Gods of Egypt — Self-Launched Nile & Red Sea Route
10 days · Egypt
Encounters Travel charges £2,570
No-markup version: ~£800 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Encounters Travel's "Gods of Egypt" 10-day group tour, covering Cairo's pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum, the Nubian side of Aswan, the Nile temples at Kom Ombo and Edfu, Luxor's West Bank and Karnak, then a Red Sea wind-down in Hurghada before returning to Cairo. Instead of a guided coach group and 5-star Nile cruise, you'll use local trains, cheap domestic flights or overnight buses, book budget hotels and hostels direct, and hire guides only where they genuinely add value (pyramids, Valley of the Kings, Karnak). Costs are approximate backpacker-to-midrange estimates in GBP, excluding international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Cairo — settle in and get your bearings
Cairo
Land at Cairo International, buy a tourist visa on arrival (US$25/£20, payable in USD or card at the bank kiosks before immigration), grab a local SIM from Vodafone or Orange in arrivals (~£5-8 for data), and take an Uber or Careem into downtown (200-300 EGP, ~£4-6) rather than a taxi touts' 'fixed price'. Stay around Downtown or the Zamalek/Doqqi edge for easy metro access. In the evening, walk Talaat Harb and the Nile Corniche, eat koshari from a busy local shop (£1.50-2.50), and optionally book the Giza sound-and-light show direct (~£20) or a cheap Nile dinner cruise — both are bookable via GetYourGuide if you'd rather not haggle.
🚌Airport taxi/Uber to Downtown ~£5
🛏Budget hotel or hostel dorm/private in Downtown Cairo (£12-20)
- →Visa on arrival + local SIM
- →Downtown Cairo orientation walk
- →Koshari dinner
- →Optional: Pyramids sound & light show (~£20, book direct or GetYourGuide)
Giza pyramids, Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum
Cairo / Giza
Take the Cairo Metro to Giza (El Giza station) then a microbus or short Uber to the pyramid plateau (~£2 total) — far cheaper than a tour transfer. Buy the Giza site ticket at the gate (~350 EGP / £5.50) and add entry inside a pyramid if you want it (the Cheops interior is limited-ticket and ~900 EGP; a smaller pyramid is cheaper). A licensed site guide for 2-3 hours costs £15-25 and is worth splitting. After lunch, head to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the pyramids — book a timed slot online in advance (~£22-25 including the Tutankhamun galleries). The metro/Uber combo works for both. Skip the overpriced 'panorama' camel rides unless you negotiate hard beforehand.
🚌Metro + Uber/microbus to Giza ~£2-3
🛏Budget hotel/hostel, Cairo (£12-20)
- →Giza plateau: Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure pyramids and Sphinx
- →Optional pyramid interior entry (extra ticket)
- →Grand Egyptian Museum including Tutankhamun galleries (pre-booked slot)
- →Local guide at Giza (~£20 shared)
Fly or night-train to Aswan — Nubian village and Philae Temple
Aswan
The tour uses an included domestic flight; the self-launched option is either a cheap NileAir/EgyptAir one-way Cairo-Aswan fare (often £45-70 booked 4-8 weeks ahead) or the overnight sleeper train (~£50-60 in a private cabin, book via the Watania sleeper site) — the flight saves a day. Check into a Nubian guesthouse on Elephantine Island or in the West Bank village (£10-18). In the afternoon, take the public ferry to Philae Temple (site ticket ~£5.50, plus a shared boat from Shellal ~£4-6 return, price fixed by the boatmen's association). Evening: dinner in a Nubian family guesthouse — many West Bank guesthouses cook for guests (£5-7) and offer henna, tea and music, effectively the 'Nubian village' experience the tour includes.
