Self-Launched Complete Egypt: Cairo, Nile Valley & Aswan in 11 Days
11 days · Egypt
Egypt Tour Pro charges £1,960
No-markup version: ~£1,120 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of the classic 11-day Egypt group tour: three nights in Cairo for the Giza pyramids and Egyptian Museum, then south by cheap domestic flight or overnight train to Luxor for the Valley of the Kings, Karnak and Luxor Temple, then a slow hop down the Nile by train, minibus and shared taxi to Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan — with an optional dawn dash to Abu Simbel. Instead of a 5-star cruise ship you sleep in hostels and small guesthouses (or hop on a budget 3-night felucca sail if you want river time), book your own guides through GetYourGuide or locally, and handle entrance tickets yourself. Same temples, same river light, roughly half the price. All figures are approximate backpacker rates in GBP and assume shared/dorm or budget double accommodation.
Day-by-day
Arrive Cairo, ease into downtown
Cairo
Land at Cairo International, buy your visa-on-arrival sticker at the bank counter before immigration (~US$25 / £20 for most Western passports), then take an airport taxi or the Careem/Uber app to Downtown or Giza (~EGP 350-500, £6-9). Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Downtown Cairo or off Pyramids Road, pick up a local SIM from Vodafone or Orange (EGP 300-400 for data), and spend the evening walking Talaat Harb Street and eating koshari at Abou Tarek (~£3). Skip any airport 'guide' meeting service — you don't need it.
🚌Airport taxi/Careem to city, ~£7
🛏Budget hotel/hostel, Downtown Cairo or Giza (~£20/night double, less in a dorm)
- →Cairo arrival & visa on arrival
- →Local SIM card
- →Koshari dinner Downtown
Giza pyramids, Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum
Cairo / Giza
Get to the Giza plateau early (Careem from Downtown ~£4) before the coaches arrive. Buy the site ticket at the gate (EGP 540, ~£9) — extra tickets for going inside the Great Pyramid or Khafre pyramid cost more. Either roam independently with a guidebook or book a small-group GetYourGuide guide (~£25-40). Don't ride camels/horses unless you've agreed a firm all-in price. Afternoon: the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square (EGP 550, ~£9) for Tutankhamun's treasures — or swap in the new Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza if you'd rather (book online, ~£25). Evening: stroll Khan el-Khalili bazaar and have dinner at a local fuul/ta'meya spot (~£4).
🚌Careem/Uber to Giza and back, ~£9 total
🛏Budget hotel/hostel, Cairo (~£20)
- →Giza pyramids & Sphinx (self-guided or GetYourGuide small-group tour)
- →Egyptian Museum (or Grand Egyptian Museum)
- →Khan el-Khalili bazaar
Cairo to Luxor — fly or overnight train
Cairo → Luxor
Two good budget options south. Fastest: a domestic flight (Nile Air/Air Cairo/Egyptair, book directly, ~£45-70 one way, 1h). Cheapest and most atmospheric: the overnight sleeper train from Ramses Station (~US$100/£80 for a single cabin, or a reclining seat on a daytime train for ~EGP 400-700). If you fly in the morning, use the afternoon to settle into a West Bank guesthouse and catch sunset over the Nile from a rooftop. Evening: shisha and grilled food on the West Bank or in Luxor town (~£5).
🚌Domestic flight Cairo–Luxor ~£55 (or sleeper train ~£80)
🛏West Bank guesthouse, Luxor (~£15-20/night double)
- →Domestic flight or sleeper train to Luxor
- →Nile sunset from a West Bank rooftop
Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and the Colossi
Luxor (West Bank)
Rent a bike (EGP 100/day) or take a shared microbus/tuk-tuk to the West Bank sites. Valley of the Kings ticket covers 3 tombs (EGP 750, ~£12); Tutankhamun's tomb and the superb Nefertari tomb in the Valley of the Queens cost extra — worth it if you love painting. Then Queen Hatshepsut's temple (EGP 360) and the free-to-view Colossi of Memnon. You can pre-book a GetYourGuide West Bank half-day with an Egyptologist (~£30-45) if you want context, or hire a licensed local guide at the ticket office. Sunset: optional hot-air balloon booked for tomorrow dawn (~£85-110 via GetYourGuide — the operator's version costs more).
🚌Bike hire or shared microbus, ~£4
🛏West Bank guesthouse, Luxor (~£18)
- →Valley of the Kings (3 tombs included)
- →Queen Hatshepsut Temple
- →Colossi of Memnon
- →Optional Nefertari tomb add-on
Karnak, Luxor Temple and the road to Edfu
Luxor → Edfu
Optional pre-dawn hot-air balloon over the West Bank for the same sunrise views the cruise passengers get (~£90, book 1-2 days ahead). Then cross to the East Bank: Karnak Temple complex (EGP 600, ~£9.50) is best in the early morning light, followed by Luxor Temple (EGP 400). Late afternoon, take a train or shared minibus south to Edfu (train ~EGP 100-200, 1.5h; minibus similar) and stay in a simple guesthouse near the temple.
