Uncover Jordan & Egypt — Self-Launched

Fly into Queen Alia International Airport and take the airport express bus (Sariyah) or shared shuttle to Downtown Amman (~£4-5; a taxi is ~£18-22). Check into a budget hotel or hostel in Downtown/Jabal Amman. Buy your Jordan Pass online before arrival if you haven't already — the Jordan Explorer pass (~£75) covers your visa fee and entry to Jerash, Petra and Wadi Rum, which is far cheaper than paying each separately. Spend the evening wandering Rainbow Street and eating falafel and knafeh at Hashem Restaurant (~£4).

🚌Airport express bus to Downtown Amman, ~£4-5

🛏Budget hotel in Downtown Amman (double en-suite or dorm), ~£18-25

• →Rainbow Street evening wander
• →Hashem falafel dinner
• →Buy Jordan Pass online

Take a local bus or minibus from Amman's Tabarbour bus station to Jerash (~£1.50, 1 hour). Enter with your Jordan Pass and explore Hadrian's Arch, the Oval Plaza, the colonnaded Cardo Maximus, the hippodrome and the hilltop Temple of Artemis at your own pace — the site is huge and signage is good, so a guide isn't essential (a local guide at the gate costs ~£15 if you want one). Catch a bus back to Amman in the afternoon.

🚌Public bus Amman–Jerash return, ~£3

🛏Budget hotel in Downtown Amman, ~£18-25

• →Jerash archaeological site (Jordan Pass)
• →Temple of Artemis & Cardo Maximus
• →Optional local site guide ~£15

Take a bus or shared taxi from Amman to Madaba (~£1.50-2, 45 mins). Visit St George's Church to see the famous 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land (entry ~£1), then the Archaeological Park and Church of the Apostles. In the afternoon grab a taxi or minibus to Mount Nebo (~£5 return) for the views over the Jordan Valley. Overnight in Madaba, which is cheaper and calmer than Amman.

🚌Bus Amman–Madaba, ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Madaba, ~£15-20

• →St George's Church mosaic map
• →Madaba Archaeological Park
• →Mount Nebo viewpoint

Take the JETT coach or local bus from Madaba/Amman to Wadi Musa (~£8-10, 3.5-4 hrs). Drop your bag at a hostel near the Petra visitor centre and head in with your Jordan Pass for the afternoon. Walk the 1km Siq gorge and emerge at the Treasury, then climb to the High Place of Sacrifice or the Monastery if you have energy. The site is open late on some evenings — ask your hostel about Petra by Night (Mondays/Wednesdays/Thursdays, ~£14).

🚌JETT coach to Wadi Musa, ~£9

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Wadi Musa, ~£15-20

• →Petra entry via Jordan Pass
• →Siq & Treasury
• →Optional Petra by Night ~£14

Start early (Petra opens 6am) to hike up to the Monastery via 800 rock-cut steps before the heat. In the early afternoon, arrange a shared minibus or taxi transfer to Wadi Rum village (~£10-12, 1.5 hrs) — hostels in Wadi Musa can book these for you. Join a shared 4x4 desert tour with a Bedouin guide (2-3 hrs, ~£25-30 per person shared) taking in the Lawrence's Spring, red sand dunes, Khazali Canyon rock inscriptions and the sunset over the desert. Stay in a Bedouin desert camp.

🚌Shared minibus Petra–Wadi Rum, ~£11; 4x4 included with camp

🛏Bedouin desert camp in Wadi Rum (shared tent), ~£20-30 including dinner

• →Petra Monastery hike
• →Shared 4x4 desert tour with Bedouin guide
• →Khazali Canyon rock art
• →Wadi Rum sunset

Morning camel ride or short hike near camp (~£10 optional), then take a bus or shared taxi back to Amman and onward to the Dead Sea public beach at Amman Beach or a cheaper local access point (~£10-12 entry at public beaches; hotel day passes cost far more). Float in the hypersaline water, slather on the mineral mud, then return to Amman for the night. Bring old shoes — the salt crystals are sharp.

🚌Shared transport Wadi Rum–Amman–Dead Sea, ~£15

🛏Budget hotel in Downtown Amman, ~£18-25

• →Dead Sea public beach swim & mud
• →Optional camel ride ~£10

Take the early JETT bus from Amman to Aqaba (~£8, 4 hrs), or the faster option: fly Aqaba–Cairo on Air Arabia/Jordan Aviation for ~£60-90 if you book ahead. Overland, take the Arab Bridge Maritime ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba (~£60-70 with taxes, 1-3 hrs plus slow boarding), then a bus or shared taxi from Nuweiba up the coast to Cairo (~£10-15, 6-7 hrs) or an overnight bus. Budget the whole day for this — and note Egypt's visa on arrival (~£20-25, or ~£20 e-visa online).

🚌JETT bus Amman–Aqaba ~£8; ferry Aqaba–Nuweiba ~£65; bus Nuweiba–Cairo ~£12

🛏Budget hotel in Downtown Cairo, ~£15-20

• →Border crossing at Aqaba/Nuweiba
• →Egypt visa on arrival ~£22

Recovery day in Cairo. Take the metro (a few pence per ride) to Tahrir Square and visit the Egyptian Museum (~£9), where the Tutankhamun galleries now sit alongside the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza — check which is open for the treasures before you go. In the evening, wander the lanes of Khan el-Khalili bazaar, smoke shisha at El Fishawy café and eat koshari at Abou Tarek (~£3).

