Project Greenland / Spain
Total Solar Eclipse - August 2026

Sunrise on the 12th August 2026 will see the start of that year’s total solar eclipse in northern Siberia but as the shadow crosses the North Pole it is likely to progress unwatched until it travels across Greenland.

Scoresby Sound fjord, an inland sea of vast icebergs on Greenland’s east coast sits directly on the centreline of the eclipse track where our first group will be waiting to observe this event. The new five star Swan Hellenic expedition ship Diana provides the highest level of comfort and luxury for the Greenland expedition, cruising deep into the fjords of Scoresby Sound. Planned observation of the eclipse will be from a lagoon with huge icebergs dominated by snow-capped cliffs and massive glaciers.

The shadow will then cross the Atlantic Ocean until it reaches the Bay of Biscay on Spain’s northern coast late in the afternoon and our second observation site will be on the cliff tops of this rugged coast. The dry central regions of Spain offer very promising prospects of a clear sky and a sunset eclipse. Our third and fourth observing locations are in this region and a spectacular sunset eclipse is promised from two dramatic castles overlooking the Spanish countryside. For those choosing to upgrade to stay at these castles, unique hotels with fine dining and antiquities add a rare twist to this project, in addition to the fascinating historical narrative of this fascinating old country steeped in history.

WILDFIRES IN SPAIN

We are aware of the media coverage of wildfires in parts of France and Spain and the concern this can cause. Our agents in various parts of the country are monitoring the situation and keeping us informed if they believe there will be any effect on your tour programme. We are assured that all parts of the itineraries are not affected by the fires and we do not expect any change, therefore we can confirm that your tour will go ahead as planned. It is possible there may be changes or substitutions to some excursions if there is concern about local air quality and you will be advised of this during your tour. Air quality in the main cities is reported as remaining relatively normal by our agents in Spain.

We understand there are about a dozen small fires remaining from a larger fire in a forest around 30km from Siguenza which is now under control and is not expected to affect eclipse observation. The original smoke has now dispersed.

To quote Jay Anderson (https://eclipsophile.com/) on SEML (Solar Eclipse Mailing List) 27th July 2026:-

"It's way too early to worry about the weather and fires. A look at today's satellite pictures shows almost no appreciable smoke over the northern half of the track. On the other hand, the smoke from the big fire north of Madrid is now affecting areas to the south in contrast to yesterday's easterly impact. It's barely impacting the eclipse track. Yesterday's smoke is thinning and mostly drifted out into the Med toward the Balearic Islands. In other words, today's smoke doesn't say much about eclipse day, just as yesterday's didn't say a lot about today. By eclipse day, some or many of the fires may be contained, or there may be more if Friday's thunderstorms materialize."