Egypt & Jordan Discovered by Felucca — Self-Launched

Land at Cairo International, take the airport bus or a Careem/Uber into downtown (roughly £4-6) rather than a hotel transfer. Check into a budget hotel or hostel around Downtown/Talaat Harb. Spend the afternoon walking Islamic Cairo's Khan el-Khalili bazaar, then eat koshari for under £2. Buy your Egyptian e-visa online in advance (£20) or on arrival. Sort a local SIM from Vodafone/Orange (~£6 for data).

🚌Airport bus or Careem ride into downtown (~£5)

🛏Budget hotel/hostel, Downtown Cairo (private room ~£18, dorm ~£8)

• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar wander
• →Koshari dinner downtown
• →Buy local SIM card

Get to Giza early — Careem from downtown is ~£5, or the metro to Giza plus a short microbus. Pay the site entry (~£10) and walk the plateau between Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure; a camel handler will quote high, so agree a price in writing or just walk. Add the Sphinx viewpoint. In the afternoon take a Careem to the Grand Egyptian Museum (entry ~£20, book a timed slot online) — allow 3-4 hours. Skip the group dinner cruise and eat at a local fuul/ta'meya spot instead.

🚌Careem/Uber to Giza and GEM (~£8 total)

🛏Budget hotel/hostel, Downtown Cairo

• →Giza Pyramids plateau entry
• →Sphinx viewpoint
• →Grand Egyptian Museum (timed ticket)

A slow morning, then a daytime look at Coptic Cairo or the Egyptian Museum if you have energy. Book a Watania sleeper train berth from Cairo to Aswan (~£60-75 including dinner and breakfast, book online or at the station a few days ahead; a second-class seated ticket is ~£12 if you want it cheaper). Train leaves Ramses Station in the evening and rolls south overnight — you wake up on the Nile.

🚌Watania overnight sleeper Cairo → Aswan (~£65)

🛏Overnight sleeper train berth (or second-class seat)

• →Coptic Cairo / Egyptian Museum (optional)
• →Board overnight sleeper train

Arrive Aswan in the morning, drop your bag at a guesthouse on the Corniche or in the Nubian village on Elephantine Island. Take a public ferry to Philae Temple's boat landing (~£1) and pay the boatman and site entry (~£8 combined). See the Unfinished Obelisk in the northern granite quarries (~£3). In the evening wander the Nubian village, drink tea with a local family, and eat grilled Nile fish on the Corniche for ~£6.

🚌Local ferry and microbuses around Aswan (~£4)

🛏Aswan guesthouse (private room ~£15)

• →Philae Temple by public ferry
• →Unfinished Obelisk quarry
• →Nubian village walk on Elephantine Island

This is the heart of the original trip, done your way: hire a licensed felucca captain with a friend or two from your guesthouse for a half- or full-day sail (~£25-35 per person for a group of 4, including lunch cooked on board). Sail upriver among the islands, swim off the boat, and watch sunset over the dunes on the west bank. If you want the overnight version, arrange a two-day sail to Kom Ombo directly with the captain the day before.

🚌Licensed felucca sail (shared hire)

🛏Aswan guesthouse

• →Day felucca sail on the Nile
• →Lunch cooked on board
• →Nile swim and sunset from the west bank dunes

Take the early train or a GoBus/local minibus north to Kom Ombo (~£2-4) for the twin temple of Sobek and Haroeris (entry ~£5). Continue to Edfu by train or shared minibus and take a tuk-tuk to the Temple of Horus (~£6 entry). Push on to Luxor in the late afternoon (train ~£4, ~1.5 hrs). Check into a guesthouse on the west bank or in Luxor town, and eat at a local restaurant near the station.

🚌Local trains/minibuses Aswan → Kom Ombo → Edfu → Luxor (~£10)

🛏Luxor guesthouse/hostel (private room ~£15)

• →Kom Ombo Temple
• →Edfu Temple of Horus by tuk-tuk

Cross to the east bank and give Karnak a full morning (entry ~£8) — the hypostyle hall alone is worth two hours. Hire an independent Egyptologist guide at the gate or book one via GetYourGuide if you want the context (~£25-40 for a half day). Rest in the afternoon heat, then return to Luxor Temple at dusk (entry ~£6) when it's floodlit and almost empty. Dinner in Luxor town, ~£5.

🚌Local ferry across the Nile and tuk-tuks (~£3)

🛏Luxor guesthouse/hostel

• →Karnak Temple Complex (self-guided or private guide)
• →Luxor Temple at night

Start at 6am to beat the heat: cross on the public ferry, then a shared minibus or bicycle to the Valley of the Kings (entry ~£8 plus £4 for Tutankhamun's tomb). Add Hatshepsut's temple (~£4) and the Colossi of Memnon (free). Optional hot air balloon at sunrise bookable direct with operators on the west bank for ~£65-80 — far less than the tour add-on. Shower at the guesthouse, then take the evening sleeper train or a late flight back to Cairo (~£50-65), or a GoBus night coach for ~£12.

