Discover Jordan & Egypt — Self-Launched

Land at Queen Alia International Airport and take the Sariyah airport express shuttle bus (~3.5 JOD, ~£4) into Amman's Tabarbour bus station, then a short Careem/Uber (~3 JOD) to Downtown. Airport taxis run 20–25 JOD — skip them. Check into a Downtown or Jabal Amman hostel, then spend the evening on Rainbow Street and the old souk, easing in over a plate of falafel, hummus and knafeh. Pick up a Jordan Pass online before you fly: the 70 JOD (~£78) version covers your visa-on-arrival fee plus Jerash and Petra entry, saving you around 25 JOD.

🚌Airport express bus + local taxi (~£7)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Downtown Amman (£12–18/night, dorm or simple private)

• →Rainbow Street and Downtown souk wander
• →Falafel and knafeh dinner
• →Buy Jordan Pass online

Take a JETT or Trust International bus from Amman's Tabarbour or Abdali station to Jerash (~3 JOD, 1hr) and explore one of the best-preserved Roman cities outside Italy — Hadrian's Arch, the Oval Plaza, the colonnaded Cardo Maximus and the South Theatre. Entry is included on your Jordan Pass. For the cooking-class element, pre-book a half-day Jordanian cooking workshop in Amman through GetYourGuide or Klook (~£30–40) — several are run by women-led social enterprises such as Beit Khayrat Souf near Jerash — or simply eat at a women's cooperative café in Jerash for a few JOD. Back in Amman, walk up to the Citadel for the Temple of Hercules and the Jordan Archaeological Museum (included on Jordan Pass), then dinner in Jabal al-Weibdeh.

🚌Shared minibus/bus to Jerash + return (~£7)

🛏Same Amman hostel (£12–18)

• →Jerash archaeological site
• →Jordanian cooking class (GetYourGuide/Klook)
• →Amman Citadel and Archaeological Museum

Today you do the classic King's Highway run by public transport. Take an early minibus from Amman's South/Wahdat station to Madaba (~1 JOD, 45min), see St George's Church and its 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land, then grab a taxi or shared minibus to Mount Nebo (~5–8 JOD return, or ~2 JOD shared) for the Dead Sea viewpoint and Moses' memorial. From Madaba, take a minibus or shared taxi south to Wadi Musa (~7–10 JOD, 2.5hrs), your base for Petra. In the evening, join an independent archaeologist talk or guided walk around Wadi Musa through GetYourGuide or the Petra Museum (free entry) to get the site's history before you go in — several licensed Petra guides also do evening briefings from ~10 JOD. Sleep in a Wadi Musa guesthouse.

🚌Minibus Amman–Madaba, local taxi to Mount Nebo, minibus Madaba–Wadi Musa (~£14)

🛏Guesthouse in Wadi Musa (£12–18/night)

• →St George's mosaic map, Madaba
• →Mount Nebo viewpoint
• →Petra Museum or evening archaeologist briefing

Enter Petra early (site opens 6am) with your Jordan Pass. Walk the Siq — the 1km gorge with 80m sandstone walls — to Al-Khazneh (the Treasury), then continue on your own around the Royal Tombs, the Street of Facades, the Theatre, the Colonnaded Street and up the 800 steps to the Monastery (Ad Deir) if your legs allow. Hiring a licensed local guide at the visitor centre for 2–3 hours costs ~50 JOD shared between a few travellers (£12–15 each) for the Siq and Treasury context — much cheaper than a private tour. Optional: Petra by Night (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 17 JOD) with candles in the Siq and Bedouin music. Bring 2L of water; food inside is pricey so pack a lunch.

🚌Walk to gate (~15 min) or local taxi (~£2)

🛏Guesthouse in Wadi Musa (£12–18)

• →Petra full-day entry (Jordan Pass)
• →Siq and Treasury guided segment
• →Monastery hike
• →Optional Petra by Night (~£18)

Take a minibus or shared taxi from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum Visitor Centre (~7–10 JOD, 2hrs), where your camp's jeep picks you up. Pre-book a Wadi Rum camp with a 4x4 tour through Booking.com, GetYourGuide or direct — budget desert camps with dinner, breakfast and a 3–4hr jeep tour run ~30–45 JOD per person (£34–50). The jeep tour hits Lawrence's Spring, the red sand dunes, Khazali Canyon petroglyphs and the sunset viewpoint. Eat a Bedouin zarb dinner at camp, then walk out ten minutes from the tents with a camp guide for the starry-sky night walk — most camps include this free or for ~5 JOD. Bring a warm layer; desert nights are cold.

