Incredible Egypt & Jordan 10 Days — Self-Launched

Land at Cairo International Airport, buy your visa on arrival at the bank counter (~$25 / £20, payable in USD or GBP — bring cash), pick up a local SIM from Vodafone or Orange in arrivals (~£6 for 20GB) and take the airport shuttle bus or Uber to your Downtown Cairo hostel (~£4-8). Rest, then wander Islamic Cairo in the late afternoon: Al-Hussein Mosque and the alleys of Khan el-Khalili bazaar, with mint tea at El Fishawy cafe. Book your Giza day tour and your Cairo–Aswan sleeper train ticket tonight (Wagon Lit sleeper, book online ~2 weeks ahead, £55-75 for a single-occupancy cabin).

🚌Airport bus/Uber into Downtown Cairo (£4-8)

🛏Downtown Cairo hostel or budget hotel, private room (~£15-22)

• →Visa on arrival and local SIM
• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar
• →Al-Hussein Mosque area
• →Book sleeper train to Aswan

Take an Uber to Giza early (~£3) to beat the heat and the crowds. Giza plateau entry ~£2.50, plus extra tickets for going inside a pyramid if you want. Camel or horse ride around the plateau is ~£10-15 — haggle hard or book a fixed-price ride through GetYourGuide. Lunch at a local koshari shop (~£3). Afternoon: the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (or the Grand Egyptian Museum if open on your date — check ahead, tickets ~£20) plus a saunter through Al-Azhar Park. Back to the hostel to collect bags and head to Ramses Station for the 8pm sleeper to Aswan.

🚌Uber around Cairo (£5-8 total); overnight sleeper train Cairo–Aswan (~£55-75)

🛏Overnight on the Cairo–Aswan sleeper train

• →Pyramids of Giza (Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure)
• →The Sphinx
• →Egyptian Museum / Grand Egyptian Museum
• →Optional camel ride

Arrive Aswan around 8am, drop bags at your guesthouse and head out. Shared taxi or local minibus to the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk (~£3 total), then a motorboat out to Agilika Island for the Temple of Philae (boat share ~£8, entry ~£5). Afternoon: Nubian Village by local boat (~£8 return) or a felucca sail at sunset (~£5-8 per person, split the boat). Evening: grilled Nile fish or Nubian tagine in the Aswan bazaar area (~£6). Ask your guesthouse to arrange the shared minibus to Kom Ombo and Edfu for tomorrow, or take the morning train (~£3-5).

🚌Local minibuses/taxis and shared boats in Aswan (~£15)

🛏Aswan guesthouse, private room with breakfast (~£15-20)

• →High Dam
• →Temple of Philae by boat
• →Unfinished Obelisk
• →Nubian Village or felucca sunset sail

Morning train or shared minibus from Aswan to Kom Ombo (~£3, ~45 min), then walk 5 minutes to the riverside Temple of Kom Ombo (entry ~£4). Continue by train or minibus to Edfu (~£3, ~1 hr), and take a tuk-tuk or calèche to the Temple of Horus (entry ~£4, tuk-tuk ~£2) — one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt. Late afternoon train or minibus on to Luxor (~£3-5, ~2 hrs). Check into a West Bank or Luxor town guesthouse and eat cheap at a local ful/ta'ameya spot (~£4). Book tomorrow's West Bank tour — either a shared minibus tour (~£15) or DIY by bike/local ferry.

🚌Trains/minibuses Aswan–Kom Ombo–Edfu–Luxor (~£10-12); tuk-tuk to Edfu temple

🛏Luxor guesthouse, private room with breakfast (~£15-22)

• →Temple of Kom Ombo
• →Temple of Horus at Edfu
• →Calèche or tuk-tuk ride

Cross the Nile on the public ferry (~£0.50) and take a shared minibus or rent a bike (~£3/day) on the West Bank. Valley of the Kings entry ~£14 (3 tombs included; Tutankhamun and Seti I cost extra), Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari ~£4, Colossi of Memnon free. Optional add-ons: a hot-air balloon at sunrise (~£55-70 via GetYourGuide) or the Tombs of the Nobles. Late lunch on the West Bank (~£4), then a slow afternoon — Luxor souk and sunset tea on a rooftop. Book tickets for Karnak and Luxor Temple for tomorrow (or grab the Luxor Pass if you're seeing a lot).