🚌West bank minibus/ferry + sleeper train or night coach to Cairo (~£20-65)

🛏Overnight train or night coach to Cairo (or Downtown Cairo hotel ~£18)

• →Valley of the Kings
• →Temple of Hatshepsut
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Optional sunrise hot air balloon

Take a GoBus or East Delta bus from Cairo to Dahab (~£10-15, 9-10 hours, book online or at the Turgoman garage). Arrive in the evening, check into a budget seafront guesthouse — Dahab's beachfront camps and guesthouses start around £12-18 for a private room. Dinner at a cheap beachfront cafe on the promenade.

🚌GoBus Cairo → Dahab (~£12)

🛏Dahab seafront guesthouse/camp (private room ~£15)

• →Sinai desert bus journey
• →Dahab promenade evening

Book a snorkel trip or a Discover Scuba dive with one of the many PADI centres in Dahab (a two-dive Discover Scuba day is ~£45-60, snorkel trip ~£20 with gear). The Blue Hole and the Canyon are 20 minutes north by pick-up. Afternoon back on the beach, then dinner at a Bedouin-style cafe with cushions on the sand (~£6).

🚌Dive centre pickup to Blue Hole (included in trip)

🛏Dahab seafront guesthouse/camp

• →Blue Hole snorkelling
• →Discover Scuba dive with local PADI centre
• →Beach lounge afternoon

Slow day. Walk the coast path to the Lighthouse, or arrange a camel/horse trek along the beach (~£15-20) with a local handler. In the afternoon, take a Bedouin-guided trip to the dunes and mountains behind Dahab, or a sunset hike to the viewpoint above the town. Optional overnight climb of Mount Sinai is also arrangeable from Dahab for ~£35-45 if you want a big one. Check bus timings to Nuweiba for the morning ferry.

🚌Walking / local taxis (~£3)

🛏Dahab seafront guesthouse/camp

• →Coastal walk to Blue Hole and Lighthouse
• →Optional camel trek on the beach
• →Sunset hike in the mountains
• →Optional Mount Sinai overnight climb

Take the early GoBus to Nuweiba (~£3) for the fast ferry to Aqaba (~£55-65, book AB Maritime online — check schedule and buy the Jordan Pass before you travel). On arrival at Aqaba port, get your Jordanian visa on arrival (included free with the Jordan Pass, ~£65, which also covers Petra and Wadi Rum entry — a big saving). Take a shared taxi or JETT bus from Aqaba to Wadi Rum Village (~£8-12, 1.5 hrs). Check into a Bedouin desert camp and eat a traditional zarb dinner under the stars (~£25-35 for a camp with dinner and breakfast).

🚌GoBus to Nuweiba + AB Maritime ferry + shared taxi/JETT to Wadi Rum (~£75)

🛏Bedouin desert camp, Wadi Rum (~£30 incl. dinner and breakfast)

• →Red Sea ferry crossing
• →Arrive Wadi Rum, Bedouin desert camp
• →Zarb dinner and stargazing

Book a 4x4 jeep tour through your camp for the morning (~£25-35 for a half day, shared) — Lawrence's Spring, the Khazali canyon inscriptions, the red dunes and the Mushroom Rock. Camel ride optional (~£10-15 for an hour). Mid-afternoon, take a shared minibus or service taxi from the Visitor Centre to Wadi Musa / Petra (~£15-20, 1.5-2 hrs). Check into a budget hotel by the Petra gate (~£18-25). Optional Petra by Night candlelit visit (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, ~£15, buy at the gate or online).

🚌Shared minibus/service taxi Wadi Rum → Wadi Musa (~£18)

🛏Budget hotel in Wadi Musa (~£20)

• →Wadi Rum 4x4 jeep tour
• →Optional camel ride
• →Optional Petra by Night

Be at the gate for 6:30am opening — the Siq in early light before the crowds is the whole point. Walk through to the Treasury, then continue to the Street of Facades, the Amphitheatre and the Royal Tombs. If you have legs for it, climb the 800+ steps to the Monastery (allow 2 hrs) or the 45 minutes up to the High Place of Sacrifice. Hire a local guide at the gate (~£25-35 for a half day) or buy a good audio guide app. Eat cheaply from the snack stalls inside, then collapse over mansaf in Wadi Musa (~£8).

🚌Walking to Petra gate (5 min from most hotels)

🛏Budget hotel in Wadi Musa

• →Petra main trail: Siq, Treasury, Royal Tombs
• →Monastery climb
• →Optional local guide or High Place of Sacrifice

Hire a shared taxi or join a small minibus from Wadi Musa running the King's Highway to Amman with stops (~£25-35 per person) — stop at Shobak Castle (Jordan Pass covered) and then the Dead Sea for a float and a mud pack at a public beach or Amman Beach (~£10-15). Reach Amman by early evening and check into a hotel in Downtown or Jabal Amman (~£20). Dinner at Hashem's for falafel and hummus (~£5) and stroll the Roman Theatre and Citadel if time allows. If you only want the quick version, a JETT coach Wadi Musa → Amman is ~£10-12 directly.

🚌Shared minibus King's Highway with stops, or JETT coach (~£30)

🛏Budget hotel, Downtown/Jabal Amman (~£20)

• →Shobak Castle
• →Dead Sea float and mud bath
• →Amman Citadel and Roman Theatre