9 Days Nile Jewel — Self-Launched Edition (Cairo, Aswan, Luxor & Hurghada)
9 days · Egypt
Vacations to go travel charges £1,250
No-markup version: ~£655 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Vacations to go travel's 9-day Nile Jewel tour: the same big-hitters — Giza, the Egyptian Museum and Khan el-Khalili, Philae and Kom Ombo, Edfu, Luxor's East and West Banks, plus Red Sea beach time in Hurghada — but booked yourself. You swap 4-star hotels for well-reviewed budget guesthouses and hostels, the Nile cruise for a mix of the budget-friendly Aswan–Luxor train plus a one- or two-night felucca or cheap cabin cruise if you want the river experience, and the guided group for locally hired guides (or self-guided audio tours at each site). Costs are rough per-person estimates for a solo traveller sharing where possible; add ~15-20% for a private room throughout.
Day-by-day
Arrive Cairo & settle into Downtown
Cairo
Land at Cairo International, buy a visa on arrival (USD 25 / ~£20 for most Western passports) before immigration, then take a Careem/Uber to Downtown (~120-180 EGP / £2-3) — ignore the taxi touts inside arrivals. Check into a Downtown guesthouse near Talaat Harb or Tahrir Square (hostel dorms £8-12, private budget rooms £15-25). Spend the afternoon gently: walk the Nile Corniche at sunset, grab koshari for dinner (£2-3) and sort out your train tickets to Aswan online (Egyptian National Railways, enr.gov.eg, tourist sleeper or daytime train) or via a local agency.
🚌Airport taxi/Careem ~£3; metro day pass ~£0.30 if you use it
🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel, Downtown Cairo (£12-20)
- →Visa on arrival at Cairo airport
- →Sunset walk on the Nile Corniche
- →Koshari dinner in Downtown
Giza, Egyptian Museum & Khan el-Khalili
Cairo / Giza
Start at 8am before the heat and crowds. Careem to the Giza plateau (~£3); entry ticket ~£6-7 for the plateau, extra if you want to go inside a pyramid. You can hire a licensed guide at the gate for £15-25 for two hours if you want context, or use an audio guide/site info. Midday, head to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (~£5-6 entry) — the Tutankhamun galleries alone justify it. Late afternoon, metro to Attaba and walk into Khan el-Khalili for the bazaar, shisha and mint tea at El Fishawy. Optional evening Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids (~£12 booked via GetYourGuide) if you have energy.
🚌Careem/Uber to Giza ~£3; metro ~£0.30
🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel, Downtown Cairo (£12-20)
- →Pyramids of Giza & Great Sphinx (self-guided or gate-hired guide)
- →Egyptian Museum, Tahrir
- →Khan el-Khalili bazaar
- →Optional: Pyramids Sound & Light Show ~£12
Cairo to Aswan by train
Cairo → Aswan
Take the daytime train or the overnight sleeper (Wagon-Lits, book ahead; ~£25-45 for a sleeper berth, daytime 2nd class ~£12-18). If you take the daytime service you lose most of a day of sightseeing but see the Nile Valley properly; if you take the night sleeper you arrive early morning and effectively save a day. Alternative: a one-way flight with Nile Air or Air Cairo often sells for £35-55 booked a few weeks out — worth it if you're short on time. On arrival in Aswan, check into a guesthouse on the Corniche or in the Nubian village of West Aswan (Elephantine Island area, £10-18).
🚌Cairo–Aswan sleeper train ~£25-45 (or flight £35-55)
🛏Aswan guesthouse, Corniche or Nubian West Bank (£10-18)
- →Nile Valley train journey
- →Evening stroll along the Aswan Corniche
- →Optional: felucca sunset sail ~£5-8
Aswan: High Dam, Philae Temple & Nubian culture
Aswan
Morning: shared taxi or Careem to the High Dam viewpoint (~£4-5 return) and then to the Philae Temple marina, where a boat crosses to the island (~£5 entry + ~£3-5 shared boat). Philae at opening time (7-8am) is quiet and gorgeous. Afternoon: take the public ferry to Elephantine Island (~£0.30) and wander the Nubian villages, or book a Nubian village visit through a local guide (~£15-25 including boat and tea with a family) — much cheaper than the tour's $60 add-on. Early night: tomorrow is an optional 4am start for Abu Simbel.
🚌Shared taxi / Careem ~£5; public ferry ~£0.30
🛏Aswan guesthouse (£10-18)
- →High Dam of Aswan
- →Temple of Philae
- →Elephantine Island & Nubian village walk
- →Optional: Nubian family visit with tea ~£15-25
Abu Simbel (optional) & Kom Ombo → Luxor
Aswan → Kom Ombo → Luxor
Highly recommended: join the 4am shared minibus convoy to Abu Simbel (~£15-25 per person with a seat-booking agency, plus ~£8 entry) — the temple is one of Egypt's absolute highlights and far cheaper than the tour's $150/$425 add-ons. Back by early afternoon. If you skip it, spend the morning at the Aswan souk. Next, take the Aswan–Luxor train (2nd class ~£3-5, 3-4 hours) and get off at Kom Ombo, hiring a tuk-tuk to the twin temple overlooking the Nile (~£3 entry). Continue to Luxor and check into a guesthouse on the West Bank (£10-18) — quieter and cheaper than the East Bank.
