Northern Morocco gets almost five minutes of totality, from Tangier and Tetouan to Chefchaouen and the Rif. The shadow arrives before nine in the morning local time, a short ferry ride from southern Spain.
4m 55slongest totality, in Tetouan
Short answer
Yes. The path of totality crosses the north of Morocco, from Asilah and Tangier through Tetouan, Chefchaouen and the Rif to Al Hoceima and Nador. Tetouan and Tangier get almost five minutes. Totality comes early in the morning, at about 08:45 local time, because Morocco now keeps GMT all year.
Yellow dots are inside the path of totality. White dots are outside it and see only a partial eclipse.
Press play or drag the slider to follow the centre of the Moon’s shadow from one side of the country to the other, with local clock time, the length of totality on the centre line and the speed of the shadow.
4m 54s in Tangier, 4m 49s in Asilah
Tangier is the easiest place in Morocco to reach, with an airport, fast ferries from Spain and high-speed trains from Casablanca. Morning sea cloud sometimes gathers on the western side of the city, behind Cape Spartel, so the eastern districts and the beaches on the bay are the safer bet. Further south, Asilah and Larache can keep low cloud longer.
4m 55s in Tetouan and M’diq
The longest totality in Morocco, at Tetouan and the resorts of M’diq and Fnideq on the coast towards Ceuta. Sea cloud can get trapped along this stretch of coast, so the eastern side of Tetouan and the hills just inland give better odds than the beaches.
4m 20s
The blue town of Chefchaouen, in the Rif mountains, usually has the clearest mornings in the region, though it lies further from the centre line, so totality is about half a minute shorter. It is about 115 km from Tangier, two to two and a half hours by road.
4m 32s in Al Hoceima, 4m 22s in Nador
Al Hoceima and Nador sit on the eastern Mediterranean coast, with ferries from Motril and Almería in Spain. Morning cloud is frequent but tends to clear quickly. Saïdia, near the Algerian border, gets 4m 10s, while Oujda, inland, lies near the edge with only 1m 30s.
Northern Morocco takes much of the overflow from southern Spain, where rooms near the coast are already almost impossible to find. Tours based in Tangier are filling up, and the best-known ones already run waiting lists. We recommend companies with strong reputations, but check prices and availability with the operator before you plan around them.
All three groups on the Smithsonian trip are on waiting lists, and places do open up when travellers cancel. The On The Go tour ends in Tangier on the morning of the eclipse.
Sort by totality, start time or Sun height. Cities outside the path show the share of the Sun covered instead.
| Tetouan | Total100% | 4m 55s | Totality from 08:45totality begins | Sun 38° |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M’diq | Total100% | 4m 55s | Totality from 08:45totality begins | Sun 38° |
| Tangier | Total100% | 4m 54s | Totality from 08:44totality begins | Sun 38° |
| Fnideq | Total100% | 4m 53s | Totality from 08:45totality begins | Sun 38° |
| Asilah | Total100% | 4m 49s | Totality from 08:44totality begins | Sun 38° |
| Al Hoceima | Total100% | 4m 32s | Totality from 08:46totality begins | Sun 40° |
| Larache | Total100% | 4m 25s | Totality from 08:44totality begins | Sun 38° |
| Nador | Total100% | 4m 22s | Totality from 08:48totality begins | Sun 41° |
| Chefchaouen | Total100% | 4m 20s | Totality from 08:45totality begins | Sun 39° |
| Saïdia | Total100% | 4m 10s | Totality from 08:49totality begins | Sun 42° |
| Oujda | Total100% | 1m 30s | Totality from 08:50totality begins | Sun 42° |
| Rabat | Partial98.6% | No totality– | Peak at 08:45peak | Sun 37° |
| Fes | Partial98.4% | No totality– | Peak at 08:47peak | Sun 39° |
| Casablanca | Partial97.1% | No totality– | Peak at 08:44peak | Sun 36° |
| Marrakech | Partial89% | No totality– | Peak at 08:43peak | Sun 36° |
Local clock time on 2 August 2027 when totality begins, or for a partial eclipse, the moment of greatest coverage.
Northern Morocco is usually dry and sunny in early August. The main risk is morning sea cloud on the coast, which climatologist Jay Anderson expects to clear before totality in Tangier more often than not, but which lingers longer on the Atlantic coast south of the city and on the Mediterranean coast east of Tetouan. Inland, Chefchaouen has better odds.
Tangier averages about 21°C (70°F) at dawn and 28°C (82°F) in the afternoon in August, and Chefchaouen up to about 34°C (93°F). Occasional Chergui winds from the desert push inland temperatures much higher, but at 08:45 the heat is not a problem.
Fast ferries run from Tarifa to the port in central Tangier in about an hour, and from Algeciras to Tanger Med, 45 km from the city, in about 90 minutes. Al Hoceima and Nador have ferries from Motril and Almería. The eclipse falls in the busiest weeks of Operation Marhaba, when millions of Moroccans living abroad travel home for the summer, so cross at least a day early.
Tangier has the largest airport in the region, and Nador, Tetouan, Al Hoceima and Oujda have smaller ones. High-speed Al Boraq trains link Tangier with Rabat in about 1h 20m and Casablanca in about 2h 10m.
Morocco moved to permanent GMT in September 2026, so in August it is two hours behind Spain. Ferry timetables and tour times are given in local time on each side, which is easy to mix up on the morning of the eclipse.
No official national programme for the eclipse has been announced so far. Tangier and Tetouan expect far more visitors than in a normal August, and much of the demand comes from travellers who could not find rooms in southern Spain. Rooms in Tangier and Tetouan for the eclipse week are going fast, so book now rather than waiting for prices to fall.
Certified eclipse glasses are hard to buy in Morocco, so bring your own, and check that they meet the ISO 12312-2 standard.
A partial eclipse, even at 99%, leaves the sky bright and the corona hidden. Eclipse glasses stay on the whole time.