Luxor to Aswan: Self-Launched Nile Valley Adventure
5 days · Nile Valley (Luxor to Aswan), Egypt
Beyond The Nile Tours charges £780
No-markup version: ~£468 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Beyond The Nile Tours' 5-day Luxor–Aswan Nile cruise, rebuilt for independent travellers. Instead of a 5-star full-board cruise ship with a tour director, you'll base yourself in budget guesthouses in Luxor and Aswan and travel the river corridor by train and shared minibus — still hitting every headline site (Karnak, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Abu Simbel, Philae and the High Dam). Book individual site tickets direct at each gate, pick up an English-speaking guide for a day or two via GetYourGuide where it adds value, and skip the mandatory ~$60 tipping kitty and cruise extras. Costs are approximate backpacker/mid-range estimates in GBP for one person.
Day-by-day
Luxor: Karnak by day, Luxor Temple by night
Luxor
Arrive in Luxor (fly into LXR or take the overnight sleeper train from Cairo — ~£35-50 one-way in a single cabin, book on the Egyptian National Railways 'Wagons Lit' site a few weeks ahead). Drop your bag at a West Bank or city-centre guesthouse, then head to Karnak Temple in the late afternoon — the Great Hypostyle Hall, the Ramses II granite statues and the obelisks of Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III are all inside one ticket (~£11). Have a cheap koshari dinner in town, then walk to Luxor Temple after dark when it's floodlit and far cooler (~£7). If you want context, a private Egyptologist guide for a half-day is bookable on GetYourGuide for around £30-40 shared.
🚌Airport taxi ~£5; city taxis/microbuses £1-2 per hop
🛏Budget guesthouse in Luxor (private room, en-suite) — £18-25
- →Karnak Temple Complex (Great Hypostyle Hall, Obelisk of Hatshepsut, Temple of Amun)
- →Luxor Temple at night
- →Optional: horse-carriage city tour (~£8)
- →Optional: Karnak Sound & Light Show (~£14)
Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and the Colossi
Luxor (West Bank)
Start early — 6-7am — to beat both the heat and the cruise-ship crowds. Cross the Nile by public ferry (~£0.20) and hire a bicycle or a shared minibus/taxi for the day on the West Bank (~£10-15 split). Valley of the Kings ticket covers 3 tombs (~£14; Tutankhamun and Seti I cost extra). Continue to the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (~£7) and stop at the Colossi of Memnon, which are free and roadside. Optional splurge: a sunrise hot air balloon flight over the West Bank, bookable on GetYourGuide from around £70-85. Eat at a West Bank local restaurant in the afternoon and take an evening train or minibus towards Edfu so you're positioned for Day 3.
🚌Nile ferry £0.20; West Bank taxi/minibus day hire £10-15; Luxor–Edfu train or minibus £3-5
🛏Guesthouse in Luxor or Edfu — £18-25
- →Valley of the Kings (3 tombs included)
- →Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
- →Colossi of Memnon
- →Optional: sunrise hot air balloon (~£70-85)
Edfu Temple and Kom Ombo
Edfu & Kom Ombo
Edfu Temple is the best-preserved in Egypt and is a 20-minute walk or short tuk-tuk ride (~£1.50) from Edfu town. Go at opening (6am) — the cruise boats dock mid-morning and it gets packed. Ticket ~£6. Then take a local train or minibus south to Kom Ombo (~£2-4, 1.5-2 hours). Kom Ombo sits right on the riverbank — the double temple of Sobek and Horus the Elder is ~£4 and takes about an hour. From Kom Ombo, continue by train or shared minibus to Aswan (~£2-4, 1.5 hours), check into a guesthouse near the corniche, and eat on the waterfront.
🚌Tuk-tuk £1.50; Edfu–Kom Ombo–Aswan train/minibus £5-8 total
🛏Budget guesthouse/hotel in Aswan — £18-25
- →Temple of Edfu (Horus Temple)
- →Temple of Kom Ombo
Abu Simbel day trip and Nubian village evening
Abu Simbel & Aswan
The big one. Shared minibus/coach day trips to Abu Simbel leave Aswan around 4am and cost roughly £18-25 per person return (hotels and agencies on the corniche sell them the night before; you can also book through GetYourGuide). Alternatively, the public bus costs ~£3-4 each way but is slower and less reliable timing-wise. Entry to the Great Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Nefertari is ~£13. Back in Aswan by early afternoon — nap, then take a public ferry to a Nubian village on Elephantine Island or a felucca sunset sail (~£6-10) for tea and dinner with a local family.
🚌Shared minibus Abu Simbel return £18-25; public ferry £0.40
🛏Budget guesthouse/hotel in Aswan — £18-25
- →Great Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel
- →Temple of Nefertari, Abu Simbel
- →Nubian village visit / felucca sunset sail
Philae Temple, High Dam and onward travel
Aswan
Finish with Philae, reached by a short boat ride from Shellal (~£3 boat each way, ~£7 entry) — go for opening at 7am for calm water and no crowds. Add the Aswan High Dam (~£2) if you're interested in the engineering story, and optionally the Unfinished Obelisk (~£3). Back in town by midday for a final falafel lunch, then to Aswan airport (taxi ~£6) or the train station for onward travel — the Cairo sleeper or a cheap daytime train north.
🚌Boat to Philae £6 return; taxi to airport £6 or train onward
🛏None (day of departure) — or £18-25 if you stay an extra night
- →Philae Temple
- →Aswan High Dam
- →Optional: Unfinished Obelisk
Self-launched vs. Beyond The Nile Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Beyond The Nile Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£468 | £780 |
| Duration | 5 days | 5 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £312 per person (40%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Beyond The Nile Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£468
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.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Luxor to Aswan: Self-Launched Nile Valley Adventure cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £468 per person for 5 days in Nile Valley (Luxor to Aswan), 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 Beyond The Nile Tours?+
Yes — Beyond The Nile Tours charges around £780 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £468 — a saving of roughly £312 (40%) per person.
How long is the Nile Valley (Luxor to Aswan), Egypt trip?+
This itinerary runs 5 days, covering 5 day-by-day stops through Nile Valley (Luxor to Aswan), 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 Nile Valley (Luxor to Aswan), 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?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.