🚌Minibus/shared taxi Wadi Musa–Wadi Rum (~£9) and camp jeep transfer

🛏Wadi Rum desert camp, twin tent with dinner and breakfast (£30–40/night incl. meals)

• →4x4 jeep tour and sunset
• →Khazali Canyon petroglyphs
• →Bedouin zarb dinner
• →Bedouin-led night walk

Head north from Wadi Rum — take a shared taxi or minibus to Aqaba/Naour then connect towards the Dead Sea (~15–20 JOD total, 3–4hrs), or book a shared transfer through your camp. For the Dead Sea itself, use Amman Beach or a public/private beach access point rather than a resort: day access is ~15–20 JOD (~£17–22) and includes showers, changing rooms and towels, versus £100+ for resort day passes. Float, mud up, rinse off properly and hydrate. Stay overnight in a guesthouse near Sweimeh or in Madaba/Amman if you prefer cheaper beds — a Dead Sea-area budget stay is ~£25–35, so many travellers overnight in Madaba (~£15) and shuttle in.

🚌Shared taxi Wadi Rum–Dead Sea area (~£20)

🛏Guesthouse near Sweimeh or Madaba (£15–30/night)

• →Dead Sea swim and mud treatment
• →Beach access with showers

Visit Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas), the UNESCO-listed baptism site on the river — enter via the Visitor Centre and take the mandatory site shuttle (entry ~12 JOD, though it's discounted with a Jordan Pass). Local taxis from the Dead Sea highway or Sweimeh run ~10–15 JOD each way. Explore the churches, chapels, monasteries and caves, then head back to Amman (bus or shared taxi ~5–8 JOD). Spend the evening with a farewell shawarma and a cold drink on Rainbow Street — and pre-book tomorrow's budget flight to Cairo tonight.

🚌Local taxi to Bethany + bus back to Amman (~£15)

🛏Hostel in Amman (£12–18)

• →Bethany Beyond the Jordan baptism site
• →Amman evening on Rainbow Street

Take the airport express bus (3.5 JOD) to Queen Alia and fly to Cairo. Book a low-cost carrier (Royal Jordanian, EgyptAir, Air Cairo or Flydubai) early for £70–110 one way, and check the 20–23kg baggage limits. At Cairo airport, buy your Egypt visa at the bank counter before immigration (USD 36, card or cash) or pre-apply at visaonarrival.gov.eg for the QR code, then take the Airport Shuttle Bus to Almaza (~25 EGP) plus metro/Careem, or a Careem straight to Downtown (~200–250 EGP, ~£4). Check into a Downtown or Zamalek hostel and grab koshari for dinner (30–50 EGP).

🚌Flight Amman–Cairo (~£90) + airport bus/taxi (~£5)

🛏Hostel, Downtown Cairo or Zamalek (£10–16/night)

• →Arrival and visa on arrival (USD 36)
• →Koshari dinner Downtown

Book a small-group Giza + Sakkara + Memphis day tour on GetYourGuide or Viator (~£40–60 per person including a licensed Egyptologist guide and air-conditioned transport) — this is the cheapest way to cover all three sites without a private car. You'll see the Great Pyramids and Sphinx, then drive to Sakkara for the Step Pyramid and the 6th-Dynasty Mereruka Tomb, plus Memphis. Site entry tickets are extra (~£25 total: Giza plateau ~540 EGP, Sakkara ~450 EGP, Mereruka ~150 EGP). For the farm-to-table angle, book an evening Cairo food tour or a home-cooking class in a local kitchen through Airbnb Experiences or GetYourGuide (~£25–35) — several are run by women-led community kitchens in Old Cairo. Otherwise, eat at Abou Tarek koshari (very cheap) and rest.

🚌Included in day tour, or metro + Careem (~£8)

🛏Hostel, Cairo (£10–16)

• →Giza Pyramids and Sphinx
• →Sakkara Step Pyramid and Mereruka Tomb
• →Memphis
• →Optional Cairo food tour or cooking class

Take an early EgyptAir or Nile Air flight Cairo–Aswan (~£45–70 booked ahead, 1h20) or, for a cheaper and much slower option, the overnight sleeper train (~£45–60, 12hrs). Drop bags at an Aswan guesthouse on the West Bank or in the Nubian village of Gharb Soheil. Take a local motorboat to Philae Temple (~150–300 EGP shared, entry ~450 EGP) — go without a guide or hire one at the dock for ~200 EGP. In the late afternoon, take a felucca or motorboat to a Nubian village for a walk through the lanes and a home-cooked dinner with a local family — book through GetYourGuide (~£20–30 incl. boat and meal) or directly with your guesthouse, which is usually cheaper (~£12–18).

🚌Flight Cairo–Aswan (~£55) + local boats (~£8)

🛏Nubian guesthouse, West Bank Aswan (£12–20/night)

• →Philae Temple
• →Felucca ride on the Nile
• →Nubian village walk and family dinner

Join a shared minibus/coach day trip to Abu Simbel (departs ~4am, back ~2pm, ~£20–30 including transport; entry ~600 EGP extra). Alternatively take the public bus from Aswan bus station (~£5 each way) but you'll need to sort the early start yourself and timings are tight. Either way you get to the two rock-cut temples of Ramses II and Nefertari on Lake Nasser. Afternoon back in Aswan: nap, then wander the Nubian market and Corniche. Optional in the evening: the Philae Temple Sound and Light Show (~£25–30, or ~£20 booked through your guesthouse).

