's forecast! Perfect!! :-)

Now with all that said, here's my personal situation...
This will be my 5th eclipse and I have only stood at or near the point of greatest eclipse once - Transylvanian Alps in Romania in '99. Twice I was on the beach - Baja California, Mexico in '91, and Paraguana Peninsula, Venezuela in '98, where weather predictions were both similar to the Libya/Egyptian coast this time 'round, and both of those coastal eclipses were magnificent!
HOWEVER, if I had my own personal choice, I wouldn't be going to either Egypt or Libya... I'd be in Niger!! :-)) That experience sounds positively unbeatable to me - but then again, I'm completed addicted to total eclipses, and would go WAY out of my way for one. On this occasion however, I'm aiming to get my wife addicted, ;-) and being that we're one american and one slovak - making getting visas for libya a huge challenge, and the other slight detail that we'll be traveling with a our 4-month old infant(!) - my wife is due next week!, it kind of makes the Egyptian coast the only real choice for us in the REAL world - for this time 'round anyway. But still in my dream world, I/we would be in Niger! :-) So on that count, GO FOR IT khunlee!!!

And utt959, if we stay in touch, and if you stick with Egypt, we'd be glad to hook up when there... our group consists of me and my wife, a friend from the UK, and three of our colleagues from Uganda. We'll be renting vehicles in Cairo and probably staying in/near Mersah Matruh. Do you happen to know anything about that town or area?

Well, to all who are going to witness this rare and outrageously awesome event - from WHEREVER... have a blast!!

J

A peaceful place, or so it looks from space... dizzy with the possibilities.
-------------------------
~~~~~ Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda - Paradise Found! ~~~~~

8

Thanks for your great post, ineclipse.

Totality is a lot like love. For those who haven't experienced it, no explanation is enough. For those who have, none is necessary.

This will be only my second totality. My first is here in central Thailand in 1995. I only discovered about 2006 totality last month, and it immediately became the anchor point for my next trip. Combining my love for Africa and umbra is giving me a new personal meaning to "Heart of Darkness"!

I'm sure your wife will become hooked too, and both of you (and the young ones) will be happily chasing future shadows in distant places!

Easter Island in 2010? Sounds great! Have you already done some research? Please share. And how about the two next ones before that? I'm interested to find out more about

- Aug 1, 2008 totality. Coming just a week before the Beijing Olympics, although it will be near sunset in north-central China.
- July 22, 2009 totality. As a Buddhist, I would like to see this one from Bodh Gaya or nearby. Or combine it with another great trip to India. But again it's early in the morning after sunrise. Maybe it's better in China (again!) with the sun higher in the sky?

Have you experienced any of them in early morning or very late afternoon? Is it too dicey?

By the way, you may like to have your name added to list of leading umbraphileshere, having 5 eclipses under your belt. :-)

There're also good maps of near future eclipses on this page.

9

hmm, would it be feasible to be in Natal (Brazil) on this date? as I'm in Brazil the, it would be a nice experience...or would things be 2 bright?

10

sohb:

Not sure what you mean by "too bright". But you should definitely try, if it's not too much trouble, to get within the path of totality. (Brazil is a big country and all that.)

Have not done any research on local conditions in Natal, but there seems to be a pretty good chance of seeing the eclipse -- about the same as Accra across the ocean.

11

Khap khun krap!

12

If you can understand counting in French and directions, you should be able to get better rates and do more bargaining. There's no particular discount for french-speakers, it's just that you have a better chance of understanding the price being quoted to you.

Prices are quoted usually in CFA, then euros, less likely dollars. Currently, one euro=655 CFA, one dollar-560 CFA, so your counting skills need to be in the thousands, and tens of thousands.

I hadn't though about Zinder for the line of totality. If you are going all the way to Agadez, you should really get the experience of crossing the Tenere. Also, Zinder might have less visibility because of smoke or dust.

13

I was thinking that Turkey might be a lot easier to go to.
Does anybody know how much shorter the Eclipse lasts in Turkey compared to Niger?
And maybe the chance of having a clear sky in Turkey is also less?

Just 111 days left: Countdown to the 2006 Solar Eclipse

Travel Stories - http://www.7is7.com/otto/travel

14

ottodv: The length of totality depends very much on how far you are from the center line. Check on this map and this map for Turkey.

Likewise, cloud prediction also depends on your location. See this graph..

A french tourist has just been killed 60km from Agadez. Add that to the amount of efforts, time and money that will cost me for getting into the Nigerien Sahara and back, and I think I may end up trying my luck in Accra as I first planned.

Like all best things in life, eclipse should be free, no?