Egypt Independently: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan & Abu Simbel
8 days · Egypt
Egyptology Travel charges £1,144
No-markup version: ~£650 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 8-day version of Egyptology Travel's "TUT Honey Moon Tour": Giza and Cairo, then down to Luxor for Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and a sunrise hot air balloon, a budget Nile cruise or public-ferry alternative on to Aswan via Edfu and Kom Ombo, a shared-taxi day trip to Abu Simbel, and a flight back to Cairo. Book each piece yourself — hostels and guesthouses instead of group hotels, local guides or self-guided visits instead of a tour guide throughout, and trains/shared taxis/flights instead of tour transport. Costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP and exclude international flights and most entrance fees.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Cairo — settle in and walk Islamic Cairo
Cairo
Land at Cairo International Airport, buy a local SIM at the airport (Vodafone/Orange, ~£6–8 for data) and take an Uber or the airport bus into downtown (~£3–5) rather than a pre-booked transfer. Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Downtown or Zamalek. Depending on arrival time, take an easy evening wander through the Khan el-Khalili bazaar area and eat koshari at Abou Tarek (~£2). Sort out your Egypt e-visa online in advance (~£20) or buy a visa on arrival (~$25).
🚌Uber or airport bus from CAI to downtown Cairo (~£3–5)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Downtown Cairo / Zamalek (~£15–22/night)
- →Khan el-Khalili bazaar wander
- →Koshari dinner at Abou Tarek
Giza Pyramids, Sphinx and overnight train to Luxor
Cairo → Luxor
Get to Giza early by Uber (~£3–4). Buy your own Giza plateau ticket at the gate (~£13) and, if you want Tutankhamun-level context, hire a licensed freelance Egyptologist guide at the gate or pre-book a small-group Giza tour on GetYourGuide (~£25–35) — far cheaper than a private day rate. Walk the Valley Temple and Sphinx viewpoint, and skip the overpriced camel touts (agree a fixed price or just don't). Return to Cairo, collect your bag, and board the overnight sleeper train to Luxor (~£50–60 in a two-berth cabin, book direct with the Watania sleeper service) — or a domestic flight (~£45–60) if you'd rather sleep in a bed and save half a day. Note several travellers report the overnight train is an experience in itself, not luxury.
🚌Uber to Giza and back (~£7), overnight sleeper train Cairo–Luxor (~£50–60)
🛏Overnight sleeper train cabin
- →Great Pyramids of Giza (self-entry ticket)
- →Sphinx and Valley Temple
- →Optional small-group Giza guided tour
Luxor: Karnak and Luxor Temple, board the Nile
Luxor
Arrive in Luxor mid-morning, drop bags at a guesthouse on the East Bank near Luxor Temple (~£15–20/night). Spend the afternoon at Karnak Temple (ticket ~£10) — go late afternoon for cooler light — then walk the Avenue of Sphinxes to Luxor Temple (~£7) and stay for sunset and the illuminated evening view. For the Nile leg, either book a 4-day/3-night budget Nile cruise Luxor–Aswan directly with a local operator (~£120–180 all-in for a standard cabin, bookable on arrival or via Klook) or, for the backpacker version, take the public ferry/local boat hops plus train between Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan (~£15–25 total). Book your cruise or transport for tomorrow before dinner.
🚌Train arrival, local taxi/walk (under £5)
🛏East Bank guesthouse, Luxor (~£15–20/night)
- →Karnak Temple
- →Avenue of Sphinxes walk
- →Luxor Temple at sunset
Sunrise hot air balloon and the West Bank tombs
Luxor West Bank
Book a budget hot air balloon flight over the Valley of the Kings on Klook or GetYourGuide the night before (~£65–85 including hotel pickup, far below tour-operator add-ons). Pre-dawn pickup, ~45 minutes aloft, back for breakfast. Then cross to the West Bank by public passenger ferry (~£1) and hire a local bike or share a taxi to cover the Valley of the Kings (~£13 for 3 tombs, extra for Tutankhamun's tomb ~£5), Temple of Hatshepsut (~£6) and the Colossi of Memnon (free). Return to Luxor for dinner; your Nile boat departs tonight or tomorrow morning depending on your booking.
🚌Balloon transfer included, public ferry (~£1), shared taxi on West Bank (~£5–8)
🛏Nile cruise cabin (or East Bank guesthouse if doing the public-transport version)
- →Sunrise hot air balloon flight
- →Valley of the Kings
- →Tutankhamun's tomb (optional)
- →Temple of Hatshepsut
- →Colossi of Memnon
Sailing south: Esna lock, Edfu and Kom Ombo
Nile between Luxor and Aswan
A relaxed sailing day. Pass through the Esna lock, then stop at Edfu Temple (~£6) — reach it by local horse carriage from the boat landing (~£3, agree the price first) — before continuing to Kom Ombo Temple (~£5), the twin temple right on the riverbank, best at golden hour. If you've gone the public-transport route, take the train Luxor–Edfu (~£2–3), a tuk-tuk to the temple, then train on to Kom Ombo and Aswan (~£3–5) with an overnight in Aswan. Guides are optional here: temple signage is decent, or pre-book a small-group tour for Edfu/Kom Ombo on GetYourGuide (~£20).
🚌Nile cruise sailing / train hops (~£5–10)
🛏Nile cruise cabin (or Aswan guesthouse ~£15–20)
- →Esna lock
- →Edfu Temple by horse carriage
- →Kom Ombo Temple
Abu Simbel by shared minibus, High Dam and Philae
Aswan
Pre-book a shared minibus or van to Abu Simbel (~£15–20 return, departing Aswan around 4am for the convoy; entrance ~£13) — it's a 3-hour drive each way and absolutely worth the early alarm. Back in Aswan by early afternoon, visit the High Dam (~£3) and take a local boat to Philae Temple (~£6 entry plus ~£5 boat share). Stay overnight in Aswan rather than taking an overnight train back — accommodation is cheap and Aswan's waterfront at sunset is the best evening of the trip.
🚌Shared minibus Aswan–Abu Simbel return (~£15–20), local boat to Philae (~£5)
🛏Aswan guesthouse or budget hotel (~£15–22/night)
- →Abu Simbel Temples
- →Aswan High Dam
- →Philae Temple
Fly Aswan to Cairo, slow afternoon in the capital
Aswan → Cairo
Take a morning domestic flight Aswan–Cairo (~£55–85, book a few weeks ahead on EgyptAir or Nile Air — it's cheaper and vastly more comfortable than the 12-hour overnight train, as several travellers on the original tour noted). Check back into a Cairo hostel, then use the afternoon for the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (~£10) or the Grand Egyptian Museum, a felucca or a rooftop dinner in Zamalek. Buy any last souvenirs at a fair price — haggle hard.
🚌Domestic flight Aswan–Cairo (~£55–85), Uber (~£4)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Downtown Cairo (~£15–22/night)
- →Egyptian Museum or Grand Egyptian Museum
- →Zamalek waterfront evening
Depart Cairo
Cairo
Final breakfast, a last walk through downtown for coffee and pastries, then take an Uber or bus to Cairo International Airport (~£3–5) for your flight home. If your flight is late, squeeze in Coptic Cairo or the Al-Azhar area.
🚌Uber to CAI (~£3–5)
- →Downtown coffee stop
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. Egyptology Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Egyptology Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£650 | £1,144 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £494 per person (43%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Egyptology Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£650
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 Egypt Independently: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan & Abu Simbel cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £650 per person for 8 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 Egyptology Travel?+
Yes — Egyptology Travel charges around £1,144 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £650 — a saving of roughly £494 (43%) per person.
How long is the Egypt trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 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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