Self-Launched Nile Valley: Luxor to Aswan by Train, Felucca & Local Guides
8 days · Egypt (Nile Valley)
Egyptology Travel charges £1,015
No-markup version: ~£745 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of Egyptology Travel's 8-day Luxor-to-Luxor Nile cruise — same temples, same hot air balloon, same Abu Simbel sunrise — but booked independently. Instead of a 7-night cruise ship, you'll string together a budget hotel in Luxor, a couple of nights on a traditional felucca or a cheap Aswan guesthouse, and Egypt's excellent (and very cheap) trains and shared minibuses. Guided temple visits are replaced with GetYourGuide day tours, licensed local guides you can hire at each site gate, or good audio guides. Note: this skips the multi-day cruise ship, so you see the river from a felucca and the train instead — the sailing experience is shorter but far cheaper and more flexible.
Day-by-day
Arrive Luxor — West Bank & Old Market
Luxor
Land in Luxor (train from Cairo ~£12-20 in 2nd class, or fly into Luxor International). Settle into a guesthouse on the West Bank for the best sunrise views, or in the Al-Geish Street area of the East Bank for the restaurant scene. Afternoon: take the public ferry across the Nile (~£0.30, runs until late) instead of a private motor boat, then hire a taxi for the afternoon loop to the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple and the small Carter House museum. Buy the Luxor Pass or individual site tickets at the ticket office — Valley of the Kings costs around £12 for three tombs. Evening: wander Luxor's old market (Souk) for koshari (£1.50) and fresh juice.
🚌Public Nile ferry across the river ~£0.30 each way; taxi hire for the West Bank loop ~£10 total
🛏West Bank guesthouse or budget hotel (e.g. Nefertiti Hotel or Bob Marley House area), £20/night
- →Valley of the Kings (self-explore, ~£12)
- →Hatshepsut Temple (~£5)
- →Carter House museum (~£3)
- →Walk Luxor old market
Sunrise Hot Air Balloon over the Valley of the Kings
Luxor
The big bucket-list moment: pre-book a hot air balloon flight over the West Bank via GetYourGuide or directly with a Luxor operator (around £75-95 including hotel pickup, roughly 45 minutes aloft at sunrise). Book a day or two ahead and confirm your pickup time the night before. After landing and breakfast, rest up, then spend the afternoon on the East Bank at Karnak and Luxor Temple (covered on Day 8 if you'd rather not do it twice — swap this for the Luxor Museum, ~£5, or a lazy afternoon by the pool). Evening: felucca sunset sail on the Nile, ~£8 per person for an hour if you share the boat.
🚌Balloon operator pickup included; local tuk-tuk and taxi hops ~£4
🛏Same Luxor guesthouse, £20/night
- →Hot air balloon flight over West Bank (~£80, book via GetYourGuide)
- →Optional felucca sunset sail (~£8)
Train to Edfu & Kom Ombo
Edfu / Kom Ombo
Dodge the pricier cruise-temple-hopping by using the Nile Valley's local transport. Take an early train from Luxor to Edfu (~1 hour, £2-4 in 2nd class), then a shared tuk-tuk or microbus from Edfu station to Edfu Temple (£1). Edfu is one of Egypt's best-preserved temples — the horse-and-carriage ride in the original tour costs about £8, but sharing a tuk-tuk is cheaper. Afterwards, catch a bus or shared minibus onward towards Kom Ombo (~£3). Kom Ombo Temple sits right on the riverbank and is best in late afternoon light; entry ~£5. Overnight in a small local guesthouse near Kom Ombo town or head onward to Aswan if time allows.
🚌Luxor-Edfu train ~£3; shared tuk-tuk ~£1; Edfu-Kom Ombo minibus ~£3
🛏Simple local guesthouse in Kom Ombo or early arrival in Aswan, £16/night
- →Edfu Temple (~£5)
- →Kom Ombo Temple (~£5)
Kom Ombo to Aswan — Philae & High Dam
Aswan
Morning minibus or train from Kom Ombo to Aswan (~1 hour, £2-3). Check into a budget guesthouse in Aswan's Nubian quarter or near the Corniche, then spend the afternoon at Philae Temple. Take a shared boat from Shellal (~£3 each way) or join a small-group Philae tour on GetYourGuide (£15-20 including transfers). Entry ~£6. Stop at the Aswan High Dam viewpoint (~£2) if you want the original itinerary's full set — it's a quick taxi detour. Evening: explore Aswan's old market (souk) for spices and Nubian crafts, and grab a bowl of molokhia or grilled river fish on the Corniche.
