Real Egypt & Jordan: Self-Launched 15-Day Cairo to Amman Adventure

Land at Cairo International, take the airport shuttle bus or Careem/Uber into Downtown (around £5-8) and check into a budget hotel or hostel near Talaat Harb or the Egyptian Museum. Spend the late afternoon getting your bearings on foot, then ease in with a walk through Khan el-Khalili's alleys to El Fishawy for mint tea, and try sahlab (sweet custard drink with nuts) from a street stall. Pre-book nothing today; just sort a local SIM (Vodafone/Orange, ~£5 for data) and cash in EGP.

🚌Airport bus or ride-hailing app into Downtown (~£5-8)

🛏Downtown Cairo budget hotel or hostel, private or dorm room (~£15)

• →Orientation walk around Downtown Cairo
• →Khan el-Khalili bazaar wander
• →El Fishawy café for tea and sahlab
• →Buy local SIM and change cash

Go early to beat heat and crowds. Take the Cairo Metro to Giza then a short taxi or microbus to the plateau, and buy your Giza site ticket on the gate or via the official Ministry e-ticket site (roughly £10-12; extra for entering the Great Pyramid interior). Walk the plateau between Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, view the Sphinx from the valley-side panorama point, and skip the camel touts. In the afternoon head back into town for the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square (~£8) — the Tutankhamun galleries are the highlight. Graze on koshari for dinner (a few pounds).

🚌Metro plus microbus/taxi both ways (~£3-4)

🛏Downtown Cairo budget hotel or hostel (~£15)

• →Great Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx (self-bought entry)
• →Panorama viewpoint over the plateau
• →Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square

Book a sleeper train (Watania) Cairo–Aswan online a few days ahead — a single-berth sleeper is roughly £55-75 including dinner and breakfast. Board in the evening from Ramses or Giza station and wake up to desert and palm scenery. Alternatively, a daytime flight or the cheaper seated train work if the sleeper is full. Arrive Aswan around mid-morning and walk the Corniche before check-in.

🚌Overnight Watania sleeper train Cairo–Aswan (~£65)

🛏Watania sleeper train berth (night on board, ~£65 incl. meals)

• →Ramses/Giza station departure
• →Overnight sleeper train experience

Full day in Aswan. In the morning, hire a kayak or join a short kayak/SUP session on the Nile (bookable locally or via GetYourGuide, ~£15-20) and paddle around Elephantine Island. In the afternoon take a shared motorboat to the Philae Temple Complex (~£8 entry, ~£3 boat), one of Egypt's prettiest sites. In the evening cross to a Nubian village for a home-cooked dinner with a local family, arranged through your guesthouse or a GetYourGuide food experience (~£15). Wander the Aswan souk for spices and oils on the way back.

🚌Walking plus shared motorboat to Philae and Nubian village (~£5)

🛏Aswan budget guesthouse near the Corniche (~£15)

• →Nile kayaking around Elephantine Island
• →Philae Temple Complex
• →Nubian village dinner with a local family
• →Aswan souk and spice merchants

Take the classic early-morning shared minivan convoy to Abu Simbel (~£20-30 return with entry, arranged through your guesthouse or GetYourGuide; departure around 4am, back by early afternoon). The twin temples of Ramses II and Nefertari are worth the alarm. If you'd rather not go, spend the day slower — a felucca sunset sail, the Nubian Museum, or the Tombs of the Nobles on the West Bank. Evening free to prep for tomorrow's sail.

🚌Shared minivan convoy to Abu Simbel (~£20-25 return)

🛏Aswan budget guesthouse (~£15)

• →Abu Simbel temples day trip
• →Alternative: Nubian Museum or sunset felucca

Book a one-night felucca trip directly with a boat captain in Aswan or through your guesthouse (roughly £45-70 per person including crew, dinner, breakfast and bedding — cheaper in small groups). Set off late morning, lunch and swim stops, then moor on a sandy bank for the night with a simple cooked dinner, drumming and tea under the stars. Bring a warm layer, a torch and a headscarf for sun.

🚌Felucca sailing from Aswan northwards (~included)

🛏Overnight on a felucca sailboat with bedding provided (incl. in felucca price)

• →Felucca sailing on the Nile
• →Riverbank swim stops
• →Campfire dinner and stargazing on deck

Disembark after breakfast near Kom Ombo or Daraw and take a shared taxi or minibus onward. If timing allows, stop at the Temple of Edfu (Horus temple, ~£6) — it's directly on the road and easy to break the journey. Continue to Luxor by train or shared minibus (roughly £5-10 total). Check in on the East Bank, then walk to Luxor Temple in the late afternoon light (~£6). Book anything you need for tomorrow tonight.

🚌Shared taxi/minibus plus train to Luxor (~£8)

🛏Luxor East Bank guesthouse or budget hotel (~£15)

• →Temple of Edfu (optional stop)
• →Luxor Temple at golden hour

Cross the Nile by public ferry (~£1) and hire a bicycle or shared taxi to loop the West Bank. Valley of the Kings ticket covers three tombs (~£13; Tutankhamun's tomb is extra, ~£10). Add the Temple of Hatshepsut (~£6) and stop at the Colossi of Memnon for free. If animal welfare matters to you, ask locally about Animal Care in Egypt in Luxor — it's a genuine Intrepid Foundation partner and takes visitors. Back on the East Bank, see Karnak Temple in the afternoon (~£8). Dinner at a local fuul/ta'ameya spot.

