Self-Launched Egypt: Pyramids, Nile Valley & Red Sea on a Backpacker Budget

Land at Hurghada International Airport and take a local taxi or pre-arranged hotel shuttle (~£5-8) to a budget hotel or guesthouse in the El Dahar or Sekala area rather than a resort strip. Spend the afternoon swimming at a public beach, walking the marina and eating cheap seafood at a local fish grill. Buy an Egyptian eSIM or a Vodafone/Orange SIM at the airport (~£7 for 10GB). Confirm your Luxor bus/train ticket for tomorrow evening and pre-book your Nile cruise leg online (3-night Luxor–Aswan sailings start around £100-160pp in a shared twin cabin on 4-5* boats).

🚌Airport taxi ~£6; all walking/local minibus

🛏Budget hotel/guesthouse in central Hurghada (twin/dorm, ~£15-22pp)

• →El Dahar old town wander
• →Marina & public beach swim
• →Local SIM/eSIM setup
• →Seafood dinner at a fish grill

Take a morning Go Bus or Upper Egypt bus from Hurghada to Luxor (~4.5 hrs, ~£6-8), or a shared microbus for a similar price. Drop bags at a guesthouse on the West Bank or near Luxor Temple. In the afternoon visit Karnak Temple (~£10) and walk the Avenue of Sphinxes to Luxor Temple (~£7) — both are easily done without a guide using a guidebook or audio app. Sunset on the Luxor corniche is free and glorious. Optionally catch the Karnak Sound & Light show (~£22 booked direct) instead of the operator's $50 add-on.

🚌Hurghada–Luxor bus ~£7; local taxi/felucca ~£3

🛏West Bank guesthouse, Luxor (~£12-18pp)

• →Karnak Temple complex
• →Avenue of Sphinxes walk
• →Luxor Temple
• →Optional Karnak Sound & Light show

Start early (6:30am) to beat the heat and crowds. Cross the Nile by public ferry (~£0.30) and hire a bicycle or share a taxi to the West Bank sites. Valley of the Kings ticket covers 3 tombs (~£14); add Tutankhamun's tomb (~£12) if you want it — the operator tour skips it. Visit Hatshepsut's Temple (~£7) and the Colossi of Memnon (free). Optional sunrise hot-air balloon flight is far cheaper booked direct through a local operator (~£55-70 vs typical agency markups). Board your cruise boat by 1pm for lunch and sail south to Edfu overnight.

🚌Public ferry + shared taxi/bike ~£6; cruise sailing included

🛏Nile cruise twin cabin, full board (~£40-55pp per night equivalent)

• →Valley of the Kings (3 tombs)
• →Temple of Hatshepsut
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Optional sunrise hot-air balloon
• →Board Nile cruise & sail to Edfu

Cruise excursions to Edfu Temple (~£9, usually reached by horse carriage — agree the price up front) and Kom Ombo (~£6) are run by the boat and included or sold cheaply onboard, so no separate guide needed. Otherwise the boat docks within walking distance. Spend the afternoon on the sun deck as you sail to Aswan, arriving late evening. Most meals are included on the cruise.

🚌Cruise sailing (all transport included)

🛏Nile cruise twin cabin, full board

• →Temple of Horus at Edfu
• →Temple of Kom Ombo
• →Sun-deck sailing
• →Evening arrival in Aswan

Disembark after breakfast and check into a budget guesthouse or Nubian homestay on Elephantine Island (~£15pp). Visit Philae Temple by public river bus (~£6 entry + ~£3 boat) and the Aswan High Dam (~£3). In the late afternoon take a felucca or public ferry to a Nubian village (~£8 return) for tea and a home-cooked dinner — this is the operator's optional add-on at a fraction of the price. Book your Aswan–Cairo sleeper train or flight for tomorrow.

🚌Local river bus, ferry & shared taxi ~£8

🛏Elephantine Island guesthouse/Nubian homestay (~£15pp)

• →Philae Temple
• →Aswan High Dam viewpoint
• →Felucca sail
• →Nubian village visit & dinner

Join the shared minibus convoy to Abu Simbel leaving at 4am (~£18-25 return with a local operator, plus ~£13 entry) — the operator charges a premium for this optional. Back in Aswan by early afternoon; rest, then take the Watania overnight sleeper train to Cairo (~£45-60 for a single cabin, or a second-class seat on the day train for ~£15). Cheaper still: fly Aswan–Cairo on a budget fare from ~£45-70 if booked ahead, which is far less than the operator's $190 upgrade.

🚌Shared minibus Abu Simbel ~£20; sleeper train ~£50

🛏Overnight sleeper train cabin (or budget Cairo hotel if flying, ~£15)

• →Abu Simbel temples (Ramses II & Nefertari)
• →Aswan bazaar browse
• →Overnight sleeper train to Cairo

Base yourself in downtown Cairo near Tahrir Square (~£15-20pp). Take an Uber or metro to Giza (~£3) and buy the pyramids complex ticket (~£11; entry inside a pyramid extra). Walk to the Sphinx and Valley Temple on the same ticket. After lunch head to the Egyptian Museum (Tahrir) (~£10) — the Grand Egyptian Museum is a bigger draw now, so check which is open and pick one. Hiring a licensed guide for half a day at Giza (~£25-35 split between 2-3 people) is worth it if you want context; otherwise a good audio guide works. Evening bus or budget flight back to Hurghada is possible but better done tomorrow morning.

🚌Uber/metro around Cairo ~£5

🛏Downtown Cairo budget hotel (~£17pp)

• →Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx
• →Valley Temple
• →Egyptian Museum (or Grand Egyptian Museum)
• →Khan el-Khalili evening wander

Take a morning Go Bus or budget flight back to Hurghada (~£7-10 bus, ~£35-50 flight). Check into a Red Sea guesthouse. In the afternoon or next morning, book a snorkelling/diving day trip to Giftun or Paradise Island direct with a local dive shop (~£22-28 including lunch and gear) — roughly half the operator's $45 add-on, or take a quad-bike desert safari (~£25-30). Non-divers can simply swim off a public beach for free.

🚌Cairo–Hurghada bus ~£8; local taxis ~£4

🛏Hurghada guesthouse/budget hotel (~£18pp)

• →Snorkelling or diving day trip to Giftun/Paradise Island
• →Optional quad-bike desert safari
• →Red Sea sunset

Slow breakfast, a last swim, and a taxi to Hurghada International Airport (~£6). If you have a late flight, use the morning for a cheap hammam or a final wander around the old town. Pre-book your airport transfer the night before to avoid last-minute price hikes.

🚌Airport taxi ~£6

🛏—

• →Final beach swim
• →Old town shopping
• →Airport transfer