Wonders of Egypt and the Nile — Self-Launched
12 days · Egypt
G Adventures charges £2,030
No-markup version: ~£1,180 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 12-day loop from Cairo covering Egypt's greatest hits — the Pyramids, Aswan, Abu Simbel, a three-day Nile cruise (or felucca + local train alternative), Luxor's Valley of the Kings and Karnak, and a Nubian village dinner. You'll book your own budget hotels and guesthouses, use domestic flights and Egypt's extensive train/bus network, and arrange local guides on arrival rather than travelling in a guided group. All costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP and assume shared/private budget rooms, street food plus the odd sit-down meal, and self-booked day tours.
Day-by-day
Arrive Cairo
Cairo
Land at Cairo International and make your own way into town — the airport shuttle bus to Tahrir Square runs frequently and costs about £2, or a metered/Uber ride is roughly £5-7. Check into a budget hotel or hostel in downtown Cairo (Zamalek and Downtown are both good for walkability). Spend the evening acclimatising with a koshari dinner (Egypt's national street dish, about £2) and pick up a local SIM from Vodafone or Orange (about £8 for a data package).
🚌Airport shuttle bus (~£2) or Uber (~£6)
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Downtown or Zamalek (~£16/night)
- →Arrival and SIM card pickup
- →Evening walk along the Nile corniche
- →Koshari dinner downtown
Pyramids of Giza & Egyptian Museum
Cairo
Take an Uber or the local bus out to Giza (about £3) and buy your Pyramids and Sphinx entry ticket direct at the gate (foreigner ticket roughly £12). Consider adding a short camel or horse ride around the plateau (£8-12, negotiate hard). In the afternoon head to the Grand Egyptian Museum or the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (about £10) — if you want context, local guides can be hired at the gate for around £20 or book a small-group tour via GetYourGuide. Evening: Khan el-Khalili bazaar for tea, spices and scarves.
🚌Uber/bus to Giza and around Cairo (~£6)
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Downtown Cairo (~£16/night)
- →Giza Pyramids and Sphinx (self-guided)
- →Egyptian Museum / Grand Egyptian Museum
- →Khan el-Khalili bazaar wander
Fly to Aswan
Aswan
Book a domestic flight Cairo–Aswan with EgyptAir or Nile Air (roughly £70-100 if booked in advance; alternatively the overnight sleeper train is about £60 and saves a night's accommodation). Arrive in Aswan, settle into a guesthouse, and spend the late afternoon on the Aswan Corniche. Optional: hire a felucca for a sunset sail on the Nile (about £10-15 for a shared boat, split between passengers).
🚌Domestic flight Cairo–Aswan (~£85)
🛏Guesthouse in Aswan (~£15/night)
- →Cairo–Aswan domestic flight
- →Aswan Corniche walk
- →Optional sunset felucca sail
Abu Simbel & Nubian Village
Aswan
Join the pre-dawn convoy to Abu Simbel — the cheapest route is a shared minibus booked at your guesthouse (about £20 return including the guide-free transfer) plus the site entry ticket (roughly £14). The drive is 3 hours each way through desert. Back in Aswan by mid-afternoon, then take a local boat across to a Nubian village on one of the Nile islands for a traditional home-cooked dinner (many villages welcome visitors; tours via GetYourGuide from about £25 including dinner).
🚌Shared minibus convoy to Abu Simbel (~£20 return)
🛏Guesthouse in Aswan (~£15/night)
- →Abu Simbel temples (shared minibus day trip)
- →Boat to Nubian village with traditional dinner
Philae Temple & board Nile cruise
Aswan / Nile
Morning visit to Philae Temple (boat transfer plus entry about £12). If you want the cruise experience, board a 3-night Aswan–Luxor Nile cruise boat — budget cabins booked locally or via Klook come in around £110-160 per person for the full three nights including most meals. Cheaper alternative for the truly budget-minded: a two-night felucca sailing with a Nubian crew (about £40-60) and a night in a Luxor hotel instead. Either way, spend the afternoon on the water.
🚌Boat transfer and river transport
🛏Nile cruise boat cabin or felucca (~£45/night equivalent)
- →Philae Temple visit
- →Board Nile cruise / felucca
- →Sunset on the Nile
Nile cruising: Kom Ombo & Edfu
Nile River
Cruise north with stops at the twin temple of Kom Ombo (entry ~£7) and the remarkably preserved Temple of Horus at Edfu (entry ~£7, plus a horse-drawn calash from the dock, ~£5 return). Most cruise boats include breakfast, lunch and dinner; if you're on a felucca, your crew cooks and you'll stock up on supplies in Aswan beforehand. Evenings on deck watching the desert slip past are the highlight.
