Self-Launched Ancient Wonders: Pyramids, GEM & Nile by Train and Felucca (10 days)

Land at Cairo International (CAI) and take the airport bus or Uber/Careem into Downtown for £3–6 rather than a pre-booked transfer. Check into a budget hotel or hostel around Talat Harb or Wust el-Balad, buy a local SIM (Vodafone/Orange, ~£4–7 for a tourist data package) and pick up an Egyptian pound float from an ATM. Spend the late afternoon walking the Khan el-Khalili lanes and the Al-Muizz Street stretch before an early koshari dinner (£2–3). Rest up — tomorrow starts early.

🚌Airport bus or Uber/Careem from CAI, £3–6; walking and metro locally

🛏Budget hotel/hostel, Downtown Cairo (~£15–22, private room or dorm)

• →Khan el-Khalili souq wander
• →Al-Muizz Street evening stroll
• →Buy local SIM & SIM top-up

Get to the Giza plateau at opening time (8am-ish) via Uber (~£4–6) to beat the heat and the coach crowds. Buy the site ticket plus the Great Pyramid interior ticket at the gate — roughly £13 for the site and £10–12 for the pyramid entry, card or cash. Do Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure on foot, walk down to the Sphinx viewpoint, then grab lunch and head to the GEM near the pyramids. Allow 3–4 hours for the Grand Egyptian Museum — pre-book a timed slot online to be safe. If you want narration, a GetYourGuide half-day Giza guide is ~£20–30; otherwise the site signage plus a podcast works fine.

🚌Uber to Giza plateau ~£4–6; Uber between Giza and GEM ~£4

🛏Budget hotel/hostel, Downtown Cairo (~£15–22)

• →Giza plateau & three pyramids (self-guided)
• →Great Pyramid interior entry
• →Sphinx viewpoint
• →Grand Egyptian Museum (timed ticket)

A slow morning: the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir or a wander through Coptic Cairo and the Hanging Church if you skipped them. Buy your Watania sleeper train ticket in advance online (single berth ~£45–70 depending on class) for the evening departure from Ramses or Cairo station — this replaces the operator's domestic flight and saves a night of accommodation too. Board around 8pm, eat the simple dinner on board and sleep your way south.

🚌Watania overnight sleeper train Cairo–Aswan, ~£45–70 single berth

🛏Overnight sleeper train berth (Watania), ~£45–70 included in transport

• →Egyptian Museum Tahrir (optional, ~£8)
• →Coptic Cairo & Hanging Church (free/cheap)

Arrive Aswan mid-morning, drop bags at a Nubian guesthouse on Elephantine Island or in the town centre, then take a shared pickup or Uber to Philae. The temple sits on Agilkia Island — you reach it by a short motorboat ride negotiated at the dock (~£4–6 per person return, or £10–15 for the boat). Entry ~£8–10. Combine with the Aswan High Dam viewpoint (~£3) and the Unfinished Obelisk quarry (~£3). Evening: sunset felucca sail on the Nile, ~£5–8 per person on a shared boat — genuinely traditional, unlike the operator's reported substitute. Ask your guesthouse to arrange it rather than a tout.

🚌Local pickup/tuk-tuk and motorboat to Philae; felucca ~£5–8

🛏Nubian guesthouse or budget hotel, Aswan (~£12–20)

• →Temple of Philae (boat + entry)
• →Aswan High Dam
• →Unfinished Obelisk quarry
• →Sunset felucca on the Nile

Book the shared minibus convoy to Abu Simbel the night before through your guesthouse or a GetYourGuide small-group option (~£25–35 including a share of transport; entry ~£13 extra). The 4am departure is brutal but the Temples of Ramses II and Nefertari at first light are the highlight of the whole trip. Back in Aswan by early afternoon, then take a local train or shared minibus north to Kom Ombo (~£3–5). See the twin temple of Sobek and Horus the Elder and the crocodile mummy museum (~£5 entry) in the late afternoon light. Continue to Edfu by train or minibus (~£2–4) and overnight there or in Luxor.