🚌Domestic flight £45-70 (or sleeper train ~£55); local ferry/boat £6
🛏Nubian guesthouse, Elephantine Island or West Bank (£10-18)
- →Domestic flight or sleeper train to Aswan
- →Public ferry + boat to Philae Temple
- →Nubian West Bank village wander and family-run dinner
- →Optional: Abu Simbel overland or shared minibus trip (~£20-28) — easier as an early Day 4 add-on
Optional Abu Simbel at dawn, then Nile sail to Kom Ombo and Edfu
Aswan → Kom Ombo → Edfu
The big optional on the original tour. Shared minibus convoys to Abu Simbel leave Aswan around 4am and return by early afternoon (~£20-28 per seat including ticket, or join a GetYourGuide group tour ~£35). If you skip it, have a slow breakfast and felucca hour on the Nile (~£8-12/hour for the boat, split between travellers). Then head north: the 2nd-class train Aswan-Kom Ombo is a couple of pounds, or take a shared minibus. Stop at Kom Ombo Temple (ticket ~£4) right by the riverside, then continue to Edfu by train or minibus. Sleep in Edfu town (£10-15) so you can see the Horus Temple early the next morning — the tour's 5-star cruise does this stretch overnight, but the local train version is just as scenic and a fraction of the price.
🚌Shared minibus Abu Simbel £22 (optional) + train/minibus Aswan-Edfu ~£5
🛏Simple hotel in Edfu (£10-15)
- →Optional Abu Simbel temples excursion (shared minibus or GetYourGuide tour)
- →Felucca sail on the Nile in Aswan
- →Kom Ombo Temple
- →Train/minibus to Edfu
Temple of Horus at Edfu, then on to Luxor
Edfu → Luxor
Be at Edfu Temple when gates open (~6-7am) — the best-preserved Ptolemaic temple in Egypt and blissfully quiet before the cruise boats arrive. Ticket ~£4.50; a calèche (horse carriage) from town costs ~£2-3 each way (agree the price first). Then take a 2nd-class train or minibus Edfu to Luxor (~£3-5, 1.5-2 hrs). Check into a hostel or guesthouse on the West Bank (£10-16) or downtown Luxor. In the evening, walk Luxor Temple (ticket ~£5, and it's beautifully lit after dark) and wander the corniche — the tour's guided evening walk can be replicated with a good guidebook or an audio guide app.
🚌Train/minibus Edfu-Luxor ~£4
🛏West Bank guesthouse or Luxor hostel (£10-16)
- →Edfu Temple at opening time
- →Calèche ride and local breakfast in Edfu
- →Train to Luxor
- →Luxor Temple in the evening
- →Luxor souk and corniche stroll
Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and Karnak
Luxor
Big day. Start at 6am if you're doing the optional hot air balloon (~£100-120 via GetYourGuide or direct with a balloon company — the original tour lists it as optional too). Otherwise cross the Nile by public ferry (£1) and hire a bike (£3-4/day) or shared minibus to the West Bank sites: Valley of the Kings (ticket ~£9, includes 3 tombs; Ramses V/VI or Tutankhamun cost extra), Deir el-Medina (~£2.50), Temple of Hatshepsut (~£4.50) and the Colossi of Memnon (free). A licensed Egyptologist guide for the West Bank is £25-40 for the day and genuinely transforms the experience. Late afternoon, taxi or minibus to Karnak Temple (~£10 entry, allow 2 hours) — a guide here (~£20 for 2 hours) is optional. Suncream, water and an early start are non-negotiable.
🚌Public ferry, bike hire, shared minibus and taxi ~£8-10
🛏West Bank guesthouse or Luxor hostel (£10-16)
- →Valley of the Kings (3-tomb ticket)
- →Deir el-Medina workmen's village
- →Temple of Hatshepsut and Colossi of Memnon
- →Karnak Temple complex
- →Optional sunrise hot air balloon (~£110)
Bus to Hurghada — Red Sea check-in
Luxor → Hurghada
Take the morning Go Bus or Upper Egypt bus Luxor-Hurghada (~£6-9, 4-5 hrs; book online or at the Luxor office the day before). On arrival, check into a budget hotel or guesthouse a short walk from the beach — prices jump at the big 5-star resorts the tour uses, but decent seafront hotels in the old town run £18-30 with breakfast, and mid-range all-inclusive deals can occasionally undercut that in low season if you book direct.
