Self-Launched Cairo & Nile Valley: Pyramids to Aswan by Train and Felucca
8 days · Egypt
Saudi Group charges £3,200
No-markup version: ~£560 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of the luxury Cairo + Oberoi Philae Nile cruise itinerary, swapping the 5-star hotels and river cruiser for hostels, guesthouses and a budget Nile experience. You'll see the same headline sites — Giza, the Egyptian Museum, Khan el-Khalili, Karnak and Luxor temples, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae — but travel like a backpacker: overnight sleeper train instead of internal flights, a mix of local guides booked through GetYourGuide or on the ground, and a night on a budget felucca or Aswan guesthouse in place of the cruise. Costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP and exclude international flights to/from Cairo.
Day-by-day
Land in Cairo, get your visa and head downtown
Cairo
Arrive at Cairo International Airport and buy your visa on arrival at the bank counter before immigration (~£25-30, cash in USD or GBP is easiest — get it yourself rather than relying on an operator). Grab an airport SIM from Vodafone or Orange (~£5 for data) and take a Careem/Uber into downtown Cairo (~£4-6, 45-60 mins depending on traffic). Check into a downtown hostel or budget hotel near Tahrir Square — plenty of private rooms for £12-18/night. Spend the evening walking the Corniche or a low-key first meal of koshari (~£2-3).
🚌Careem/Uber from Cairo Airport to downtown (~£5)
🛏Downtown Cairo hostel or budget hotel near Tahrir (private room, £12-18)
- →Buy visa on arrival at airport bank
- →Airport SIM card
- →Evening walk on the Corniche
- →Koshari dinner
Giza Pyramids, Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum
Cairo / Giza
Start early (7:30-8am) to beat the heat and the crowds. Take a Careem to the Giza plateau (~£3-4). Entry to the plateau is ~£4-5, with extra tickets for entering the Great Pyramid (~£10) or the Solar Boat Museum (~£5). You can hire a local Egyptologist guide at the gate or pre-book a small-group half-day tour via GetYourGuide for £20-35 — far cheaper than a private guided day. Watch out for touts and 'free' camel rides; agree prices in writing. In the afternoon head to the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir (entry ~£4-5) and see the Tutankhamun galleries. Finish the day wandering Khan el-Khalili bazaar — free to enter, best at dusk with a mint tea at El Fishawy (~£2).
🚌Careem/Uber around Cairo (~£6-8 for the day)
🛏Downtown Cairo hostel or budget hotel (private room, £12-18)
- →Giza Pyramids plateau entry + Great Pyramid/Solar Boat tickets
- →Sphinx and Valley Temple
- →Egyptian Museum, Tahrir
- →Khan el-Khalili bazaar and El Fishawy cafe
Overnight sleeper train to Luxor
Cairo to Luxor
Slow morning in Cairo — try the Islamic Cairo walk (Al-Muizz Street, Bab Zuweila) or the free-ish Coptic Cairo churches, then a late lunch. Book the Watania overnight sleeper train from Cairo to Luxor (departs around 8-9pm, arrives early morning; ~£45-60 for a single-occupancy cabin, cheaper if you share a twin). Book online in advance — sleeper berths fill up, especially October-April. Alternatively the daytime train is £8-15 but eats a whole day. Bring snacks and earplugs; breakfast is included in the sleeper fare.
🚌Watania overnight sleeper train Cairo-Luxor (~£50 single cabin)
🛏Overnight sleeper train cabin
- →Al-Muizz Street / Islamic Cairo walk
- →Watania sleeper train booking
Luxor: Karnak, Luxor Temple and the Corniche
Luxor
Arrive Luxor early morning, drop bags at a West Bank or East Bank guesthouse (private rooms £10-15). Book a guide for the Valley of the Kings for tomorrow while you're fresh. Today hit Karnak Temple (entry ~£6) — go early or late afternoon for the light — and Luxor Temple (~£4), which is magical at sunset. A local guide at the gate or a GetYourGuide small-group tour of both runs £15-25. Eat at a local restaurant on the West Bank (meals £2-4) and take a public ferry across the Nile for sunset (~£0.30).
