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Back-Roads vs Bunnik
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Back-Roads and Bunnik.The Low Down
As their name suggests Back-Roads itineraries focus on regional tours off the beaten track. Catering for small groups (maximum of 20), they travel through Europe & the UK as well as newly released tours in Asia and North America where accommodation is 'selected for their charm and home comforts'. While our team at Global Journeys haven't experienced any of their trips personally, our clients that have chosen to discover Europe with Back-Roads have provided glowing reviews on their return. With an eclectic range of trips to choose from - including canal cruises, this small group Operator is well worth considering. 
A family business based in Adelaide, Bunnik made a name for themselves in small group touring through Egypt, and now travel to all corners of the globe. All of their trips include return flights to and from Australia, so take this into account when comparing prices with other small group Operators. Bunnik tours have been specifically designed for 'the not too young and not too old' with group sizes set to a maximum of 20, and in Africa even smaller groups of 12. Bunnik trips are currently only offered to Australian residents. Stats
No. of Trips
49
No. of Departures
818
Avg. Trip Length
9 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$485
Accommodation
Boutique
Budget
Premium
Trip Styles Small Group Tours
No. of Trips
116
No. of Departures
462
Avg. Trip Length
20 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$500
Accommodation
3.5 - 4 Star
Budget
Premium
Trip Styles Small Group Tours
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
At Back-Roads we have over 30 years’ experience in creating small group tours that focus on forming experiences that immerse our passengers in some of the most incredible destinations in the world. Our dedicated mini-coaches enable us to travel the back roads, avoiding motorways and taking you to the heart of our destinations. We pride ourselves on delivering truly unique travel experiences through expert local knowledge, carefully curated cultural experiences and hand-picked boutique accommodation.
Each one of our small groups tours of up to 18 guests is guided by an expert Tour Leader, who immerses the group in the culture, cuisine and history of each unique place we visit on our award-winning tours. Back-Roads operates tours from 5 to 13 days across the UK, Europe, North America and Asia.
Bunnik Tours is a family business with a focus on crafting itineraries that really get to the heart of all that a destination has to offer through a balance of organised sightseeing, special local experiences and time for independent exploration. We know that some of the best experiences are when you wander away from the group and make your own discoveries.
In creating our small group tours, we are driven by two guiding principles. First, everything we do is about your experience, which is why we only run tours with a maximum of 20 people – that’s less time waiting, more time exploring. Second, when done properly, tourism can be an incredible force for good that generates economic and social benefits in the places we visit.
More than a checklist, our small group tours connect people, places and cultures. We look forward to welcoming you when Global Journeys book your small group tour.
Recent Reviews
The highlight of the trip for our group was Armistice Day, our tour guide Steve was amazing he organised for us to lay a wreath at the Hooge Crater cemetery, 11am service. That night we attended Menin Gate to watch the Last Post, for me this was one of the most touching experiences I have witnessed, again Steve made sure we were positioned perfectly ...read more to view the ceremony. Steve’s patience and thoughtfulness made this trip a pleasure, we had great accommodation and exceptional food for the whole journey. Steve’s knowledge regarding WWI was extensive.
Trip certainly covered highlights of the areas (Monet’s Garden, Normandy Beaches, Mont St Michel and chateaus in the Loire Valley) as well as introducing us to local specialties (cider, calvados, galettes and crepes). Local accommodation added to overall feel of the trip. Days were leisurely and could have fitted more in on some days. A couple of lunchtime ...read more picnics coordinated by guide and driver really added to overall experience.
11 days of driving through Spain and Portugal, visiting World Heritage sites on an almost daily basis. Wonderful organisation, careful driving and a truly professional guide made this a trip to remember.
Loved our week in southern Italy wandering the back streets, driving into the hills and catching local ferries along the coast. Good friendly group of 11 from four different countries. Great guide and mother hen Elda.
This is the second Back-Roads trip we have taken. The decision to try them again was very much based on the great experience we had with Back Roads in Ireland. This trip seemed a little chaotic compared to the Irish trip. Something happened to our originally designated tour leader and a replacement was made at short notice who could only be with us ...read more for 8 days then another Tour Leader joined us for the last 2 days. Both tour leaders were very good with the latter one being exceptional.
However, despite this bit of chaos, the trip was great. The various towns we visited, wineries we sampled and hotels we stayed in were all first class. Our group consisted of 15 other travellers, a bus driver, a tour leader and a trainee tour leader. All accommodation was centrally located and unique, something we would struggle to organise on our own or would not happen if we were part of a large bus tour group.
Overall it was a great trip, we saw a part of Spain that is not that highly over run with tourists and very unique. It was also great fun with a good group of like minded fellow travellers. Back-Roads are still very much on my preferred options list.
However, despite this bit of chaos, the trip was great. The various towns we visited, wineries we sampled and hotels we stayed in were all first class. Our group consisted of 15 other travellers, a bus driver, a tour leader and a trainee tour leader. All accommodation was centrally located and unique, something we would struggle to organise on our own or would not happen if we were part of a large bus tour group.
Overall it was a great trip, we saw a part of Spain that is not that highly over run with tourists and very unique. It was also great fun with a good group of like minded fellow travellers. Back-Roads are still very much on my preferred options list.