🚌Shared minibus Aswan–Abu Simbel–Aswan ~£20–25; train/minibus Aswan–Kom Ombo–Edfu ~£6–9

🛏Budget hotel Edfu or Luxor (~£12–20)

• →Abu Simbel temples at sunrise (shared trip)
• →Kom Ombo temple & crocodile mummy museum

Take the classic horse carriage from Edfu town to the Temple of Horus (~£3–4 each way, negotiate before boarding) and be there for opening — the pylons and the falcon statue are best before the coaches arrive. Entry ~£7. Then train to Luxor (~£2–4, 45 min) and check into a West Bank or town-centre guesthouse. Late afternoon at Karnak (~£10) — stay for the light change across the hypostyle hall — then walk the Avenue of Sphinxes to Luxor Temple for sunset and after-dark illumination (~£7).

🚌Horse carriage to Edfu Temple ~£3–4 each way; train Edfu–Luxor ~£2–4; local taxi/tuk-tuk in Luxor

🛏Budget guesthouse/hotel, Luxor West Bank or centre (~£12–20)

• →Edfu Temple (Temple of Horus)
• →Karnak Temple Complex
• →Luxor Temple at dusk
• →Avenue of Sphinxes walk

If you want the balloon, book it the day before via your guesthouse or GetYourGuide (~£70–90 with pickup) — a 4:30am start for sunrise over the Theban hills. Either way, hire a bicycle (~£3/day) or share a taxi for the West Bank loop: Valley of the Kings (~£13, includes three tombs — Tutankhamun costs extra), Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari (~£7) and the Colossi of Memnon (free). Carry water, a hat and small notes for the tomb guardians. Afternoon: ferry back across the Nile and a lazy riverside dinner.

🚌West Bank ferry ~£0.30; bicycle hire ~£3 or shared taxi ~£8–12 for the loop

🛏Budget guesthouse/hotel, Luxor (~£12–20)

• →Valley of the Kings
• →Temple of Hatshepsut
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Optional sunrise hot-air balloon (~£70–90)

Hire a taxi or join a shared car to Dendera (~£15–20 return with waiting, entry ~£6) to see the famously intact Hathor temple ceiling — one of the least crowded big sites in Egypt. Then take the direct bus or shared minibus from Luxor to Hurghada, roughly 4–5 hours for £5–8 (Go Bus and Upper Egypt Travel both run it; book a day ahead). Check into a guesthouse or budget hotel in Hurghada's old town or El Dahar rather than a resort strip, and eat at a local seafood place by the marina.

🚌Shared taxi to Dendera ~£15–20 return; Go Bus/Upper Egypt Travel Luxor–Hurghada ~£5–8

🛏Budget guesthouse/hotel, Hurghada old town (~£15–25)

• →Dendera Temple complex
• →Hurghada marina evening walk

Book a shared day boat through GetYourGuide or Klook (~£20–30 including lunch, gear and transfer) for Giftun Island or one of the northern reefs — much better value and less crowded than a private charter. Alternatively, a two-dive intro day with a local PADI centre runs £45–60. If you'd rather stay dry, kitesurf or windsurf lessons are available along the main beach for £30–45. Keep the evening free for a cheap local dinner and pack for tomorrow's flight.

🚌Boat trip pickup included; local minibus/taxi ~£2–4

🛏Budget guesthouse/hotel, Hurghada (~£15–25)

• →Shared snorkelling day trip to Giftun Island
• →Optional intro scuba dive or kitesurf lesson

Morning swim and a slow breakfast, then an Uber or local taxi to Hurghada International (HRG) — 15–20 minutes, roughly £4–7. If your flight is late, most guesthouses will hold your bag and let you use the beach or lobby. Remember Egypt charges an exit-related fee at some land borders but not at HRG for most nationalities — check your airline's current guidance before you go.

🚌Uber/taxi to Hurghada International Airport ~£4–7

🛏None — departure day

• →Final beach morning
• →Airport transfer