Why we cap groups at eight
It is not a luxury promise. It is the number where a shared table still works and a stallholder still has time for you.
Nine is where it breaks
Eight people fit at two tables pushed together, or at the counter of a noodle stall, or in the back of a small ferry. Nine does not, so the group splits, and a split group stops being a tour and becomes two groups walking the same route ten minutes apart.
The stallholder's side
A hawker with four dishes on and a queue behind you can talk to eight people. At twelve the conversation becomes an announcement, and the answers stop being specific. The best moments on our routes happen because the stallholder is willing to explain one thing to one person.
What it costs us
A larger group would mean fewer guides per booking and a lower price. We keep the price where it is and take fewer people, which is also why the routes sell out on weekends.
Private routes
If you are nine or more, we will run a private route for your group, but with two guides rather than one. That is the honest version of the same rule.