13 Days Highlights of Egypt & Jordan — Self-Launched

Land at Cairo International Airport, buy your Egypt visa on arrival (£22 / $25 in cash, card often not accepted), get a local SIM from the airport kiosks (Vodafone/Orange, ~£6 for 20GB) and take an airport taxi or Uber to a hostel near Giza or in downtown Cairo. Skip the operator's airport meet-and-greet — Uber works well and costs ~£5-8 to downtown. Spend the evening acclimatising: walk the Corniche or grab koshari (Egypt's cheap national dish, ~£1.50) in downtown.

🚌Airport taxi / Uber from Cairo International to city centre, ~£6-8

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, downtown Cairo or Giza (private room ~£18-25/night, dorm ~£8-12)

• →Visa on arrival (approx £22-25 cash)
• →Airport SIM card purchase
• →Evening walk along the Nile Corniche
• →Koshari dinner in downtown Cairo

Do the exact same sight list as the group tour, self-guided. Take an Uber to the Giza Plateau early (gates open ~8am, arrive before the heat and the coach crowds) — entry ~£12 and the Great Pyramid interior is an optional extra ~£12. If you want a guide, book a half-day Giza tour on GetYourGuide (~£15-25 for a small-group guided visit) instead of the operator's included guide. After lunch, take a taxi to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (entry ~£8) and finish the day wandering Khan el-Khalili bazaar for free — skip the papyrus-factory sales stop. Budget ~£10-15 for taxis across the day.

🚌Uber/taxi around Giza and downtown, ~£8-12 total

🛏Same Cairo hostel/budget hotel

• →Giza Pyramids & Sphinx entry (~£12)
• →Egyptian Museum Tahrir entry (~£8)
• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar (free)
• →Optional GetYourGuide small-group Giza guide (~£20)

Book the Watania overnight sleeper train from Cairo to Aswan online in advance (~£45-60 one way for a single-occupancy cabin, or take the cheaper daytime train/second-class seat for ~£12-18 if you're on a tighter budget — the group tour's domestic flight is the equivalent of ~£120-150). Arrive in Aswan, check into a guesthouse on Elephantine Island or in the Nubian village area, then take a local ferry and taxi to Philae Temple (~£6 entry, boat crossing ~£3) and see the High Dam viewpoint. Skip the perfume-shop commission stop.

🚌Overnight sleeper train Cairo–Aswan, ~£45-60 (or 2nd-class seat ~£12-18)

🛏Aswan guesthouse, Elephantine Island or Nubian village (private ~£15-20/night)

• →Watania sleeper train
• →Philae Temple by boat (~£9 incl. boat)
• →Aswan High Dam viewpoint
• →Nubian village evening walk

The group tour puts Abu Simbel as an optional add-on; doing it yourself is easy and cheaper. Book a shared minibus from Aswan bus station or your guesthouse (~£18-25 return, leaving ~4am with a police convoy — bring a breakfast box). Entry is ~£12. Back mid-afternoon, take a local train or shared minibus north to Kom Ombo (~£3-5, 45 mins) and see the twin temple at sunset (entry ~£5). Overnight in Kom Ombo or push on to Edfu town by local transport (~£2).

🚌Shared minibus Aswan–Abu Simbel–Aswan (~£20) + local train/minibus to Kom Ombo/Edfu (~£5)

🛏Budget hotel in Edfu or Kom Ombo (~£14-18/night)

• →Abu Simbel temples (shared minibus + ~£12 entry)
• →Kom Ombo Temple (~£5 entry)

See Edfu's Temple of Horus in the morning — the horse-carriage ride from town to the temple is the standard local way to get there (~£3-4 return, negotiate first) and entry is ~£6. Then take a local train or minibus to Luxor (~£2-4, ~1.5 hours) — this replaces the cruise ship's sailing leg. In Luxor, check into a hostel near the corniche and walk to Luxor Temple in the evening (entry ~£6) and the East Bank avenue of sphinxes — gorgeous and cheap at dusk.

🚌Local train Edfu–Luxor ~£3; horse carriage to Edfu Temple ~£4

🛏Luxor hostel or budget guesthouse near the corniche (~£12-18/night)

• →Edfu Temple of Horus (~£6 entry)
• →Horse carriage to Edfu Temple
• →Luxor Temple at dusk (~£6 entry)

Either book a hot-air balloon flight over the West Bank yourself (~£65-85 via GetYourGuide or a Luxor operator — the operator charges extra for this too) or sleep in and start at 7am. Cross the Nile by local ferry (~£0.50), then hire a taxi for the day (~£10-15) or rent a bike. Visit the Valley of the Kings (~£14 for 3 tombs), Temple of Hatshepsut (~£6), and stop at the free Colossi of Memnon. Skip the alabaster-factory sales stop. Evening: cheap rooftop dinner on the West Bank.

🚌Local ferry + shared taxi around West Bank, ~£12-15 for the day

🛏Same Luxor hostel/guesthouse

• →Optional hot air balloon (~£70)
• →Valley of the Kings (~£14)
• →Temple of Hatshepsut (~£6)
• →Colossi of Memnon (free)

Take a daytime train or the overnight sleeper back to Cairo (day train ~£8-15 second class, sleeper ~£45). The group tour's optional Alexandria day trip is a long, tiring coach day — if you want Alexandria, do it as a self-launched day trip on the frequent Cairo–Alexandria train (~£4 each way, 2.5 hrs) and see the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Qaitbay Citadel. Otherwise, use the day to explore Islamic Cairo (free) and the Cairo food scene.

