Private journeys for 2 to 8 travellers
Couples, families, friends and retirees travelling together — one party, one private guide, one route built around you.
Boutique China's private tours are built for one party of 2 to 8 travellers — couples, families (including multi-generational groups), friends and retirees travelling together. Your guide, driver and vehicle are private to your party, so their cost is shared, the pace is set by your group, and every route is drafted from scratch. Journeys run 7 to 25 days, and a typical ten-day journey starts from about A$4,200 per person, twin share. Travelling solo? The small-group departures run with Little Chinese Everywhere — fixed dates, groups of up to 8 — are the better fit.
Private travel is at its best when the vehicle holds only the people you chose to travel with. Tell us who's coming and what you're picturing — we'll draft a route, a pace and a set of stays around your party, not a group schedule.
Get a proposal for your party
Tell us your dates and what moves you. We reply within one business day, then shape a proposal — no obligation, never a templated package.
We spent a few weeks on the site before committing — we're particular about where we stay and we'd been let down before by trips that looked great online. Boutique China was different. The Hylla Vintage Hotel was exactly what they said it would be. Waking up to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain through floor-to-ceiling glass — I'll be talking about that view for years.
We wanted a journey that would challenge our teenagers while keeping them engaged with the world. Their itinerary planning for our trek through the Tiger Leaping Gorge was flawless. Our local guide was exceptional. He talked with the kids, not at them, and turned every stop into something they were actually curious about. Three months later they're still bringing it up at dinner.
Four of us with completely different ideas of a good holiday — we weren't sure one trip could satisfy all of us. It did. We went from Chongqing's backstreets to the high country of West Sichuan, and every day looked nothing like the last. The logistics were invisible, which is exactly what you want. We're already talking about the next one.
Why we build private trips for two to eight
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The costs are shared
A private guide, driver and vehicle are largely fixed costs. Shared across two or more travellers they become realistic value; carried by one person, they rarely are.
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One party, one pace
Everyone in the vehicle is travelling together, so the day bends to your group — a slower morning, an extra hour at a viewpoint, a detour your guide spots on the road — without negotiating with strangers.
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Small enough to stay personal
Up to eight keeps it personal — a guide who knows everyone's pace by the second day, and trails and courtyards that never feel like a tour group.
Choose your party
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Couples & honeymoons
Honeymoons, anniversaries and long-promised trips — paced for two.
Journeys for two -
Families & multi-generational
Pandas, rainforest and gentle trails, paced for your youngest — grandparents welcome.
Family journeys -
Friends travelling together
Treks, the West Sichuan sky road and Chongqing's backstreets — with the costs shared between you.
Journeys for friends -
Retirees & slow travellers
Gentle walks, sensible altitude and time to linger over tea.
Unhurried journeys -
Travelling solo
Fixed-date small-group departures with Little Chinese Everywhere — up to 8 guests, your own room for a single-room surcharge from US$280.
Small-group departures
How your trip comes together
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Tell us what matters
A short call or note. Where you're heading, who's travelling, the kind of trip you keep daydreaming about. We listen first, pitch nothing.
You speak to someone who's actually been there — never a form.
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We design your route
Within three working days, a one-of-one itinerary lands in your inbox — properties, pacing, the moments worth flying for. Costed line by line.
Every stay scouted in person. Every guide vetted.
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Refine over a call
We talk it through. Move days, swap stays, sharpen the brief until it's the trip you actually want — not the one a template assumes you want.
No templates, no upsells, no hidden margins.
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Land in China
From the moment you clear the airport, your private guide and a 24/7 concierge handle the rest. You travel; we handle the friction.
WhatsApp goes to a real human on our team — usually within minutes.
Before you plan
01 Why do you focus on parties of 2 to 8?
Because that's where private travel works best. The guide, driver and vehicle are private to your party, so their cost is shared; the pace is set by people who chose to travel together; and a group of up to eight still feels personal rather than like a tour.
02 I'm travelling solo — what do you recommend?
Our small-group departures with Little Chinese Everywhere: fixed dates, groups of up to 8, boutique stays and an English-speaking guide, from US$2,390. You share the guide and vehicle with the group, and can take your own room for a single-room surcharge (from US$280). A fully private trip for one is possible too — we'll quote it if you'd prefer.
03 Is a private trip more expensive than a group tour?
It depends on your party size. On a private trip the guide, driver and vehicle are shared across your party, so the per-person cost falls as your group grows. What it buys is control — your dates, your pace, stays chosen for your party and a route drafted from scratch. A typical ten-day journey starts from about A$4,200 per person, twin share.
04 What's included in a private journey?
Your private English-speaking guide, private vehicle and driver, boutique accommodation, daily breakfast and most lunches, entrance fees and permits, and our in-country support. International flights are not included.
Plan a private journey for your party
A real human on our team — usually within minutes on WhatsApp, one business day by email.