Cairo, Nile Cruise & Ancient Wonders — Self-Launched

Fly into Cairo International Airport. Instead of an operator transfer, take the airport bus or a Careem/Uber into the city (roughly £4–8 to Downtown or Dokki). Base yourself Downtown or in Zamalek for easy access to the metro. Pick up a local SIM from the airport (Vodafone/Orange, ~£8 for a data package) and change cash — Egyptian pounds are still king for tickets and taxis. In the late afternoon walk the Nile Corniche or wander Khan el-Khalili for a first taste of the city, and eat cheaply at a koshari joint (~£2–3). Note: Cairo hotels are much cheaper booked direct than through an operator.

🚌Airport bus or Careem/Uber from Cairo International (~£4–8); metro and walking in the city

🛏Budget guesthouse or 3-star hotel in Downtown Cairo or Zamalek (~£20–28/night for a twin)

• →Cairo arrival and SIM/cash set-up
• →Evening walk on the Nile Corniche
• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar wander

Do exactly what the tour does, but self-organised. Book a GetYourGuide or Viator Giza + GEM day tour with hotel pickup (typically £30–45 per person for a small-group or shared tour with an Egyptologist guide — far cheaper than the operator's add-ons), or take the metro to Giza then a local microbus/tuk-tuk to the plateau. Buy your own tickets at the gate: Giza plateau ~£10, optional entry inside the Great Pyramid ~£14, and GEM entry ~£14 (Grand Staircase, Ramses II statue, hanging obelisk). Head to the GEM in the afternoon — the air conditioning is a relief. Skip the marble factory and perfume workshop stops the group tours include; they're commission shops.

🚌Metro to Giza (~£0.30) + local microbus/tuk-tuk (~£1–2), or included pickup on a booked day tour

🛏Same Downtown Cairo hotel (~£20–28/night)

• →Great Pyramids of Giza (Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure)
• →Great Sphinx and Valley Temple
• →Grand Egyptian Museum self-guided visit

Book a one-way Cairo–Aswan flight direct with EgyptAir or Air Cairo (booked 4–8 weeks out, typically £45–80 one way, 1h20). Cheaper but slower alternative: the Watania overnight sleeper train, ~£40–55 in a single cabin, arriving mid-morning. Check into a guesthouse on Elephantine Island or in the Nubian village area for a much more local feel than a cruise-ship dock hotel. In the afternoon take a local felucca or water taxi across to Philae Temple and go at golden hour (~£10 entry). If you want the Nubian Village experience, just walk to it yourself from your guesthouse rather than paying the operator's excursion price.

🚌Domestic flight Cairo–Aswan ~£45–80 one way (or Watania sleeper train ~£40–55); local felucca/water taxi ~£3–5

🛏Nubian guesthouse on Elephantine Island or Aswan town (~£18–25/night)

• →Philae Temple
• →Felucca ride on the Nile at Aswan
• →Nubian Village stroll (self-guided, free)

The Abu Simbel add-on is genuinely worth it — book a shared minibus/coach sunrise tour through GetYourGuide or your guesthouse for ~£28–40 instead of the ~£100 the operator charges. You leave around 4am and are back by early afternoon. Then board your Nile cruise: book a 3-night Aswan–Luxor cruise direct with a local company (Nile cruises are heavily discounted when booked direct or via local agents rather than as part of a package — expect £150–200 per person total for 3 nights full board in a standard 5-star vessel). Sail late afternoon and stop at Kom Ombo for the crocodile-god temple at sunset (~£8 entry).

🚌Shared minibus to Abu Simbel (~£28–40); Nile cruise ship Aswan–Kom Ombo

🛏Nile cruise cabin (standard 5-star boat), full board — approx £55–65/night per person

• →Abu Simbel temples (optional but recommended)
• →Kom Ombo Temple at sunset

Morning at Edfu — most cruises arrange a shared horse-drawn caleche to the Temple of Horus, which you can just join on the dock for a few pounds; entry ~£8. Sail on through the Esna lock in the afternoon and arrive in Luxor by evening. Visit Luxor Temple after dark when it's lit up and far cooler (~£9 entry) — the Avenue of Sphinxes is at its best then. If you want Karnak's Sound and Light Show, book at the gate (~£20) rather than paying the operator's ~£48 markup. Dinner is on board; the Egyptian night/galabeya party is standard on most boats anyway.

🚌Cruise ship Edfu–Esna–Luxor; caleche to Edfu Temple ~£2–3

🛏Nile cruise cabin, full board (~£55–65/night per person)

• →Temple of Horus at Edfu
• →Esna lock transit
• →Luxor Temple illuminated at night

Cross the Nile by public ferry (~£0.50) and hire a local taxi for the West Bank loop for about £15–20 for the half day (split with other travellers if you can). Valley of the Kings entry ~£14 plus optional tomb extras; Hatshepsut's temple ~£7; Colossus of Memnon free. Back on the East Bank, Karnak is a 2–3 hour wander at ~£10 entry. Alternatively book a small-group West Bank tour on GetYourGuide for £25–40 including transport and guide. Late afternoon/evening fly Luxor–Cairo with EgyptAir or Air Cairo (~£40–70 one way, 1h10) rather than the overnight train, and check back into a cheap Cairo hotel or head straight to the airport hotel area if your flight out is early.

🚌Public ferry across the Nile (~£0.50); private taxi West Bank half day ~£15–20; Luxor–Cairo flight ~£40–70

🛏Budget hotel near Downtown Cairo or Heliopolis near the airport (~£20–28/night)

• →Valley of the Kings (royal tomb visit)
• →Temple of Hatshepsut
• →Colossus of Memnon
• →Karnak Temple Complex

Breakfast and a slow morning — if your flight is late, squeeze in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (~£8) or a walk through Islamic Cairo and the Al-Azhar area. Take the airport bus or a Careem/Uber to Cairo International (allow 60–90 minutes in traffic). If you have spare days, the Alexandria day trip, Saqqara/Dahshour and Old Cairo are all easy DIY add-ons by train or minibus for a fraction of the operator's optional-tour prices.

🚌Careem/Uber or airport bus to Cairo International (~£4–8)

🛏N/A — depart

• →Optional Egyptian Museum or Islamic Cairo wander
• →Departure