On group size, and why twelve
Twelve is the largest group we will run, and the smallest that makes the economics work. Here is the reasoning.
A group of twelve is a deliberate choice. It is the largest we will run, and the smallest that lets us run the kinds of trip we want to run at the price we charge. Smaller is better in obvious ways, and worse in less obvious ones.
Why not smaller
A group of six is quieter, and on paper more comfortable. In practice it is also more fragile. If two people are unwell on the same morning, the group of six is a group of four, and the economics of the guides, the vehicle, and the huts no longer work. Twelve absorbs that kind of disruption.
Why not larger
Above twelve the social shape of the trip changes. At twelve, one long table still works, and one guide can still keep track of everyone at a trail junction. At sixteen, the table splits, the guides split, and the trip quietly becomes two trips sharing a vehicle. We have watched this happen, and we stopped at twelve.
The exceptions
Two of our routes cap at ten — Kyoto and Patagonia — because the specific accommodation we use will not hold more. Those caps are physical, not philosophical. Where the route and the beds allow twelve, we run twelve. Where they do not, we do not.