We were looking for a tour that would give us as much exposure to Scotland as possible in a limited time and without having to drive ourselves. This tour gave us all of that and more. We covered considerable ground but at a pace that did not feel rushed and which gave us time to visit and explore the key places of interest. The accommodation was excellent ...read more - comfortable but also with plenty of charm and atmosphere. The tour guide was superb - very mindful of our comfort and sensitive to the varied interests of the group. He also had an extraordinary knowledge of Scottish history and the ability to present it in humorous, interesting and relevant ways (and, really, you can't understand Scotland without understanding the history). The fact that we also had a bus driver meant that our guide was freed up to talk without having to focus on driving.
I thoroughly recommend this tour. This was our first experience with Back-Roads and Global Journeys, and I'll certainly look seriously at both organisations for future travel.
I thoroughly recommend this tour. This was our first experience with Back-Roads and Global Journeys, and I'll certainly look seriously at both organisations for future travel.
After having this trip postponed twice, third time was lucky! It was a brilliant time to go. Every place we went we were told "You're so lucky with the weather, it usually rains!" It was perfect almost every day. We had 12 in our group, plus our tour leader, Paul, who looked after us well, and our coach driver, Kerry, who is very knowledgeable about ...read more all the places we visited. We all got along well and made some new friends. Bay of Fires was spectacular but really, I enjoyed all the activities over the two weeks.
This was my 5th booking with Global Journeys, although two were cancelled due to the pandemic. As usual, my questions were all answered promptly and when my consultant was unavailable, another staff member would respond on their behalf so that I wasn't kept waiting. I have a 6th booking pending and I am confident that it will be handled with the same ...read more efficiency. This was my 3rd booking with Bunnik Tours, as they are exceptional value for money. They are an Australian family owned and operated business, have exciting itineraries and operate with a maximum group of 20. I have already recommended Global Journeys, and Bunnik Tours to my friends for future travel.
We had a great group of 8 including us, we would have preferred a slightly larger group where you get to know people and enjoy their company. A couple of days driving without seeing much in grassland. However the tour was well organised by Bunnik, all the Drivers / Guides were excellent, always on time, friendly, always with a smile, what else can you ...read more hope for.
This trip lived up to the normal Bunnik high standards with only 8 of us in our tour group. Although some of our game drives were very long days and there were also long travelling days between game parks, we visited 8 game parks and saw a lot of Kenya and Tanzania. Perhaps more flying between these parks would of been better. Accommodation, food, sightseeing, ...read more and especially our drivers, were all fantastic. A tip for visiting Kenya and Tanzania is that the online visas can be a little complicated to fill in and you need to get all the necessary information and contact details from Bunnik early to complete these forms in a timely manner.
Visiting in February is a nice time to go. Although you won't see the great migration, you will see the migratory animals during their calving season. The landscapes are nice and green, and the game parks are less crowded. Overall this was a great trip, we saw lots of animals and it was nice to have some relaxing days at the end with our Zanzibar extension. Booking with Global Journeys was easy as usual, and both Global Journeys and Bunnik handled arranging early flights home for us because of the pandemic.
Visiting in February is a nice time to go. Although you won't see the great migration, you will see the migratory animals during their calving season. The landscapes are nice and green, and the game parks are less crowded. Overall this was a great trip, we saw lots of animals and it was nice to have some relaxing days at the end with our Zanzibar extension. Booking with Global Journeys was easy as usual, and both Global Journeys and Bunnik handled arranging early flights home for us because of the pandemic.
We have just arrived home from our 17 day trip with Bunnik to Sri Lanka, an amazing country with so much history. Our guide Priya was very knowledgeable, entertaining and made us very much at home in his beautiful country. Our group of 17 was very compatible and the bus we travelled in was an excellent size which gave us all plenty of room to move around ...read more seats to view the countryside. Hotels were excellent and the meals, what can you say, the very best of Sri Lankan cooking especially the locals that opened up their houses to prepare beautiful curries from their home grown ingredients.
Staying at Yala National Park was one of the highlights with seeing so much of the wildlife and the skill of the Jeep drivers. Other highlights were climbing Lion Rock and the history surrounding the palace built on the top, the train trip from Nuwara Eliya through the tea plantations and learning so much about the history of this magnificent island. A very well organised trip by Global Journeys, Bunnik and our guide Priya, thank you.
Staying at Yala National Park was one of the highlights with seeing so much of the wildlife and the skill of the Jeep drivers. Other highlights were climbing Lion Rock and the history surrounding the palace built on the top, the train trip from Nuwara Eliya through the tea plantations and learning so much about the history of this magnificent island. A very well organised trip by Global Journeys, Bunnik and our guide Priya, thank you.
The tour leader in Italy was average, the Malta tour leader was excellent. The hotels in both Italy and Malta were generally disappointing. However the locations in Italy were breathtaking as was Malta. The highlights were staying in a Trulli house in Alberobello and in a cave house in Matera - these were the only good accommodations in the entire tour. ...read more Tour pace was hectic and rushed but there was enough free time if you didn't do every optional excursion. Global Journeys were excellent, providing good documentation and reminders. I would definitely use them again.
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