The cruellest near miss in Spain, and how to avoid it
There is no totality here. Maximum eclipse is at 10:51:32 (Spanish mainland time, CEST), with the sun 41° above the horizon. The partial phases run from 09:43 to 12:05.
Almería city is the single most frustrating place in Spain on 2 August 2027. It sits 99.99% covered, which sounds like nothing at all is missing, and yet it is outside the path. A sliver of the sun’s surface stays visible the whole time. The sky does not go dark, the corona does not appear, and the stars do not come out. It is a deep partial eclipse, and a deep partial eclipse is a different event from a total one.
The good news is that the fix is a twenty minute drive. The path limit runs across the edge of the city, and everything to the south and west of it is inside.
Cabo de Gata gets 2 minutes 1 second, the longest in the province. Roquetas de Mar gets 1 minute 34 seconds. El Ejido gets 1 minute 23 seconds. Adra, further west, gets 1 minute 46 seconds. Any of them beats staying in the city.
| Place | Eclipse | Duration / coverage | Maximum | Sun altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabo de Gata | Total | 2 min 01 s | 10:51 | 42° |
| Adra | Total | 1 min 46 s | 10:50 | 41° |
| Roquetas de Mar | Total | 1 min 34 s | 10:51 | 41° |
| El Ejido | Total | 1 min 23 s | 10:51 | 41° |
| Almería | Partial | 99.99% | 10:51 | 41° |
| Níjar | Partial | 99.78% | 10:51 | 42° |
| Tabernas | Partial | 99.59% | 10:51 | 41° |
| Mojácar | Partial | 99.34% | 10:52 | 42° |
Spanish mainland times, CEST. Percentages are the fraction of the sun covered at maximum.
The best answer in the province, and one of the more beautiful places on the whole path. 2 minutes 1 second of totality over a volcanic coast of empty beaches, salt flats and the lighthouse at the cape itself. Playa de los Genoveses and Playa de Mónsul are the famous ones. Access to several of these beaches is restricted in summer, with shuttle buses from San José, so check the arrangements before you go.
The salt pans on the road to the cape hold flamingos through the summer, and there are hides along the road. Watching the light go during totality over a salt flat full of birds is a rare thing.
The easy option. A big resort coast with plenty of beds and beach, twenty minutes west of the city, safely inside the path at 1 minute 34 seconds.
Further west towards Granada province, 1 minute 46 seconds, and generally much quieter than the Roquetas strip.
This is the most common and most painful mistake people make with eclipses. A total eclipse and a 99.99% partial are not two points on the same scale. Until the last thread of the sun’s bright surface is covered, the sky stays blue, the corona stays invisible and you must keep your eclipse glasses on the whole time. Get inside the line.
At Cabo de Gata, partial phases run from about 09:47 to 12:05 and totality runs from 10:50:50 to 10:52:51, with the sun 42 degrees up. In Almería city, maximum eclipse is at 10:51:32 with 99.99% coverage and no totality. Spanish mainland times.
Plane: Almería airport has domestic and some European flights, and is a short drive from Roquetas.
Car: the A-7 runs along the coast. The road into Cabo de Gata is single carriageway and will be very heavy that morning. Get in the night before if you can.
Accommodation: Almería city, Roquetas and Aguadulce have the bulk of the beds. Sleeping in the city is fine as long as you understand you have to drive out on the morning.