This policy explains what personal information The Safari Atlas collects, why we collect it, who we share it with – including the safari operators who answer your enquiries – and the choices and rights you have over it. We have tried to write it in plain language rather than legal fog.
The short version
If you just read the site, we collect very little: standard technical data and analytics about how pages are used.
If you submit a safari enquiry, we collect your email address and what you tell us about your trip, and we share it with one or more safari operators so they can send you a proposal. That sharing is the whole point of the form – but it is sharing, so we want it stated up front.
We don’t sell your personal information. You can ask us to delete your data at any time by writing to thesafariatlas@gmail.com.
Who we are
The Safari Atlas is published by The Safari Atlas, registered at our registered business address. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the “controller” of the personal information described in this policy – meaning we decide what is collected and why.
You can contact us about anything in this policy at thesafariatlas@gmail.com.
What we collect
We collect only what we need, and most readers give us nothing at all beyond ordinary technical data.
| What | When | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry details | When you submit a safari enquiry form | Your email address and the free-text details you choose to give us – typically dates, party size, budget and what you want from the trip |
| Messages | When you email us or use a contact form | Your email address, your message and anything you include in it |
| Technical data | Automatically, when you visit | IP address, browser and device type, referring page, pages viewed and approximate location derived from IP |
| Analytics and cookie data | Subject to your cookie choices | Anonymous or pseudonymous usage data about how pages are used |
We do not ask for, and would prefer you did not send us, sensitive personal information – for example health details, passport numbers or payment card details. We never take payment on this site, so we have no reason to collect card details; if anyone asks you for card details in our name, treat it as fraudulent and tell us.
Why we use it
We use personal information for these purposes, and no others:
- To answer your safari enquiry – by passing it to suitable operators and, where relevant, following up with you about it. Legal basis: performing a service you asked for, and our legitimate interest in running an enquiry service.
- To reply to messages you send us. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in responding to readers.
- To run and improve the site – understanding which guides are read and where things break. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in operating a functional website; where required, your consent to analytics cookies.
- To keep the site secure and prevent abuse and fraud. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in security.
- To meet legal obligations where we must keep or disclose records.
If we ever want to use your details for something else – a newsletter, for instance – we will ask you separately and you can decline without affecting your enquiry.
Who we share it with
The important one: when you submit a safari enquiry, we share the details you give us with one or more safari operators so they can prepare and send you a costed proposal. Those operators pay us for that introduction or a commission if you book, as explained in our Affiliate disclosure.
Once an operator receives your enquiry, they handle your information as their own controller, under their own privacy policy. If you’d rather we didn’t share your details with anyone, please don’t use the enquiry form – email us instead.
We also share personal information with:
- Service providers who work for us, such as our website host, email provider (our email service provider) and analytics provider (our analytics providers). They may only use it to provide their service to us.
- Affiliate partners (selected travel booking platforms and vetted safari operators), which set their own cookies when you click through to their sites. From that point their privacy policy applies, not ours.
- Authorities or advisers, where we are legally required to disclose information, or need to establish or defend legal claims.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own independent marketing beyond the enquiry process described above.
Cookies and analytics
Cookies are small files stored on your device. We use them for two things: making the site work, and understanding how it is used.
- Essential cookies keep the site functioning and remember your cookie choices. These cannot be switched off.
- Analytics cookies help us see which guides are useful and where readers get stuck. Where the law requires it, we only set these if you consent.
- Affiliate cookies may be set by our partners when you click a commercial link, so they can attribute a booking to us. These are set by them, under their policies.
You can change or withdraw your cookie choices at any time through the cookie settings on this site, and you can block or delete cookies in your browser settings – though some parts of the site may not work as well if you do.
How long we keep it
We keep personal information only as long as we have a reason to:
- Enquiry details: for as long as needed to handle your enquiry and any follow-up, and then for a limited period to deal with queries or disputes about it.
- Emails and messages: for as long as needed to deal with the matter and keep a reasonable record of correspondence.
- Technical and analytics data: for the retention period configured with our analytics provider, typically in aggregated or pseudonymised form.
After that we delete it or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you. You can ask us to delete your information sooner – see below.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you have some or all of these rights over your personal information:
- Access – ask what we hold about you and get a copy.
- Correction – have inaccurate information fixed.
- Deletion – ask us to erase your information.
- Objection and restriction – object to us using your information for our legitimate interests, or ask us to limit how we use it.
- Portability – receive information you gave us in a portable format.
- Withdraw consent – where we relied on consent, withdraw it at any time, without affecting what we did before.
To exercise any of these, email thesafariatlas@gmail.com. We will respond within the time the law allows, and we won’t charge you or treat you differently for asking. If you are unhappy with our response, you may complain to your data protection regulator – in our case the relevant data-protection authority.
If your enquiry has already been shared with an operator, please note that you may also need to contact that operator directly to have their copy of your details deleted – we will tell you who received it if you ask.
International transfers
Safaris are international, and so is this service. The operators we pass enquiries to are usually based in the countries you want to visit – for example Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia or South Africa – and some of our service providers are based outside your country. That means your information may be transferred to, and stored in, countries whose data protection laws differ from your own.
Where the law requires it, we use appropriate safeguards for those transfers, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent measures. You can ask us for more detail at thesafariatlas@gmail.com.
Security and children
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including limiting who can access enquiry data and using reputable service providers. No website can promise perfect security, but we take it seriously and will tell you and the relevant regulator about a serious breach where the law requires.
This site is intended for adults planning travel. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under [16 or the applicable age]. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes and contact
We may update this policy as the site or the law changes. When we do, we will change the “last updated” date at the top, and for significant changes we will make that clear on the site. Continuing to use the site after a change means the updated policy applies.
Contact us about privacy
Email: thesafariatlas@gmail.com
Post: The Safari Atlas, our registered business address
See also our Affiliate disclosure, Terms and Corrections policy.