Cairo, Giza & Nile Valley: Self-Launched 7-Day Egypt Adventure
7 days · Egypt
Nourbelle Tours charges £1,080
No-markup version: ~£775 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Nourbelle Tours' 7-day Cairo and Nile cruise package. You'll cover the same headline sights — the Giza pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple — but independently: budget hotels and hostels instead of 5-star properties, a much cheaper 2-3 night felucca or budget Nile cruise alternative, and Egypt's excellent, cheap domestic flights and trains booked directly. Local guides can be hired per-site via GetYourGuide for a fraction of a fully guided package. All costs are approximate per-person estimates in GBP.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Cairo & settle in
Cairo
Land at Cairo International Airport. Buy a tourist visa on arrival (~£22, or e-visa in advance) and pick up a local SIM (~£7 for data). Take an Uber or airport taxi to your Downtown Cairo base (~£5-7). Spend the afternoon easing in: wander Islamic Cairo's Khan el-Khalili bazaar, sip mint tea at El Fishawy cafe, and grab koshari (Egypt's national dish, ~£1.50) for dinner. Plan an early night — Day 2 starts before dawn to beat the heat and crowds at Giza.
🚌Airport taxi/Uber to Downtown Cairo ~£6
🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Downtown Cairo (~£15/night, private double)
- →Khan el-Khalili bazaar wander
- →El Fishawy cafe mint tea
- →Koshari dinner downtown
Giza Pyramids, Sphinx & Grand Egyptian Museum
Giza
Get to the Giza plateau by Uber at opening (8am, ~£4). Entry to the plateau is ~£9; add the Great Pyramid interior (~£13) or a camel/horse ride if you fancy it (haggle hard — agree the price up front, ~£10-15). Walk to the Sphinx and Valley Temple viewing points. In the afternoon head to the Grand Egyptian Museum near the pyramids (~£20 entry, book a timed slot online in advance — it's the same GEM the tour visits). Optional: hire an Egyptologist guide via GetYourGuide for a half-day Giza+GEM tour (~£35-45pp) if you want deep context. Dinner back downtown (~£6).
🚌Uber to Giza and back ~£8 total
🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Downtown Cairo (~£15/night)
- →Giza plateau entry + Great Pyramid interior
- →Sphinx & Valley Temple
- →Grand Egyptian Museum (timed ticket)
Fly Cairo to Aswan — Philae Temple & Nubian Village
Aswan
Take an early morning domestic flight Cairo–Aswan (~£45-60 one way, book on EgyptAir or Nile Air ~4-6 weeks ahead; alternatively the overnight sleeper train from Cairo ~£50, arriving mid-morning). Check into a guesthouse, then take a local taxi to the Philae Temple boat jetty (~£4) — a short motorboat ride (~£3-4 shared) takes you to Agilkia Island, entry ~£7. In the late afternoon, hop a shared boat across to a Nubian village on the west bank for tea and a home-cooked dinner with a local family (~£12-15, arrange via your guesthouse — this is the Nubian village visit the tour charges extra for).
🚌Domestic flight Cairo–Aswan ~£50; local taxis ~£8
🛏Aswan guesthouse or budget hotel (~£18/night)
- →Philae Temple & Agilkia Island
- →Motorboat across the Nile
- →Nubian village tea & dinner
Abu Simbel day trip or Nile felucca sail to Kom Ombo
Aswan / Kom Ombo
Two options. A) Abu Simbel: join a shared minibus departing ~4am from Aswan (~£25-30pp including transport and entry, bookable through any Aswan guesthouse or GetYourGuide) — a 3hr drive each way, back by early afternoon, and genuinely unmissable. B) Slow travel: take a shared felucca or the public Nile ferry downriver toward Kom Ombo. In either case, visit Kom Ombo Temple in the late afternoon (~£6 entry, at its best in golden light), then overnight in Kom Ombo/New Edfu (a budget hotel ~£16) rather than an expensive cruise cabin.
🚌Shared minibus to Abu Simbel ~£28 or shared local transport south ~£6
🛏Budget hotel in Kom Ombo or Edfu (~£16/night)
- →Abu Simbel Temples (optional shared minibus tour)
- →Kom Ombo Temple at sunset
Edfu Temple, then train to Luxor — Karnak & Luxor Temple
Edfu / Luxor
Take a horse-drawn calèche or tuk-tuk to the Temple of Horus at Edfu (~£6 entry), one of Egypt's best-preserved temples. Then catch an afternoon train Edfu–Luxor (~£3-5, 1.5hrs by local train, or ~£10 on the faster tourist train). Check in near Luxor's corniche (~£18/night). Late afternoon: walk the Avenue of Sphinxes between Luxor Temple (~£6) and the vast Karnak Temple Complex (~£9) — Karnak is stunning in the last hour before closing. Dinner at a riverside restaurant (~£7). Optional: book the sound-and-light show at Karnak (~£20) via GetYourGuide.
🚌Local train Edfu–Luxor ~£5; tuk-tuks ~£5
🛏Budget hotel near Luxor corniche (~£18/night)
- →Temple of Horus, Edfu
- →Karnak Temple Complex
- →Luxor Temple & Avenue of Sphinxes
Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut & hot air balloon
Luxor
Optional but unforgettable: pre-book a sunrise hot-air balloon over the West Bank via GetYourGuide (~£70-85pp — cheaper than the tour's £105 equivalent, and book ahead). Otherwise cross the Nile by public ferry (~£0.30) at 6-7am to beat the heat. Hire a taxi for the West Bank loop for the morning (~£15-20 for the half-day, split if you find fellow travellers). Valley of the Kings entry (~£10, plus extra tickets for Tutankhamun's or Seti I's tomb), Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari (~£6), and the Colossi of Memnon (free). Afternoon: catch a flight Luxor–Cairo (~£50-65) and overnight near the airport or downtown.
🚌Public Nile ferry ~£0.30; West Bank taxi ~£15; flight Luxor–Cairo ~£55
🛏Budget hotel in Cairo (~£16/night)
- →Sunrise hot air balloon (optional)
- →Valley of the Kings
- →Temple of Hatshepsut
- →Colossi of Memnon
Old Cairo & departure
Cairo
With a morning free, explore Coptic Cairo (Hanging Church, Church of St Sergius — free) or the Al-Azhar and Sultan Hassan mosques in Islamic Cairo (~£3). Grab a final koshari or ta'meya breakfast (~£2). Take an Uber to Cairo International Airport (~£6) for your onward flight. If you'd like to extend independently, the Sinai option is doable by public bus from Cairo to St Catherine (~7-8hrs, ~£8) and an overnight hike up Mount Sinai — a much cheaper DIY version than the operator's add-on.
🚌Uber to Cairo Airport ~£6
🛏None (departure day)
- →Coptic Cairo churches
- →Islamic Cairo mosques
- →Final Egyptian breakfast
Self-launched vs. Nourbelle Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Nourbelle Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£775 | £1,080 |
| Duration | 7 days | 7 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £305 per person (28%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Nourbelle Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£775
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 Cairo, Giza & Nile Valley: Self-Launched 7-Day Egypt Adventure cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £775 per person for 7 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 Nourbelle Tours?+
Yes — Nourbelle Tours charges around £1,080 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £775 — a saving of roughly £305 (28%) per person.
How long is the Egypt trip?+
This itinerary runs 7 days, covering 7 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 culture, adventure, budget 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?
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