🚌Shared minibus day trip to Abu Simbel (~£25)

🛏Nubian guesthouse, Aswan (£12–20)

• →Abu Simbel temples (entry ~£8)
• →Aswan Corniche and Nubian market
• →Optional Philae Sound and Light Show

Take the local train from Aswan to Kom Ombo (2nd class ~30–50 EGP, ~45min), walk 10 minutes to the riverside double temple of Sobek and Haroeris (entry ~360 EGP) and see the crocodile mummies in the small museum. Hop back on the train to Edfu (~30 EGP, 45min), then take a tuk-tuk or local taxi to the Temple of Horus (~50 EGP each way) — the best-preserved temple in Egypt. Continue by train to Luxor (~60–100 EGP, 1.5hrs). A private driver doing Aswan–Luxor with both stops costs ~£45–60 if you'd rather do it in one go. Stay in a West Bank or central Luxor guesthouse.

🚌Local trains Aswan–Kom Ombo–Edfu–Luxor + tuk-tuks (~£12)

🛏Guesthouse in Luxor (£10–16/night)

• →Kom Ombo Temple
• →Edfu Temple of Horus

Cross the Nile by public ferry (5 EGP) or shared boat and hire a bicycle (~£4/day) or take a shared microbus/taxi on the West Bank. See the Valley of the Kings (entry ~750 EGP including 3 tombs; Tutankhamun's tomb is extra), the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari (~360 EGP) and the Colossi of Memnon (free). A licensed West Bank guide at the Valley costs ~300–500 EGP if you want the depth of the original archaeologist-led visit — or read up the night before. Add the Tombs of the Nobles or Deir el-Medina if you have legs left. Evening: sunset felucca on the Nile (~150 EGP/hr shared) and dinner at a local West Bank spot.

🚌Public ferry, bike or shared microbus (~£6)

🛏Guesthouse in Luxor (£10–16)

• →Valley of the Kings
• →Hatshepsut Temple
• →Colossi of Memnon
• →Sunset felucca

Get to Karnak early (opens 6am) before the heat and crowds — the Hypostyle Hall, obelisks and sacred lake are the highlight of any Egypt trip (entry ~600 EGP). Combine with Karnak and Luxor Temple on the standard ticket strategy, and stroll the Avenue of Sphinxes down to Luxor Temple (~500 EGP) in the afternoon or at dusk when it's beautifully lit. If you want the El Kab tomb complex detour, hire a taxi for half a day (~£20–25 split between two or three travellers) to the rock-cut tombs at El Kab, 80km south. Optionally visit a local craft project or Funtasia-style community initiative in Luxor via GetYourGuide or your guesthouse.

🚌Bike, microbus or shared taxi (~£8)

🛏Guesthouse in Luxor (£10–16)

• →Karnak Temple
• →Luxor Temple
• →Optional El Kab tombs and craft project visit

Take a daytime EgyptAir flight Luxor–Cairo (~£35–55) or the comfortable 1st/2nd-class train (~£15–25, 9–10hrs, book on the Egyptian National Railways site or at the station). Check into your Cairo hostel, then hit the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza (open since late 2025; entry ~1,200–1,500 EGP, book a timed slot online in advance). In the evening, walk Islamic Cairo: the Hanging Church, St Sergius and Ben Ezra Synagogue in Coptic Cairo, then the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and Al-Muizz Street after dark — do it self-guided and it costs nothing but your shopping.

🚌Flight or train Luxor–Cairo + metro/Careem (~£45)

🛏Hostel, Cairo (£10–16)

• →Grand Egyptian Museum
• →Coptic Cairo churches and synagogue
• →Khan el-Khalili and Al-Muizz Street

A free day to fill the gaps. Options: the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (~550 EGP), a Nile dinner cruise, a half-day street-food tour on GetYourGuide (~£25), or the cave church of St Simon at Mokattam. If you skipped the Sakkara day tour, day-trip to Dashur or Saqqara independently (Careem ~£10 each way). Stock up on souvenirs at Khan el-Khalili and confirm your departure plans. Budget for a last big meal — maybe grilled pigeon or molokhia at a local ahwa.

🚌Metro and Careem around town (~£8)

🛏Hostel, Cairo (£10–16)

• →Egyptian Museum in Tahrir or optional street-food tour
• →Souvenir shopping
• →Nile sunset walk

Take the airport shuttle bus from Tahrir/Downtown (~25–50 EGP) or a Careem (~200 EGP) to Cairo International for your flight home. If you have a late flight, drop bags at the hostel and grab one last koshari or ful medames breakfast before heading out.

🚌Airport shuttle bus or Careem (~£4)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Departure transfer
• →Last Cairo breakfast