The annular effect will be visible from parts of West and Central Africa, northern
Mozambique, southern Tanzania, Reunion and Madagascar. Northern Madagascar
is a good option, with the best spot probably being Toamasina on the east coast. In
Mozambique, there are some lovely island lodges in the Quirimbas Archipelago, but many
of them are already booked up, so you may need to shop
around. If you want to combine eclipse-watching
with some awesome game-viewing, you could
opt for Ruaha or Katavi in southern Tanzania.
Burundi, the DRC and Gabon are really
only for the more adventurous traveller.
Probably the best option is Reunion –
for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s
part of France, so it’s a First World
tropical island paradise. Secondly,
they’ve been pretty proactive and
will have a special eclipse village set
up for the duration. And, because of
the size of the island and its extensive
tourism infrastructure, it’s your best
option for finding accommodation over
the critical period.
While we’re on the subject of eclipses, next year
there will be another annular eclipse in February,
visible from Angola and Patagonia. And then in August a total eclipse will traverse a huge
swathe of the United States – a much easier destination than many, so that’s probably
your best bet ever for experiencing totality. If you miss that one, you’ll have to wait until
2019. So plan ahead – you really, really, have to see a total solar eclipse at least once in
your life.
As eclipse chaser of note Bill Kramer says, “Words do not do the sensation of totality
justice. It must be experienced. Each individual will take away something that is a
function of what they bring to the event. After fifteen total solar eclipses … I still get
a bit of a shiver when totality takes place. There is some primitive reaction, a tingle of
connection with the universe, along with the extreme happiness of being in the right
place at the right time.”
Jen Stern