Australia: Sky-gazing tour to see total solar eclipse in November

The annual solar eclipse in the West on Sunday might be considered a stage-setter for a another solar eclipse coming in the fall — and a reason to travel to Australia. Brownell Travel based in Birmingham, Ala., offers an 11-night trip that features the Nov. 14 total eclipse that will only be seen Down Under. The path of totality of the eclipse, which begins at dawn, is in the northern edge of the country.

On the trip, participants will be near Cairns on a cruise to view the early-morning eclipse and later tour the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest on the northeast coast of Queensland. The group also visits Sydney, where individuals are treated to a climb to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and travels to Uluru, the large red sandstone formation known also as Ayers Rock.

When: The trip runs from Nov. 6 to 18.

Price: $6,065 per person, double occupancy. It includes accommodations, meals, cruises and extras like the bridge climb and a rainforest experience. Airfare is extra.

Contact: Brownell Travel, (800) 999-3960