🚌Kom Ombo-Aswan train/minibus ~£3; shared boat to Philae ~£6 return; local taxis ~£5
🛏Aswan budget guesthouse, £18/night
- →Philae Island Temple (~£6)
- →Aswan High Dam viewpoint (~£2)
- →Aswan old market stroll
Abu Simbel Sunrise
Abu Simbel / Aswan
Book a shared minibus or small-group tour to Abu Simbel the evening before — departures leave Aswan around 3:30-4am to catch sunrise and beat the heat. Prices run £18-25 via a hotel booking or GetYourGuide, entry to the twin temples ~£12. The vehicle usually waits 2 hours at the site, which is plenty to see both Ramses II and Nefertari's temples. Back in Aswan by early afternoon — sleep off the early start, then take a short felucca trip or visit the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil (£5 boat share).
🚌Shared minibus to Abu Simbel ~£20 return (book locally or via GetYourGuide)
🛏Aswan budget guesthouse, £18/night
- →Abu Simbel Temples (~£12 entry)
- →Optional Nubian village felucca trip (~£5)
Felucca Sailing on the Nile
Aswan / Nile
Here's where you replace the cruise ship: book a half-day or overnight felucca trip out of Aswan. A day sail with lunch runs about £15-25 per person; a full overnight felucca (with crew-cooked dinner and bedding on deck) is roughly £35-45 — infinitely cheaper than the cruise and arguably the more authentic Nile experience. Sail past Nubian islands, swim in the river, and watch the sunset with nothing but the sail flapping above you. If you'd rather stay on land, swap for a day trip to the Nubian Villages or Kitchener's Island botanical garden.
🚌Felucca included; local taxis ~£3
🛏Overnight on felucca with crew (included in cost) or Aswan guesthouse if day-sailing, £18
- →Overnight/half-day felucca sailing (~£40)
- →River swimming and Nubian village stop
Train back to Luxor — leisure day
Luxor
Take the return train from Aswan to Luxor (~3.5 hours, £5-10 in 2nd class or £15 in 1st — worth splurging if you want AC and space). Settle back into a Luxor guesthouse, then use the afternoon exactly as the original's 'leisure day' intends: no agenda. Grab fresh mango juice, browse the Winter Palace area, and maybe catch the Luxor Museum or take a bath in the hotel pool. Book your Karnak/Luxor Temple day tour or guide for tomorrow if you haven't already.
🚌Aswan-Luxor train ~£10; local taxis ~£4
🛏Luxor guesthouse, £20/night
- →Free afternoon in Luxor
- →Optional Luxor Museum (~£5)
Karnak & Luxor Temple — Departure
Luxor
Final morning on the East Bank: Karnak Temple (~£8) and the Avenue of Sphinxes leading to Luxor Temple (~£5). Join a small-group East Bank day tour via GetYourGuide for around £20-25 with a licensed Egyptologist (much cheaper than a private guide), or hire an on-site guide at the gate for £10-15. Arrive early — Karnak at 7am is almost empty. Then head to Luxor airport or the railway station for onward travel; the original tour's airport drop-off is free, but locally a taxi to the airport is ~£4-6.
🚌Taxi to Luxor airport or railway station ~£5
🛏None — departure day
- →Karnak Temple (~£8)
- →Luxor Temple (~£5)
- →Small-group East Bank tour (~£22) or local guide (£12)
Self-launched vs. Egyptology Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Egyptology Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£745 | £1,015 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £270 per person (27%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Egyptology Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£745
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 Self-Launched Nile Valley: Luxor to Aswan by Train, Felucca & Local Guides cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £745 per person for 8 days in Egypt (Nile Valley). 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 Egyptology Travel?+
Yes — Egyptology Travel charges around £1,015 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £745 — a saving of roughly £270 (27%) per person.
How long is the Egypt (Nile Valley) trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Egypt (Nile Valley).
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, budget, adventure trip through Egypt (Nile Valley), 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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