🚌Public ferry plus bicycle or shared taxi on West Bank (~£4)

🛏Luxor East Bank guesthouse (~£15)

• →Valley of the Kings (3 tombs)
• →Temple of Hatshepsut
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Karnak Temple

Take a domestic or budget flight Luxor–Cairo (or the overnight train back) then fly Cairo–Amman on a low-cost carrier (book early; roughly £80-140 one way total). On arrival buy a Jordan Pass online before you fly — around £60-70 for the 2-day Petra version and it waives your Jordan visa fee, covering Petra, Wadi Rum and Jerash entry. Get a local SIM (~£8), then head to Rainbow Street for falafel, shisha and a wander. Hammam or a rooftop tea if you have energy.

🚌Flights Luxor–Cairo–Amman (~£100)

🛏Amman Downtown or Jabal Amman budget hotel/hostel (~£18)

• →Rainbow Street falafel and shisha
• →Jordan Pass purchase
• →Optional hammam

Morning in Amman: walk to the Citadel (~£2, or included with Jordan Pass) and the Roman Theatre, and do a self-guided loop of Downtown's souks and the Duke's Diwan. Grab lunch at Hashem (falafel/beans, pennies). In the afternoon take the JETT bus or a shared minibus down to Wadi Rum village (~£10-13, around 4 hours). Your desert camp will collect you at the visitor centre. Check in for a Bedouin camp night — dinner and mint tea included, then settle round the fire.

🚌JETT coach Amman–Wadi Rum (~£12)

🛏Bedouin desert camp, shared tent or bubble tent (~£25 incl. dinner and breakfast)

• →Amman Citadel and Roman Theatre
• →Downtown Amman walking loop
• →Bedouin camp evening and mint tea

Book a half or full-day 4WD jeep tour with your camp or a local Bedouin operator (~£30-45 per person, cheaper shared). Cover Lawrence Spring, the Khazali Canyon inscriptions, the red sand dunes and the mushroom rock, with a guided walk led by a Bedouin guide and a traditional kofta-and-salad lunch cooked in the desert. Get up for sunrise — it's the best bit. Second night at camp, or sleep out in the open if the weather's kind.

🚌4WD jeep tour with local Bedouin driver (~£35)

🛏Bedouin desert camp (~£25 incl. meals)

• →Sunrise over the desert
• →4WD jeep safari
• →Guided Bedouin hike
• →Traditional Jordanian desert lunch

Transfer to Wadi Musa (shared taxi or camp-arranged minibus, ~£8-15, about 2 hours). Buy your Petra two-day ticket (or use the Jordan Pass) — two days is essential here. Enter late afternoon via the Siq and walk to Al-Khazneh (the Treasury) when the crowds thin and the stone glows. Stay in Wadi Musa village, where guesthouses are cheap and there are plenty of cheap falafel and mansaf spots. Optional home-cooked magloubeh dinner (~£10).

🚌Shared taxi/minibus Wadi Rum–Wadi Musa (~£12)

🛏Wadi Musa guesthouse or budget hotel (~£18)

• →Petra two-day pass
• →Walk the Siq to the Treasury
• →Optional magloubeh cooking dinner

Full day self-guided in Petra. Start early to beat the heat and climb the 800 steps to El Deir (the Monastery) — the best reward on the site. Then loop back for the Royal Tombs, the Byzantine mosaics, and if you're fit, the scramble up to the High Place of Sacrifice. Bring 2 litres of water, sun protection and cash for tea stalls. A guide isn't necessary but a licensed local guide at the gate costs ~£20-25 if you want the history.

🚌Walking within Petra

🛏Wadi Musa guesthouse (~£18)

• →El Deir (the Monastery) climb
• →Royal Tombs
• →Byzantine mosaics
• →High Place of Sacrifice hike

Take a shared taxi or a minibus north towards Amman, stopping at the Dead Sea for a float and mud slap (public Amman Beach or a cheaper local beach, ~£10-15 entry; bring old swimmers — the salt ruins fabric). Then Mt Nebo for the Moses viewpoint and mosaic church, and finish in Madaba, where St George's Church holds the famous Madaba Map. Check into a Madaba guesthouse and do an evening orientation walk past the mosaics workshops.

🚌Shared taxi or minibus via Dead Sea/Mt Nebo (~£20)

🛏Madaba guesthouse (~£18)

• →Dead Sea float and mud
• →Mt Nebo viewpoint
• →St George's Church and Madaba Map
• →Madaba mosaic workshops walk

Slow breakfast, one last wander through Madaba's mosaics and the Archaeological Park, then take a shared taxi or bus to Queen Alia International (about £8-12, 30-40 minutes). If you have a late flight, Jerash's Roman ruins are an easy half-day from Amman and included on the Jordan Pass. Buffer at least 3 hours before departure.

🚌Shared taxi or bus Madaba–Queen Alia Airport (~£10)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Madaba Archaeological Park
• →Optional Jerash Roman ruins