Bunnik Tours traces back to 1995, when Marion Bunnik opened a small retail agency in Adelaide; the operator moved into small group touring in 2004 and has stuck to the same formula ever since — trips capped at 20 travellers (16 on its In-Style range), ‘no hidden costs’ pricing and locally based guides, with select departures still escorted by Dennis Bunnik, Sacha Bunnik or other members of the Bunnik family.
The approach has earned industry recognition along the way, including the National Travel Industry Award for Best Tour Operator International in 2019.
Asia is now one of Bunnik Tours’ biggest ranges, spanning 13 countries from Bhutan to Vietnam. That range is currently on sale, with agents able to offer clients savings of up to $1,000 per person across a wide selection of 2027 and 2028 departures.
“Asia is such an incredible part of the world to explore, and there’s never been a better time to start planning your next adventure,” said Bunnik Tours joint-CEO Dennis Bunnik.
“Bunnik Tours’ Asia Sale is on now, with travellers able to save up to $1,000 per person on selected tours. So if Asia has been sitting on your travel wish list, now is a great time to turn that dream into a real trip.”
Here are seven of the standout small group tours.
Discover South Korea & Japan
The Discover South Korea & Japan tour is Bunnik Tours’ most in-depth exploration of the two countries, pairing 27 days on the road with savings of $1,000 per person. Travellers spend the first 11 days in South Korea — Seoul’s palaces, a kimchi-making class, the Demilitarised Zone and the temples of Gyeongju — before flying to Tokyo for sumo wrestling, the Hakone Ropeway for views of Mt Fuji and a night in a traditional ryokan. The itinerary finishes through Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka, taking in Fushimi Inari Shrine, the Peace Memorial Park and Himeji Castle, with flights, sightseeing, many meals and accommodation throughout included in the price.
Best of Southern Japan
For clients who have already covered Japan’s Golden Route, the 19-day Best of Southern Japan tour heads to Shikoku and Kyushu instead, discounted by $750 per person. Highlights include a day on Naoshima’s open-air art island, a stretch of the historic Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, Beppu’s steaming volcanic hot springs and two nights at Azumi Setoda, a 140-year-old merchant estate turned boutique stay. The tour closes in Nagasaki and Fukuoka, with the Atomic Bomb Museum, Peace Park and street-food stalls rounding out a route most Australian travellers have never covered.
Best of Bhutan
Bhutan’s small, tightly managed tourism industry suits Bunnik Tours’ model well, and the 13-day Best of Bhutan land-only tour is discounted by $500 per person. Starting and finishing in Delhi, it centres on the Himalayan kingdom’s dzongs and valleys: Dochula Pass and its 108 memorial chortens, the fortress-monastery of Punakha Dzong, a shared lunch with monks at Gangtey Shedra and the hike to Tiger’s Nest Monastery, perched 900 metres above the Paro Valley. Bhutan’s visa and Sustainable Development Fee are included in the price for Australian passport holders, along with 12 nights’ accommodation and most meals.
Mongolian Explorer
The 16-day Mongolian Explorer, discounted by $500 per person, is Bunnik Tours’ furthest departure from Asia’s well-trodden trail, with groups capped at 16 travellers. Most nights are spent in traditional gers, with days built around the 40-metre statue of Chinggis Khaan, the wild Takhi horses of Khustai National Park and three nights in the Gobi Desert, taking in the Flaming Cliffs — where the first fossilised dinosaur eggs were discovered — and a camel ride across the Moltsog Sand Dunes. Along the way, travellers milk yaks with a local herder family, help assemble a traditional ger and try their hand at Mongolian archery.
Colours of Northern Sri Lanka
New to the range, the 15-day Colours of Northern Sri Lanka tour is discounted by $350 per person, taking travellers from Negombo to Colombo via the island’s less-visited north. A safari through Wilpattu National Park and a night walk in search of the rare grey slender loris sit alongside cultural stops in Jaffna, the Tamil community’s cultural heart, including a Palmyrah toddy-tapping demonstration and lunch with a local family. The tour finishes in Kandy and Colombo, with a stay at the 150-year-old Galle Face Hotel among its 13 nights’ accommodation.
Colours of Northern Japan
Where Best of Southern Japan heads south, the 16-day Colours of Northern Japan tour — also discounted by $750 per person — goes north into the regions of Tohoku and Hokkaido. The route takes in a cruise through Matsushima Bay’s 260 pine-covered islands, a boat trip along Geibikei Gorge, two nights in a ryokan at Tsunagi Onsen and a stop at Sapporo’s Beer Museum, home to Japan’s oldest brewery. Travellers also visit Upopoy, the national museum dedicated to Hokkaido’s Indigenous Ainu people, before the tour wraps up in Sapporo.
South India Explorer
Rounding out the seven is the 20-day South India Explorer, discounted by $350 per person across a route from Bangalore to Chennai. The itinerary covers Mysore’s palaces, a coffee plantation stay in Coorg, a night aboard a traditional houseboat on the Kerala backwaters and the UNESCO-listed Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur, alongside a Kathakali dance performance and a Kalaripayattu martial arts show. It’s Bunnik Tours’ most food- and craft-focused India itinerary, with stops at a bronze foundry, a tile workshop and a Chettinad cooking demonstration built into 17 nights in hotels plus one night on the water.
All seven tours are fully commissionable to trade partners, and most depart from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. A $500 per person deposit secures the discounted price by Friday 9 October 2026, except on Mongolian Explorer, where the deposit is $750 per person.
“One of my favourite things about travelling through Asia is that you can go from exploring ancient temples and bustling cities to sharing a meal with locals or discovering somewhere completely off the beaten track — sometimes all in the same day,” Bunnik said.
“It’s that incredible mix of experiences that keeps me coming back.”
With a range spanning Himalayan monasteries to Hokkaido breweries, the sale gives agents a timely reason to put Asia back in front of clients before it ends.