🚌Shared minibus to Abu Simbel ~£15-25; train Aswan–Kom Ombo–Luxor ~£4-6
🛏West Bank guesthouse, Luxor (sharing or private) £10-18
- →Optional: Abu Simbel temples (4am minibus)
- →Kom Ombo Temple
- →Luxor West Bank evening
Luxor East Bank: Karnak & Luxor Temple
Luxor
Slow morning — you've earned it. Afternoon is ideal for the East Bank: walk or cycle to Karnak (~£7 entry, allow 2-3 hours — hire a local guide for £15-20 if you want the stories) and then Luxor Temple (~£4) in the late light. Cycle hire is ~£2/day on the West Bank and the local ferry across the Nile is pennies. Optional evening: Karnak Sound & Light Show (~£12-15 booked direct or through GetYourGuide, vs $65 in the original tour). Dinner at a West Bank local restaurant ~£5-7.
🚌Local ferry ~£0.20, bicycle ~£2/day, or taxi ~£3
🛏West Bank guesthouse, Luxor (£10-18)
- →Karnak Temple complex
- →Luxor Temple
- →Optional: Karnak Sound & Light Show ~£12-15
Luxor West Bank: Valley of the Kings & Hatshepsut
Luxor
Get up early: cross on the public ferry and either share a taxi with other travellers at the ferry dock or hire a bike. Valley of the Kings entry (~£8, includes three tombs; Tutankhamun's tomb is extra) — a 6:30-7am arrival beats the tour buses and the heat. Then the Temple of Hatshepsut (~£4) and the Colossi of Memnon (free). Optional at dawn: hot air balloon over the West Bank, booked via GetYourGuide or a local operator for ~£45-70 — a big saving on the tour's $165. Late afternoon: bus or shared taxi to Hurghada (~£4-7, 4-5 hours, several departures daily from Luxor bus station).
🚌Ferry + shared taxi ~£5; Luxor–Hurghada bus ~£5-7
🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Hurghada (El Dahar or Sheraton Road area) £12-22
- →Valley of the Kings
- →Temple of Hatshepsut
- →Colossi of Memnon
- →Optional: sunrise hot air balloon ~£45-70
Hurghada: Red Sea snorkelling & beach day
Hurghada
Book a Giftun Island / Orange Bay snorkelling day trip the night before via GetYourGuide, Klook or any dive shop on Sheraton Road (~£15-25 including boat, snorkel gear, lunch and hotel pickup — the tour charged $65). Two reef stops, dolphins if you're lucky, and a lazy afternoon on the sand. Alternatively, a cheap PADI Discover Scuba dive is ~£40-50, or just swim from the free public beaches and eat grilled fish for dinner (~£6-8). Note: the original tour's all-inclusive resort is a splurge; a mid-range Hurghada hotel with pool and breakfast at £20-30 is the comfortable middle ground.
🚌Trip pickup included; local minibus ~£1
🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Hurghada (£12-22)
- →Giftun Island / Orange Bay snorkelling trip ~£15-25
- →Optional: Discover Scuba diving ~£40-50
- →Red Sea beach time
Hurghada → Cairo (optional GEM) & depart
Hurghada → Cairo
Return to Cairo. Cheapest reliable option: the Go Bus or Blue Bus coach (~£7-10, 6-7 hours, comfortable, book online). If you want to squeeze in the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM, Giza — the tour's signature add-on), book a morning Nile Air/Air Cairo or EgyptAir flight instead (~£40-60) and pre-book GEM tickets online at visit-gem.com (~£12-15 entry, plus ~£20-30 for a private guide or audio guide). GEM is vast — allow a half day minimum — so an early flight and an evening departure flight works. Overnight in Cairo if your flight is next morning (budget guesthouse £12-20).
🚌Hurghada–Cairo coach ~£8 or flight ~£40-60; airport transfer ~£3
🛏Optional final night in Cairo guesthouse (£12-20)
- →Optional: Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) ~£12-15 entry
- →Cairo departure
Self-launched vs. Vacations to go travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Vacations to go travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£655 | £1,250 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £595 per person (48%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Vacations to go travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£655
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does 9 Days Nile Jewel — Self-Launched Edition (Cairo, Aswan, Luxor & Hurghada) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £655 per person for 9 days in Egypt. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Vacations to go travel?+
Yes — Vacations to go travel charges around £1,250 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £655 — a saving of roughly £595 (48%) per person.
How long is the Egypt trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through Egypt.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, budget trip through Egypt, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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