🚌Nile cruise boat
🛏Nile cruise boat cabin or felucca (~£45/night equivalent)
- →Kom Ombo Temple
- →Edfu Temple (Horus)
- →Deck time on the Nile
Arrive Luxor — Karnak Temple
Luxor
Dock at Luxor and check into a guesthouse on the East Bank (about £14/night). Afternoon visit to Karnak Temple complex — the sheer scale of the hypostyle hall is worth the entry fee (~£9). Book a licensed local guide at the gate if you want the history brought alive (about £25 for a small group). Evening: Luxor Museum or a stroll along the corniche with fresh juice.
🚌Walking / local taxi within Luxor (~£4)
🛏Guesthouse in Luxor (~£14/night)
- →Karnak Temple complex
- →Optional local guide at the gate
- →Luxor corniche evening walk
Valley of the Kings & West Bank
Luxor
Cross the Nile by local ferry (under £1) or a shared microbus and hire a bike or a taxi for the day to cover the West Bank (whole-day taxi roughly £15 — split it). Buy the Valley of the Kings ticket at the gate (~£12; extra for Tutankhamun's tomb). Continue to Hatshepsut Temple (~£7) and the Colossi of Memnon (free). If time and budget allow, the sound-and-light show at Karnak in the evening is about £12.
🚌Ferry plus shared West Bank taxi (~£10)
🛏Guesthouse in Luxor (~£14/night)
- →Valley of the Kings (self-guided)
- →Hatshepsut Temple
- →Colossi of Memnon
- →Optional Karnak sound-and-light show
Luxor to Cairo (or optional Dahabiya / rest day)
Cairo
Take the comfortable daytime EgyptAir flight Luxor–Cairo (about £60 if booked ahead) or the overnight sleeper train (about £50). Arrive back in the capital and re-settle into your downtown hotel. Use the afternoon for anything you missed on day one — Islamic Cairo, Coptic Cairo, or the City of the Dead — or simply rest. Optional afternoon: Islamic and Coptic Cairo walking tour, roughly £40 booked locally or via GetYourGuide.
🚌Domestic flight Luxor–Cairo (~£60)
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Downtown Cairo (~£16/night)
- →Luxor–Cairo flight or sleeper train
- →Free afternoon in Cairo
- →Optional Islamic/Coptic Cairo walking tour
Saqqara & Memphis day trip
Cairo
Hire a driver or join a small-group day tour to Saqqara (Step Pyramid) and Memphis, the ancient capital. Small-group tours run about £35-50 including entry; a private car split between two or three travellers comes in similar. Alternatively take a public bus to Saqqara and walk the last stretch — cheaper but slower. Evening: dinner in Zamalek, one of Cairo's best neighbourhoods for food.
🚌Shared tour vehicle or public bus (~£30)
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Downtown Cairo (~£16/night)
- →Saqqara Step Pyramid
- →Memphis open-air museum
- →Dinner in Zamalek
Cairo free day — old city & markets
Cairo
A flexible day for whatever you found most compelling. Options include the Cave Church of St Simon the Tanner in Mokattam, the Al-Azhar Mosque and Islamic quarter, or day-tripping to Fayoum for the desert lakes and Wadi al-Hitan whale fossils (long day, about £45 with a shared car). Pick up last souvenirs at Khan el-Khalili and have a farewell Egyptian meal — grilled kofta or hamam mahshi.
🚌Local taxis and metro (~£8)
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Downtown Cairo (~£16/night)
- →Old Cairo / Islamic quarter
- →Mokattam Cave Church
- →Optional Fayoum day trip
Depart Cairo
Cairo
Head to Cairo International for your flight home. Uber or the airport shuttle are the easiest options (about £5-7). Allow plenty of time — Cairo traffic is legendary. If your flight is late in the day, squeeze in one last coffee at a Downtown cafe before heading out.
🚌Uber/airport shuttle to Cairo International (~£6)
🛏—
- →Departure transfer
- →Last-minute souvenir shopping
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,180 | £2,030 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £850 per person (42%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,180
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 Wonders of Egypt and the Nile — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,180 per person for 12 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 G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £2,030 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,180 — a saving of roughly £850 (42%) per person.
How long is the Egypt trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 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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