🚌Luxor–Cairo train (2nd class ~£10, or sleeper ~£45); optional Cairo–Alexandria train ~£8 return

🛏Cairo hostel or budget hotel (~£18-25)

• →Optional self-launched Alexandria day trip
• →Islamic Cairo walking (free)
• →Cairo street-food tour (self-guided, ~£8)

Book a cheap one-way Cairo–Amman flight yourself (Royal Jordanian, EgyptAir or Air Arabia/Jordan Aviation — typically £90-160 booked 4-8 weeks out; the group tour doesn't include this flight either). On arrival at Queen Alia International, buy the Jordan Pass online BEFORE you fly (~£55-70 / JOD 70-80) — it covers your Jordan visa AND entry to Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum and more, which saves more than the visa fee alone. Take the airport shuttle bus or a shared taxi to downtown Amman (~£3-6). Stay in a downtown hostel near Rainbow Street.

🚌One-way flight Cairo–Amman ~£90-160; airport bus to downtown ~£4

🛏Amman downtown hostel or budget hotel (~£15-22/night)

• →Cairo–Amman flight
• →Jordan Pass purchase (~£60, covers visa + Petra + Jerash)
• →Rainbow Street evening walk

Morning in Amman: the Citadel (entry included on Jordan Pass, ~£2 otherwise), the Roman Amphitheatre, the Archaeological and Folklore museums, and the Blue Mosque — all walkable downtown. After lunch, take a local minibus from Tabarbour bus station to Jerash (~£1.50, 1 hour) and explore the Roman ruins on your own or with a local guide hired at the gate (~£8-12). Jordan Pass covers Jerash entry. Return to Amman by minibus before dark.

🚌Local minibus Amman–Jerash return ~£3

🛏Same Amman hostel/budget hotel

• →Amman Citadel, Amphitheatre & museums (Jordan Pass)
• →Jerash Roman ruins (Jordan Pass)
• →Optional local guide at Jerash (~£10)

Take a local minibus south to Madaba (~£1.50, 45 mins) and see the St George's Church mosaic map of Jerusalem (entry ~£1). Then a taxi or minibus to Mount Nebo (~£3-5, entry free/£1) with views over the Jordan Valley — and continue via the scenic King's Highway. The easiest self-launched option is a shared tourist minibus or JETT bus from Amman to Petra (~£10-15, 3.5 hrs) — book a day ahead. Arrive in Wadi Musa, stay in a budget hotel or guesthouse 10 minutes' walk from the Petra gate.

🚌Local minibus Amman–Madaba–Mount Nebo (~£5) then JETT/shared minibus to Petra (~£12)

🛏Wadi Musa budget hotel/guesthouse (~£18-25/night)

• →Madaba Mosaic Map (~£1)
• →Mount Nebo viewpoint
• →King's Highway scenic drive

Enter Petra with your Jordan Pass at opening (~6am in summer) and walk the Siq to the Treasury before the day-trippers arrive. Climb to the Monastery, the High Place of Sacrifice and the Royal Tombs — a genuinely full day of hiking, so wear proper shoes and carry 3+ litres of water. If you want a guide, hire a licensed local guide at the visitor centre or book a small-group Petra tour on GetYourGuide (~£15-25) rather than a 30-person coach group. Optional: Petra by Night (Mon/Wed/Thu, ~£14) candlelit walk through the Siq.

🚌On foot from Wadi Musa to the Petra gate (10-15 min walk)

🛏Same Wadi Musa budget hotel/guesthouse

• →Petra full-day entry (Jordan Pass)
• →Optional local Petra guide (~£20)
• →Optional Petra by Night (~£14)

Take a shared minibus or taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Visitor Centre (~£10-15, 1.5 hrs). Pre-book a 2-4 hour 4x4 jeep tour directly with a Bedouin camp operator (~£30-40 per person shared, often bundled with a camp stay) to see Lawrence's Spring, the Khazali Canyon and the red dunes — this replaces the operator's included jeep ride. Afterwards, continue north by shared taxi or minibus to the Dead Sea (~£15-25, 2.5 hrs). Check into a budget guesthouse near the public beach at Amman Beach / O Beach rather than a resort — a public beach entry is ~£15-20 and lets you actually float in the Dead Sea, which the group tour's resort often doesn't.

🚌Shared minibus Petra–Wadi Rum (~£12) + shared taxi Wadi Rum–Dead Sea (~£20)

🛏Dead Sea budget guesthouse or budget hotel near the public beach (~£30-40/night)

• →Wadi Rum 4x4 jeep tour (~£35)
• →Dead Sea float at public beach (~£18 entry incl. showers)

Morning float and mud mask if you didn't get enough the day before, then take a shared taxi or the local bus back to Amman (~£5-10) and on to Queen Alia International Airport (~£5) — or arrange a shared transfer directly from the Dead Sea (~£20-25). Build in 3 hours at the airport for an international flight. If you're flying late, leave your bag at the guesthouse and swim again before heading out.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Dead Sea to Amman airport, ~£10-25

🛏None — departure day

• →Final Dead Sea float
• →Souvenir shopping in Amman (if time)