🚌Sleeper arrival, local taxi/ferry (~£5)
🛏Luxor guesthouse, West or East Bank (private room, £10-15)
- →Karnak Temple
- →Luxor Temple at sunset
- →Public Nile ferry crossing
Valley of the Kings, Medinet Habu and Colossi of Memnon
Luxor (West Bank)
Get up at 6am — the West Bank sites open at 6 and are brutal by 11am. Cross on the public ferry and hire a bicycle (~£3/day) or share a taxi (~£10 for the day). Valley of the Kings entry covers 3 tombs (~£8), with extra tickets for Tutankhamun (~£5) and Ramesses VI (~£3). Add Medinet Habu (~£3) and Deir el-Medina (~£3), finishing at the Colossi of Memnon (free). A guide at the Valley gate is £15-20 or pre-book a small group via GetYourGuide. In the evening, jump on the budget option: a 1-night felucca or a cheap Aswan-bound minibus the following morning. If you want the full Nile experience, book a 3-night budget cruise Luxor-Aswan via a local agent for £120-180 all-in — the backpacker equivalent of the Oberoi Philae.
🚌Ferry, bicycle or shared taxi on the West Bank (~£6)
🛏Luxor guesthouse (private room, £10-15) or budget Nile cruise cabin
- →Valley of the Kings + Tutankhamun and Ramesses VI tombs
- →Medinet Habu
- →Deir el-Medina
- →Colossi of Memnon photo stop
Edfu and Kom Ombo en route to Aswan
Edfu / Kom Ombo / Aswan
If you're on a budget cruise this is a classic sailing day — dock at Edfu for the Temple of Horus (entry ~£4, horse-and-cart ~£3 each way, agree the price first) and at Kom Ombo for the twin temple at sunset (entry ~£4). If you're doing it independently, take a Luxor-Aswan train (2nd class ~£5-8) and hop off: Edfu is 1hr from Luxor, and a local taxi from Edfu station to the temple is ~£3. Kom Ombo is trickier on public transport — most backpackers do a minibus Luxor-Aswan with stops, or take the train to Kom Ombo station and walk 10 mins to the temple. Arrive Aswan by evening and check into a Nubian guesthouse on Elephantine Island (£10-15/night), one of the best-value stays in Egypt.
🚌Train or minibus with stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo (~£10-15)
🛏Nubian guesthouse on Elephantine Island, Aswan (private room, £10-15)
- →Temple of Horus, Edfu
- →Twin Temple of Kom Ombo
- →Elephantine Island evening
Aswan: Philae, Nubian Museum and a felucca sunset
Aswan
Morning boat to Philae Temple (~£5 entry + ~£5 shared motorboat) — go early before the tour groups. Then the Nubian Museum (~£4) for context on the culture you'll see on the island. In the afternoon, negotiate a 2-hour felucca sail (~£6-10 per person shared) or a motorboat to the Aswan High Dam (~£3 entry, ~£8 boat). If you have the budget, add a pre-dawn trip to Abu Simbel by shared minibus (~£25-35 including entry, leaves 4am, back by 1pm) — but it eats day 8, so plan accordingly. Evening: Nubian dinner at a local guesthouse or restaurant (£4-6).
🚌Local boats and shared minibus (~£12)
🛏Nubian guesthouse on Elephantine Island (private room, £10-15)
- →Philae Temple by boat
- →Nubian Museum
- →Aswan High Dam
- →Felucca sunset sail
- →Optional Abu Simbel day trip
Fly or train back to Cairo and depart
Aswan to Cairo
If you're flying out of Cairo, book a one-way Aswan-Cairo flight on EgyptAir or Nile Air (~£45-70, book early — this replaces the itinerary's internal flight). Cheaper and slower alternative: the overnight train back to Cairo (11-13 hrs, ~£10-20 for 2nd class) if you have a night to spare. Otherwise spend the morning at the Aswan souk for spices and Nubian crafts, then head to the airport. Budget an hour for Cairo traffic if you're connecting to an international flight — leave a big buffer.
🚌Aswan-Cairo flight (~£50) or overnight train (~£15)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Aswan souk shopping
- →Departure
Self-launched vs. Saudi Group
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Saudi Group | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£560 | £3,200 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £2,640 per person (83%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Saudi Group-style trips? Check them out here.~£560
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 Cairo & Nile Valley: Pyramids to Aswan by Train and Felucca cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £560 per person for 8 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 Saudi Group?+
Yes — Saudi Group charges around £3,200 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £560 — a saving of roughly £2,640 (83%) per person.
How long is the Egypt trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 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, budget, backpacker 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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