Private or small group

The two things side by side

The number worth staring at is the four-person row. At four travellers, private and group cost almost the same, because four people already fill a vehicle and pay for a guide. Below four, private carries a real premium. Above four, private is often the cheaper of the two.

Where the price difference comes from

Three costs are fixed per departure regardless of how many people are on it: the vehicle and driver, the guide, and any private boat. Everything else - rooms, meals, entrance fees - is per person and identical either way.

So a private day in Laos carries roughly USD 145 to 185 of fixed cost. Divided by two people that is USD 73 to 93 each; divided by six it is USD 24 to 31. That single division is the entire argument, and it is why we publish price tables by group size rather than a single figure.

When the cheaper option is the right one

We sell more private trips than group ones, and we would still tell you to take a group departure in these cases.

• You are two people on a tight budget. The gap is largest at two, and a shared departure at USD 110 a day is a much better trip than a private one you have had to strip back to afford.
• You are travelling alone. A solo private trip carries the whole vehicle and guide. A group departure roughly halves your cost and gives you company on the long river days.
• You want the route we would build anyway. If our ten-day highlights itinerary is already what you want, you are paying a premium for flexibility you will not use.
• You are new to the region and would like other travellers around. That is a real reason and nobody should be embarrassed by it.

When private is the only sensible answer

• You are four or more. The price gap has closed and you get your own vehicle. There is no argument left for sharing.
• You have fixed dates outside November to February. We run few group departures outside the high season and a private trip is likely the only option.
• You are travelling with children. Pace, meal times and the ability to stop are worth more than the money.
• Someone in your party has a mobility limit. Group walking days are set by the itinerary; private days are set by you.
• You have a specific interest - textiles, coffee, archaeology, birds. A private guide with a brief is a different trip from a general one.

Deciding, in five steps

1. Count your party. Four or more, book private and stop reading.
2. Check your dates. Outside November to February, private is probably the only thing available.
3. Look at our fixed itinerary for the region you want. If it is within about 80 per cent of what you would design, a group departure is good value.
4. Ask what you would change. If the answer is one hotel, take the group. If it is the pace or the order, take private.
5. Compare the two quotes on a per-day basis, not a total. Different lengths make totals meaningless.

We will run this with you rather than leave you to guess. Ask for both prices in the same email and we will send both.

What we mean by small

Eight travellers, and the departure closes there. It is not a marketing number: eight is what fits one minibus with the back row free for bags, one boat without anyone on the roof, and one guide who can still answer a question at the back of the group.

At twelve, you need a second vehicle, a second guide, and thirty minutes of every village stop is spent counting heads. There are operators who do that well and we are not one of them - if you are a group of twelve, we will tell you who to call.

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