🚌Cairo metro & short Ubers, ~£3

🛏Budget hotel in Downtown Cairo, ~£15-20

• →Egyptian Museum entry ~£9
• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar
• →Koshari dinner

Take an Uber or microbus to Saqqara (~£5-8 each way) and enter the Step Pyramid complex of Djoser (~£8). Pay the small supplement for the 6th-Dynasty Mereruka Tomb (~£3) — its painted daily-life scenes are superb and almost empty of visitors. Optional: add Dahshur's Red and Bent Pyramids (~£5 entry) in the same trip. Guides are available at the gate for ~£15-20; a GetYourGuide Saqqara + Dahshur half-day tour runs ~£25-35 if you'd prefer structure.

🚌Uber/microbus Cairo–Saqqara return, ~£12

🛏Budget hotel in Downtown Cairo, ~£15-20

• →Saqqara Step Pyramid
• →Mereruka Tomb
• →Optional Dahshur pyramids

Book the Watania overnight sleeper train Cairo–Aswan in advance online or at Ramses Station (~£45-60 for a single-occupancy cabin, cheaper shared). Spend the day visiting Islamic Cairo — the Saladin Citadel and alabaster Mohammed Ali Mosque (~£6) and the Sultan Hassan Mosque — before boarding the train around 8pm. Sleeper trains save a hotel night and put you in Aswan at breakfast.

🚌Watania sleeper train Cairo–Aswan, ~£50

🛏Overnight sleeper train cabin, ~£50

• →Saladin Citadel & Mohammed Ali Mosque ~£6
• →Islamic Cairo walk

Arrive in Aswan in the morning and check into a guesthouse. Take a shared felucca or local boat across the Nile to the Nubian village on Elephantine Island (~£5) and walk through the brightly painted houses and fields — many families host simple home-cooked lunches for ~£8-10 if arranged through your guesthouse (the equivalent of the tour's included Nubian family meal). In the afternoon, shared minibus to Philae Temple (~£8 entry plus boat transfer ~£6) for the sound-and-light-free late afternoon light.

🚌Local boats and shared minibus, ~£10

🛏Guesthouse in Aswan, ~£15-20

• →Nubian village visit on Elephantine Island
• →Home-cooked Nubian lunch ~£9
• →Philae Temple ~£8 + boat

Join the pre-dawn shared minibus convoy from Aswan to Abu Simbel (~£15-20 per person return, leaving ~4am, 3 hrs each way) — your guesthouse or any Aswan agent can book it. Entry is ~£13 with the Great Temple of Ramses II and the smaller Temple of Nefertari, both relocated by UNESCO in the 1960s. Back in Aswan by mid-afternoon: rest, then take an evening felucca sail (~£6-8 shared) and dinner at a Nubian restaurant.

🚌Shared minibus Aswan–Abu Simbel return, ~£18

🛏Guesthouse in Aswan, ~£15-20

• →Abu Simbel temples ~£13
• →Sunset felucca sail ~£7

Take a daytime train Aswan–Luxor (~£5-8, 3-4 hrs) and drop your bag at a guesthouse on the West Bank or in Luxor town. In the early afternoon, take the public ferry across the Nile (~30p) and hop a local minibus or bike to the Valley of the Kings (~£13 for three tombs, Tutankhamun extra ~£8). Add Hatshepsut's terraced temple (~£6) and the Colossi of Memnon (free). A West Bank private guide for half a day is ~£20-25 if you want the tomb paintings explained.

🚌Train Aswan–Luxor ~£7; West Bank ferry & minibus ~£4

🛏Guesthouse in Luxor, ~£13-18

• →Valley of the Kings ~£13
• →Hatshepsut Temple ~£6
• →Colossi of Memnon

Spend the morning at Karnak (~£10) — the Hypostyle Hall alone justifies a couple of hours; a local guide at the gate is ~£20. In the late afternoon walk or take a minibus to Luxor Temple (~£6), which is beautifully lit after dark. Eat at a locals' spot in Luxor town (fatteh, grilled pigeon, fresh bread) for under £5.

🚌Local minibuses and walking, ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Luxor, ~£13-18

• →Karnak Temple ~£10
• →Luxor Temple ~£6

Take a shared taxi or minibus south to Edfu (~£8 return, 1.5 hrs) to see the wonderfully preserved Ptolemaic Temple of Horus (~£7), then continue to Kom Ombo (~£6 entry) on the riverbank with its dual crocodile-god sanctuaries and small mummified-crocodile museum. Many travellers do these as a shared day trip from Luxor (~£30-40 per person including a car and driver) — your guesthouse can arrange it. Return to Luxor for the night.

🚌Shared car/minibus Luxor–Edfu–Kom Ombo return, ~£15

🛏Guesthouse in Luxor, ~£13-18

• →Edfu Temple ~£7
• →Kom Ombo Temple ~£6

Take the morning train Luxor–Cairo (~£15-25, 9-10 hrs, or the overnight sleeper ~£50 to save a hotel night). On arrival, or if you took the daytime train the next morning, visit Coptic Cairo's Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue (free/donation) and grab a final koshari. If your budget allows, a late-afternoon Giza plateau visit (~£13) and a camel ride (~£10) round off the trip.

🚌Train Luxor–Cairo, ~£20

🛏Budget hotel in Downtown Cairo, ~£15-20

• →Coptic Cairo churches (free)
• →Optional Giza plateau ~£13

Last morning for souvenir shopping at Khan el-Khalili or a final Egyptian breakfast of ful and ta'meya (~£2). Take the airport bus (~£1) or an Uber (~£5-8) to Cairo International for your flight home. If you have a late flight, the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza is worth a half day (~£12).

🚌Airport bus or Uber to Cairo airport, ~£5

🛏—

• →Last-minute souvenir shopping
• →Optional Grand Egyptian Museum ~£12