🚌Go Bus/Upper Egypt bus ~£7
🛏Budget seafront hotel, Hurghada (£18-30)
- →Scenic desert road bus to the Red Sea
- →Afternoon swim and marina walk in Hurghada
- →Old town (El Dahar) fish dinner
Red Sea day — snorkelling, diving or pure beach time
Hurghada
Pick your Red Sea day: a shared boat snorkelling trip to Giftun Island or the Orange Bay reefs is the best value (~£25-35 including lunch and gear, book via GetYourGuide or any dive shop the day before), or a two-dive intro/fun dive package from a PADI centre (~£50-70). Cheaper still: swim off the public beach (£2-3 entry) and rent a mask. Other add-ons if you fancy them — kite/windsurf lessons (~£35-50), quad biking in the desert (~£20-25), glass-bottom boat (~£10-15). Evening: seafood at the marina or shisha in El Dahar.
🚌Local minibus/taxi to marina or beach £2-4
🛏Budget seafront hotel, Hurghada (£18-30)
- →Shared snorkelling boat trip to Giftun/Orange Bay
- →Optional intro dive or two-dive package
- →Optional quad biking, kite lesson or glass-bottom boat
- →Beach time and marina dinner
Back to Cairo — Islamic Cairo, bazaars and koshari
Hurghada → Cairo
Fly Hurghada-Cairo one way (~£35-55 on EgyptAir/Nile Air, 1 hr) or take the 6-7 hour Go Bus (~£8-12) if you're keeping costs tight. Drop bags at a Downtown hotel (£12-20) and spend the afternoon doing the tour's optional Cairo walk for free: Bab al-Futuh, Al-Muizz Street, Khan el-Khalili bazaar, a shisha and mint tea in El Fishawy café (£3-5), and koshari or grilled kofta for dinner (£3-6). A local guide for the evening old-city walk via GetYourGuide is ~£20-25 if you want the context.
🚌Flight ~£45 (or Go Bus ~£10) + airport transfer ~£4
🛏Downtown Cairo budget hotel/hostel (£12-20)
- →Domestic flight or bus back to Cairo
- →Bab al-Futuh and Al-Muizz Street walk
- →Khan el-Khalili bazaar and El Fishawy tea/shisha
- →Koshari dinner
Coptic Cairo, the Citadel or Saqqara — then home
Cairo
Use your final day for one of the tour's optional half-days. Cheapest and easiest by metro/Uber: Coptic Cairo (Hanging Church, St Sergius, Ben Ezra Synagogue — free/donation) plus the Citadel and Muhammad Ali Mosque (~£4.50). Alternatively, take the metro to Giza then a microbus to Saqqara for the Step Pyramid and Dashur's Red and Bent pyramids (~£10-14 entry total), or a day trip to Alexandria by 2.5-hour train (~£5-8 each way). Time your return to Cairo International with 3 hours' buffer — the airport is a 30-45 min Uber (£4-6) from Downtown.
🚌Metro/Uber within Cairo ~£4; airport transfer ~£5
🛏— (departure day)
- →Coptic Cairo and Citadel visit, OR Saqqara/Dashur pyramids, OR Alexandria day trip
- →Last-minute souvenir shopping
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. Encounters Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Encounters Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£800 | £2,570 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,770 per person (69%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Encounters Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£800
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 Gods of Egypt — Self-Launched Nile & Red Sea Route cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £800 per person for 10 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 Encounters Travel?+
Yes — Encounters Travel charges around £2,570 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £800 — a saving of roughly £1,770 (69%) per person.
How long is the Egypt trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 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 adventure, culture, hiking 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?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
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