Private journeys for friends travelling together
Mountain treks, the West Sichuan sky road, Chongqing's backstreets — the trip you've talked about for years, with the costs shared.
Boutique China's private tours for friends are built for groups of up to 8 who want the same trip on their own terms — the great hikes of Yunnan and West Sichuan, the high-plateau sky road, and the food and backstreets of Chongqing and Chengdu. The guide, driver and vehicle are private to your group, so the cost is shared between you, and the route is shaped around your group's mix of energy levels. Routes that climb onto the plateau are paced for altitude, with acclimatisation built in.
Four friends rarely want exactly the same holiday. A private trip lets you build one that satisfies all of you — and split the guide, driver and vehicle between you, which is where private travel starts to make real sense.
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.
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 private works for a group of friends
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Costs split between you
A private guide, driver and vehicle are largely fixed costs. Shared between four friends they weigh far less on each person than on a couple — and you keep every advantage of travelling on your own terms.
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Big days, done properly
Yubeng, the Meili north slope, Genie’s South Route, the Changping–Bipeng traverse — our hikes are led by guides who know the trails, with permits, pack horses and handlers arranged where a route needs them.
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Mixed energy, one trip
Not everyone wants a 4,000-metre pass. We shape routes around your group's mix — trails with shorter and longer options, like the Gaoligong forest walk (7, 12 or 16 km, decided at the trailhead), alongside the big days.
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Altitude, handled
West Sichuan and northwest Yunnan go high. We build in acclimatisation and pace the climbs so the altitude works for you rather than against you.
Starting points for friends
Every route is built from scratch — these are starting points to react to, not fixed packages.
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West Sichuan Serendipity on Sky Road
A 10–14 day private road trip from Chengdu into the Tibetan highlands — Bipenggou, Litang, Daocheng Yading, and Lugu Lake. Monastery access, high-altitude driving, and genuine permit-required terrain.
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Peaks & Retreats: The Yunnan Trilogy
Eleven days through northern Yunnan from Shaxi to Lijiang — Bai courtyards on the Tea Horse Road, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from Baisha, Tiger Leaping Gorge's high trail, Songzanlin and Pudacuo in Shangri-La, the sacred Kawagarbo sunrise at Feilai Si, and the French missionary vineyard at Cizhong.
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Sacred Peaks of West Sichuan
Three 6,000m+ sacred peaks on one arc — Gongga's Lenggacuo dawn, Mt Genie's hidden south, and Daocheng Yading's three protector deities. A private adventure for travellers who want the photograph no one else has.
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China's Last Frontier: Northwest Yunnan Loop
Twelve days out of Dali and back — Erhai’s quiet east shore, Jade Dragon glacier light, Kawagarbo at Feilai Si dawn, then deep into Nujiang: Catholic Lisu villages, the Wuli Tea Horse cliff trail, and the Salween’s great U-bends most travellers never see.
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Siguniang & Bipeng Valley
Four-day private alpine escape from Chengdu — Bipeng Valley's mirror lakes and larch forests, Siguniang's four-sisters peaks and Tibetan high meadows.
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Chongqing & Chengdu: Two Rivers, Two Tables
A 5–6 day private tour weighted toward Chongqing — neon river cities, UNESCO Wulong Karst, the Longji (Dragon's Backbone) ridge hike above the Yangtze, and two different tables of Sichuan heat. Bookended with a soft Chengdu landing.
See the itinerary
The great hikes
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Yubeng Trek
Three days into Yubeng (雨崩) — the remote Tibetan village reachable only on foot, sitting under the sacred face of Kawagarbo (Meili Snow Mountain). Day 2 splits two ways: pilgrimage to the Sacred Waterfall, or the harder push to Ice Lake at 3,900 m. Exit via Ninong Gorge.
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Meili North Slope Trek
Eight days on Kawagarbo's quieter north flank — Ciding Pass at 4,770 m, the Yunnan–Tibet border ridge, glacial cirques and yak pastures the Yubeng south-side trail never sees. The Tibetan pilgrim kora most travellers don't know exists.
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Genie South Route
Litang's sacred Genie Massif (6,204 m / 格聂神山) — the beginner-friendly south route around western Sichuan's most-rated trekking landscape. 32 km, two days, max 4,180 m at Reti, alpine pastures, wildflower meadows, Khampa horse country. Western Sichuan's hidden paradise.
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Changping–Bipeng Traverse
Mount Siguniang's classic 4-day valley crossing — Changping Valley's autumn larches and Tibetan stupas, the 4,668 m Muluozi Pass, and the descent into Bipeng Valley's turquoise mirror lakes. Permit-mandatory, guide-led, the most photogenic moderate trek in Sichuan.
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Niru Valley Hike
Three days in Niru (尼汝) — the hidden alpine valley above Shangri-La that hardly any international travellers reach. Rainbow waterfall, wildflower meadows in late summer, conifer forest trails and Tibetan herder settlements. The lower-altitude, gentler alternative to Yubeng.
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Abujicuo Lake Hike
A single day above Shangri-La to the turquoise alpine lake of Abujicuo (阿布吉措) at 4,220 m — prayer flags strung above glacial water, a rocky moraine summit, and one of the highest tarns you can reach on foot in northwest Yunnan without a multi-day trek.
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 How many friends can travel on one private trip?
Our private journeys are built for parties of 2 to 8. Tell us your numbers and we'll plan the vehicle, guide and rooms around your group.
02 Do we need hiking experience?
It depends on the route, and every hike page lists its difficulty, duration and maximum altitude. The Cangshan day hike is rated easy (2,600 m); the Abujicuo day hike is challenging and reaches 4,220 m; the Meili north slope trek is an eight-day challenging route topping 5,200 m.
03 How is the cost shared?
Prices are quoted per person on a twin-share basis. The guide, driver and vehicle are shared across your group, so the per-person cost falls as the group grows; single rooms can be arranged at extra cost for anyone who wants their own.
04 Can we mix hiking with food and city time?
Yes. Chongqing & Chengdu — food, backstreets and pandas — pairs naturally with West Sichuan's mountains, and a few days in Dali or Lijiang fit well between treks in Yunnan.
Plan a private journey for your party
A real human on our team — usually within minutes on WhatsApp, one business day by email.