Traveling Egypt without a tour – how to beat the crowds and hassle

Are you interested in traveling around Egypt without a tour? A lot of people take tours around Egypt, because it’s easy and saves you from being hassled every moment of the day. However, being on a tour will also mean that you will follow the same schedule as every other tourist and you’ll struggle to find peace or any special moments to yourself. If you travel independently, it will give you the freedom to make your own schedule and get away from the crowds. In this post I will tell you how to avoid the masses and travel independently to the ‘must see’ landmarks in Egypt. Keep reading to discover the best way to travel Egypt without a tour.

The Pyramids

Locals will tell you that you need a guide for the day. They will also say that it’s too far to walk around the area and that it is best to drive between each place while they wait for you.

You.Do.Not.Need.A.Chaperone.To.See.The.Pyramids.

The best thing to do is either stay close to the entrance of the pyramids in Giza, or catch a taxi to the entrance from wherever you are staying in Cairo. The taxi drivers will try anyway they can to make you hire them for the day. Pay them, walk away and enjoy your day at the pyramids. I recommend using Uber in Cairo and Giza, because the price is fixed and no bartering is required. I had good experiences using Uber in both Cairo and Giza.

When you are at the pyramids, if somewhere seems too far to walk, you can jump on a horse and cart for that individual journey. This is far more fun and flexible than having a car wait for you all day.

Tips: During Golden Hour, take a horse and cart to the lookout point where you can see a view of all of the pyramids. The sun will be shining directly onto the pyramids. It is the best view of the whole area. I don’t recommend this view earlier in the day if you want nice photos, because the sun will be in front of you and you’ll get a lot of camera glare.

Drink: Arabic coffee at the little coffee shop in front of the Sphinx. It was the most delicious cup I drank during my entire trip.

Eat: Dinner at the Meridian Hotel. The hummus and Arabic bread were sensational!

Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is huge and incredible and must be on your Egypt itinerary.

I flew to Aswan from Cairo and arrived in time to take a sunset boat cruise on the Nile. The boat captains will find you, there is no need to book until you get there. Just walk down to the riverfront and barter for a boat trip.

It’s a fairly long bus journey from Aswan to Abu Simbel, but it’s totally worth it. I urge you not to skip Abu Simbel when traveling around Egypt without a tour. It’s worth the effort!

Most people go to Abu Simbel on a day tour when traveling around Egypt. They travel in the early hours of the morning from Aswan, arrive at Abu Simbel for about 8am, stay for 2 hours and then leave. You can get a seat on a minivan from Aswan for for $20 return. My minivan picked me up at 3:30am and I arrived to Abu Simbel at 7:30am. I was in one of the first minivans to arrive. The crowds pile in at 8am. To avoid the mass of crowds, you should try to avoid visiting in the hours of 8am – 10:00am. To do this you have a few options:

1) Stay overnight at Abu Simbel. Then you can have the place almost to yourself at sunrise and sunset.

2) If you don’t want to stay overnight at Abu Simbel, force yourself out of bed early to get a transfer from Aswan at 3:00-3:30, which will give you some time to yourself at Abu Simbel. The rush begins at 8am.

3) If your budget stretches a bit further you can arrange a private transfer which will allow you to be more flexible with your time of visit.

The reason people rush to and from Abu Simbel early in the morning is that it is not possible to travel by road between Aswan and Luxor after 6pm at night. Most people want to get to Abu Simbel in the early morning, so they can continue their onwards journey to Luxor in afternoon. That is why the hoards arrive at 8am and filter out a couple of hours later. Avoid this time and you’ll also avoid the concentrated crowds and tour buses.

Luxor

Getting between Luxor and Aswan you have the choice of flying, taking the train or arranging a private transfer. As previously mentioned, you cannot travel by road between Aswan and Luxor after 6pm, but you can catch the train later, because there are no time restrictions on train travel.

Luxor is the worlds largest open air museum and also the hassle capital of the world. This blog is not to write about where to go in Luxor, that has already been written. I intend to give you a few specific tips of where and when to visit to avoid the crowds and save a few Egyptian Pounds.

Karnak Temple

The biggest temple in Luxor, this place is grand and needs to be on every Luxor itinerary. The sweet spot when all the tour buses leave and the other tours return (in their droves) is between 2-3pm. You will only find independent travellers and a few small groups  traveling without a tour group during this time period. If you want to beat the crowds, go during this time.

Drink: Arabic coffee close to the entrance of Karnak Temple.

Luxor Temple by night

It makes a nice change to see a temple by night. All the tour groups go for the experience before they head to dinner. Eat your dinner first and then go to Luxor Temple at about 7:30. The crowds are much thinner by that time.

Eat: The number one restaurant in Luxor is almost opposite Luxor Temple. Look for the number 1 restaurant on Trip Advisor and try their grilled meat. It is served on a little BBQ to your table.

Ramesseum Temple on the West Bank

This temple didn’t seem to be on the big tour bus itinerary. There wasn’t much information on Google, but I showed a taxi drive a picture and got him to drive me there. It’s not far from the Valley of the Kings. I was there at Golden Hour with only about 2-3 other people. Definitely one of my Luxor highlights.

Getting to the West Bank

There is a ton to explore on the West Bank. A lot of people arrange a taxi driver in Luxor to take them around for the day. The trip to the West Bank is about a 45 minute drive and you’ll have to pay dearly for it in taxi fares.

To save on paying for a 45 minute car journey and going the long way round, you can just catch the ferry across the Nile instead. It costs 5 Egyptian Pounds per person and you can haggle for a taxi at the other end. Although, I can almost guarantee that a taxi driver will find you during the ferry crossing.

To catch the ferry, just type in Luxor Ferry Pier on Google maps, it’s very close to Luxor Temple. My hotel, The Etabe, was walking distance to the pier.

Once at the West Bank you can get a taxi driver to drop you off at any temple. They will insist to stay with you all day and tell you that you won’t find another taxi. This is half true. It is easy to catch a taxi at busier temples, because drivers will approach you. For smaller temples it is best to hang on to your driver. There were no drivers hanging around at Ramesseum, but as they say in Egypt “anything is possible”. 

Valley of the Kings

Most people head to the popular tombs with the most bling (gold). If you want to experience a tomb to yourself at Valley of the Kings, then just keep on waking up, past the crowds and you’ll find tombs with no crowds. They may not be the most beautiful, but it is a surreal feeling to be alone surrounded by hieroglyphics written by the ancient guys.

If you get up early you’ll also beat the crowds, but I’m too much of a fan of lazy breakfasts and extra cups of coffee to ever rush while I’m traveling. That’s also the beauty of traveling around Egypt at your own pace and not being tied to tour bus schedules. 

How long should you spend in Luxor?

Rock tourist – 2 full days

Ancient stuff enthusiast – 3 full days

History buff – 4 – 5 days

The Red Sea

I didn’t go to the Red Sea on this trip as I was all about sightseeing and monuments and actually went to Jordan to relax after rushing around Egypt. If you want to visit the Red Sea, then Hurghada is about 3 hours away from Luxor by road and easy to get to if you want a break from temple hopping. You don’t need to take a tour to get there.

One final tip: Enjoy every single sunset. Egypt has some amazing sunsets!

I hope you found this post useful and now feel confident about traveling around Egypt without a tour. Heading to Jordan after Egypt? You might find this post useful: unique ways to relax in Jordan.