🚌Public ferry, shared minibus and bike hire on the West Bank (~£8)

🛏Luxor guesthouse, private room with breakfast (~£15-22)

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

Early start for Karnak Temple Complex (entry ~£10) — the hypostyle hall alone is worth the trip — then walk the Avenue of Sphinxes (or take a minibus) to Luxor Temple (~£6). Optional sound-and-light show at Karnak (~£15) if you're staying on a night train instead. Late lunch (~£4), then board the daytime train or the overnight sleeper back to Cairo (~£12 daytime 2nd class, ~£55-75 sleeper). Sleeper arriving early morning is the most efficient option if you have a Cairo–Amman flight booked for tomorrow.

🚌Local transport (~£5); Luxor–Cairo train (~£12-75 depending on class)

🛏Overnight train to Cairo (or Cairo hostel if flying out the same evening)

• →Karnak Temple Complex
• →Temple of Amun
• →Luxor Temple
• →Optional Karnak sound & light show

Fly Cairo to Amman (Air Cairo, EgyptAir or Royal Jordanian — book early for fares around £70-120 one way, cabin bag included; add a checked bag for a fee). Jordan's visa-on-arrival is free with the Jordan Pass if you buy it online before travel (~£55-90 depending on Petra days — it covers your visa plus Petra and Jerash entry, and is the single best money-saver of the trip). From Queen Alia Airport take the Sariya Express bus to Amman (~£3) or a shared taxi. Afternoon: local bus or shared taxi to Madaba for St George's Church and its mosaic map (~£2 entry), then on to Mount Nebo (~£2) for the view over the Jordan Valley. Back to Amman for falafel and hummus downtown (~£5).

🚌Cairo–Amman flight (~£70-120); airport bus and local buses/shared taxis (~£10)

🛏Amman Downtown hostel or budget hotel, private room (~£20-28)

• →Madaba and St George's Church mosaic map
• →Mount Nebo
• →Jordan Pass purchase

Take the early JETT bus from Amman's Abdali station to Wadi Musa (~£10, ~3.5 hrs, book a day ahead or online). Enter Petra with your Jordan Pass (1-day Petra entry alone is ~£45, which is why the Pass pays for itself). Walk the Siq to the Treasury, then the Street of Facades, Theatre, Royal Tombs and — if your legs allow — the 800-step climb to the Monastery. A horse ride is included in the ticket for the first stretch (tip the handler ~£3-5), or hire a donkey/guide for the Monastery climb. Buy water and snacks at the supermarket in town, not inside the site. Overnight in Wadi Musa (hostels and cheap hotels are abundant).

🚌JETT bus Amman–Wadi Musa (~£10)

🛏Wadi Musa hostel or budget hotel, private room with breakfast (~£18-25)

• →Petra: Siq, Treasury, Monastery
• →Horse ride on entry stretch
• →Optional Petra by Night (Mon/Wed/Thu, ~£15)

Optional early revisit to Petra with your pass (if you bought a multi-day Pass) or a hike up to the High Place of Sacrifice. Late morning JETT bus or shared taxi back to Amman (~£10). Afternoon in Amman: the Citadel with its Roman Temple of Hercules (~£2), the Roman Theatre, the Jordan Museum (~£4) and a wander through the bustling downtown souk and Rainbow Street. Dinner at Hashem's for cheap falafel and hummus (~£4) or a Jordanian mansaf if you want to splash out (~£10).

🚌JETT bus Wadi Musa–Amman (~£10); local taxis (~£5)

🛏Amman Downtown hostel or budget hotel, private room (~£20-28)

• →Amman Citadel
• →Roman Theatre
• →Jordan Museum
• →Downtown souk and Rainbow Street

Morning shared taxi or local bus from Amman's Tabarbour bus station to Jerash (~£2 each way, ~1 hr) — the Roman city is one of the best-preserved in the Middle East, with Hadrian's Arch, the Oval Plaza, the colonnaded Cardo Maximus and two theatres (entry covered by your Jordan Pass, otherwise ~£12). Lunch in Jerash town (~£4). Return to Amman in the afternoon, collect bags and take the Sariya Express bus or an airport taxi out to Queen Alia for your flight home (~£3-15).

🚌Local bus/shared taxi to Jerash and back (~£5); airport bus or taxi (~£3-15)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Jerash Roman ruins
• →Hadrian's Arch and Oval Plaza
• →Cardo Maximus