🚌Train or shared minibus Luxor–Edfu, ~£3
🛏Simple guesthouse, Edfu (~£15)
- →Optional hot-air balloon over Luxor (book via GetYourGuide)
- →Karnak Temples
- →Luxor Temple
Edfu Temple, then Kom Ombo at sunset
Edfu → Kom Ombo → Aswan
Edfu's Horus Temple (EGP 450, ~£7) is the best-preserved in Egypt — go at opening, 7am, to have the hypostyle hall almost to yourself. Then continue south by train or minibus to Kom Ombo (1-2h), where the double temple sits right on the riverbank; late afternoon light is beautiful (EGP 360). Catch the evening train or a shared taxi on to Aswan (~2h, £3-5) and check into a guesthouse on Elephantine Island or in the Nubian village area.
🚌Train/minibus Edfu–Kom Ombo–Aswan, ~£6
🛏Elephantine Island/Nubian guesthouse, Aswan (~£18)
- →Edfu Temple at opening time
- →Kom Ombo Temple
- →Evening arrival in Aswan
Abu Simbel at dawn, then Aswan's temples
Aswan / Abu Simbel
Book the 4am shared convoy minibus to Abu Simbel (EGP 900-1,200 return, ~£15-20, plus EGP 600 entry, ~£10) — book the day before at any Aswan travel office or via GetYourGuide. Four colossal statues out of the desert, back by early afternoon. Alternatively fly or take the weekly ferry if you want longer there. Afternoon in Aswan: take a local motorboat to Philae Temple on Agilkia Island (boat ~£5 shared, entry EGP 450) and stop at the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk en route (EGP 250 each). Sunset felucca sail around Elephantine (~£6-8).
🚌Shared minibus convoy to Abu Simbel + local boats, ~£22
🛏Elephantine Island/Nubian guesthouse, Aswan (~£18)
- →Abu Simbel temples (shared minibus)
- →Philae Temple by motorboat
- →Aswan High Dam
- →Unfinished Obelisk
- →Sunset felucca sail
Nubian village day / optional felucca cruise
Aswan
Slow day in Aswan. Wander the Nubian villages on the west bank, drink tea at a colourful house, and visit the Nubian Museum (EGP 300). If you want river time in place of the operator's cruise, book a 2-3 night budget felucca sailing from Aswan to Kom Ombo/Edfu (~£40-60 per person including food and crew) — this is the classic backpacker Nile experience and fits in here or replaces days 6-8 with a shuffle of the same sights.
🚌Local ferries/felucca hops, ~£5
🛏Nubian guesthouse, Aswan (~£18)
- →Nubian village walk
- →Nubian Museum
- →Optional budget felucca sailing
Aswan to Luxor by train
Aswan → Luxor
Take the daytime train (or the cheap local 'Spanish' train, EGP 100-200) or a shared minibus back north to Luxor (~3h). This is the stretch the cruise ship covers — you'll see the same Nile villages, palm groves and occasional fishermen from a window seat instead of a deck chair for a fraction of the cost. Afternoon: revisit anything you missed — Luxor Museum (EGP 400, small but superb), the mummification museum, or a rooftop coffee. Evening: cheap dinner in Luxor town.
🚌Train Aswan–Luxor, ~£4
🛏East Bank budget hotel, Luxor (~£18)
- →Nile train ride north
- →Luxor Museum (optional)
- →Luxor town evening
Luxor back to Cairo
Luxor → Cairo
Morning flight or daytime train back to Cairo (~£45-70 flight, or EGP 400-700 seat on the train, 9-10h). Settle into your Cairo hotel and use the late afternoon for anything you skipped: Coptic Cairo and the Hanging Church, Islamic Cairo's Al-Muizz Street, or the Cave Church. Last-night dinner and a wander through Downtown's crumbling belle-époque streets.
🚌Flight or train Luxor–Cairo, ~£55
🛏Budget hotel/hostel, Downtown Cairo (~£20)
- →Return to Cairo
- →Coptic/Islamic Cairo walk (optional)
- →Downtown evening
Depart Cairo
Cairo
Breakfast, a last wander for souvenirs (papyrus, spices, alabaster from Khan el-Khalili or the market near your hotel — haggle hard), then an airport taxi for your onward flight. If you have a late flight, Saqqara and Dahshur's Bent and Red Pyramids make an easy half-day by Careem (~£25 with driver, plus entry) — quieter and arguably more impressive than Giza.
🚌Airport taxi, ~£7
🛏None (departure day)
- →Souvenir shopping
- →Optional Saqqara & Dahshur half-day
Self-launched vs. Egypt Tour Pro
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Egypt Tour Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,120 | £1,960 |
| Duration | 11 days | 11 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £840 per person (43%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Egypt Tour Pro-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,120
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 Complete Egypt: Cairo, Nile Valley & Aswan in 11 Days cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,120 per person for 11 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 Egypt Tour Pro?+
Yes — Egypt Tour Pro charges around £1,960 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,120 — a saving of roughly £840 (43%) per person.
How long is the Egypt trip?+
This itinerary runs 11 days, covering 11 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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