Self-Launched Nile Valley: Aswan to Luxor Independently

Arrive in Aswan by overnight train from Cairo (approx. £25–35 sleeper/1st class, book on the Egyptian National Railways site or at Ramses station) or by flight if you're short on time. Drop your bag at a budget guesthouse on the East Bank, then hire a taxi or take a local minibus to the Aswan High Dam (£2 entry). Continue to Philae Temple by shared motorboat from the Shellal jetty — negotiate the boat round-trip at £8–12 per boat and split it with other travellers. Entry to Philae is about £6. A local guide at the temple costs roughly £12–18 for an hour and is genuinely worth it for the Isis/Osiris mythology. Evening: walk the Aswan corniche, eat at a Nubian restaurant, and buy your Kom Ombo/Edfu tickets here (multi-site ticket) rather than paying a middleman.

🚌Overnight train from Cairo (~£25–35) or flight; local taxi/minibus in Aswan (~£4–6 for the day)

🛏East Bank budget guesthouse or hostel, private room (£15–20)

• →Aswan High Dam entry (~£2)
• →Shared motorboat to Philae Temple (~£5 pp sharing)
• →Philae Temple entry (~£6) + optional local guide (~£15)
• →Aswan corniche and Nubian dinner

Take an early morning train from Aswan to Kom Ombo (2nd class approx. £3, one hour). The temple sits a 5-minute walk from the station — entry about £5. The dual temple of Sobek and Horus is compact and superb in morning light; a guide isn't essential if you've read up, but on-site guides charge around £10. Continue by train to Edfu (~£3, one hour), check into a cheap Edfu or nearby guesthouse, and in the late afternoon take a local horse carriage (caleche, ~£3–5, agree the price first) to the Temple of Horus. Edfu temple entry is about £6. Eat at a local koshari/fuul place in town — under £4 for a full meal.

🚌Aswan–Kom Ombo train (~£3), Kom Ombo–Edfu train (~£3), caleche (~£4)

🛏Edfu town guesthouse or simple hotel, private room (£14–18)

• →Kom Ombo Temple entry (~£5)
• →Edfu Temple of Horus entry (~£6)
• →Horse carriage ride to Edfu Temple (~£4)
• →Optional site guides (~£10 each)

Morning train from Edfu to Esna (~£2), then a shared minibus or service taxi from Esna to Luxor (~£4–6, about 1 hour). If you'd rather do the Nile properly, ask at your Edfu guesthouse about a shared local boat to Esna and the Esna Lock crossing — cheaper and less polished than a cruise sundeck, but the same scenery. Check in near Luxor Temple, then spend the afternoon at Luxor Temple (entry ~£6) and — if you still have energy — Karnak (entry ~£7), which is a 20-minute walk or £2 minibus along the corniche. Karnak closes around 5:30pm; Luxor Temple is open later and is magic at sunset. Evening: felucca on the Nile at sunset (~£5–8 per boat) and dinner on the West Bank ferry side for cheaper prices.

🚌Edfu–Esna train (~£2), Esna–Luxor shared minibus (~£5), local minibus/taxis (~£4)

🛏Luxor East Bank hostel/guesthouse, private room (£16–22)

• →Luxor Temple entry (~£6)
• →Karnak Temple entry (~£7)
• →Sunset felucca on the Nile (~£6 shared)
• →Optional Esna Lock boat crossing

Start early (7am) — the West Bank gets hot fast. Take the public ferry across the Nile (~£1) and hire a bicycle (~£3/day) or share a minibus/taxi with other travellers for the loop (£6–8 per person). Valley of the Kings entry covers three tombs (~£10); add Tutankhamun's tomb (~£8) or Seti I (~£25) if you're keen. Then Hatshepsut's mortuary temple (~£6) and a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon (free). A licensed Egyptology guide for the West Bank is around £25–35 for a half day and transforms the tombs — split with 2–4 other travellers from your hostel. Optional add-ons at local rates: sunrise hot-air balloon flight booked direct with a Luxor operator (£65–85, vs the operator's ~£95) or an Abu Simbel day trip if you're heading back south (shared minibus ~£25–35 from Aswan, not Luxor). Finish with lunch at a local restaurant on the West Bank (~£5), then to Luxor airport or the train station for onward travel.

🚌Public Nile ferry (~£1), bike hire (~£3) or shared minibus loop (£7); Luxor to station/airport (~£3)

🛏None included (checkout day) — book a Luxor hostel if extending

• →Valley of the Kings entry, 3 tombs (~£10)
• →Temple of Hatshepsut (~£6)
• →Colossi of Memnon (free)
• →Shared Egyptology guide half day (~£8 pp splitting £30)
• →Optional hot air balloon (~£70 direct)