Our Privacy Policy

At Walks in Africa we are fully committed to both respecting and protecting your privacy and aim to comply with the latest data protection regulations. This policy explains how we collect, store and use the data you provide to us, either directly or via our website. Please note that this policy may be updated in the future. It was last updated on 17th November, 2020.

As data controller, Walks in Africa (The Company) fully complies with the Data Protection Act 2018 (the Act) and the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR). The Company is recorded on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Register of Data Controllers with the registration number ZA812309.

Who collects the information?

The information is being collected by Walks in Africa and the person responsible for handling data is Angus Maclaren, who can be contacted via email at sawubona@walksinafrica.co.uk, or by writing to Hill Oak Farm, Ampney St. Mary, Cirencester, GL7 5SW, UK. Alternatively, phone: +44 (0)1285 850 909.

How do we collect the information?

Information can be collected in the following ways:

  1. If you contact us by submitting an enquiry form on our website.
  2. If you email us or call us directly.
  3. If you sign up to receive our newsletter, either by opting in on the website inquiry form, or by asking us directly to be signed up.
  4. Certain additional information will be asked for if you make a booking.

Anonymous data (relating to your computer/device, not to you personally) is also collected whenever someone merely visits one of our web pages. This data is generated by the Google Analytics service (see below) and it involves the use of cookies (see below).

What information is collected?

We collect information when you make an inquiry, make a booking, make a payment, sign up for a newsletter or provide feedback following travel.

For inquiries, we will only collect the minimum information required for the purposes of being able to contact you, along with optional information about your travel aims and preferences which will enable us to help you in a constructive way. We will not subscribe you to our newsletters unless you either elect to opt in on our website inquiry form, or tell us directly that you would like to receive these. We usually send out newsletters just a few times a year, with details of new trips or offers, so you will not be bombarded. Newsletters are sent out via email and you can unsubscribe to these at any time.

When you make a booking, there is a certain amount of information that we will ask you for, so that we can fulfil your holiday. This information will also be required for those travelling with you, and includes:

  1. Your full name as per your passport
  2. Date of birth
  3. Telephone number
  4. Postal address
  5. Passport details (required for flights and requested by some third parties such as safari companies)
  6. Insurance details
  7. Dietary preferences
  8. Room configuration preference
  9. Details of any medical conditions
  10. Contact details for next of kin
  11. Credit card details, if you are using this method to make payment; this information is not retained once payment has been taken.

Anonymous data is also collected relating to website traffic and this is limited to details of the device or connection being used to access our website (including the IP address of your computer, the country the connection is made from, the browser, etc.) and a record of the pages visited, plus the time spent on each page.

How is your data used?

When you contact us to inquire about a holiday or sign up for our newsletter, your data is only used by us to correspond with you. In these incidences, we will not pass your contact details and other personal data to a third party.

If you make a booking, we will need to pass certain information to those who will be looking after you and providing services in the country(ies) you will be visiting. This will include but will not be limited to ground handlers, accommodation providers, safari operators, individual guides and tour leaders, hire car companies and transport operators. We ask these service providers not to hold information about you for longer than is reasonably necessary to provide the services for your holiday.

If you signed up to our email newsletter, we will keep you updated about our trips, special news about travelling to our chosen destinations and any special offers we might be making. Newsletters are sent out just a few times a year and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Some limited data will also be used for internal record keeping, eg. for the accounts that we are legally obliged to maintain.

On return from your holiday and having sought your permission, we will share your email address with Reviews.io, our preferred third party for collecting feedback on your holiday. You will then receive an email directly from Reviews.io asking you to rate your holiday experience with Walks in Africa. A follow-up email may be triggered by us if we deem necessary. We will use the feedback you submit to help us assess how to improve the services that we offer. Feedback is published in chronological order on the Reviews.io website and a link is provided on the Walks in Africa website. Please refer to the Reviews.io website for details of their privacy policy HERE.

Anonymous data collected from cookies is used purely to compile statistics regarding website traffic so that we can judge how well the website is performing. The data is collected and the statistics are compiled using the Google Analytics service. Click for general information about how Google’s services impact your privacy, or click for the Google Analytics privacy policy.

Who has access to your information?

We will never sell or rent your information to third parties, nor will we ever share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

Personal information will only be given to third parties on the following occasions:

  1. When we are legally obliged to do so.
  2. When we are asked to supply necessary details to in-country service providers who require information about you in order to fulfil your booking.
  3. When you book a trip, we will need to pass your name, the value of your trip, your travel dates and country(ies) being visited to International Passenger Protection Ltd, for the purposes of activating financial protection cover for your trip in accordance with the “The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992”.
  4. When you agree to leave feedback following travel, we will pass your name and email address to Reviews.io.

Anonymous data derived from cookies may be shared with third parties, but only for technical as opposed to marketing purposes.

Your consent

We will not contact you for marketing purposes by email, phone or text message unless you have given your prior consent. You can change your marketing preferences at any time by contacting us by email using sawubona@walksinafrica.co.uk or telephone on +44 (0)1285 850 909.

By making a booking or requesting a quote, you consent to us sending information about you to suppliers in the country(ies) that you wish to travel to. We will contact you as and when necessary to ensure that the booking can be expedited and completed, using the contact details that you have given us.

How you can access and update your information

The accuracy of your information is important. If you change your email address, or if you believe any of the information we hold is inaccurate or out of date, please email us using sawubona@walksinafrica.co.uk, or write to us at Hill Oak Farm, Ampney St. Mary, Cirencester, GL7 5SW, UK. Alternatively, you can telephone +44 (0)1285 850 909. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

You have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold about you and this will be sent to you in electronic format free of charge.

Your right to restriction

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

  1. Whenever you complete an inquiry from on the ‘Contact Us’ page on our website, look for the box that you can click to indicate whether or not you wish to receive our newsletters. If you tick the ‘no’ box, your personal information will not be put onto our database and you will not receive our newsletter.
  2. If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes via our newsletter, you may change your mind at any time by emailing us at sawubona@walksinafrica.co.uk. Alternatively, you can simply click on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the newsletter.
  3. If you do not want Google Analytics to compile anonymous statistics about the interaction between your device and our website, you can download and install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add On.

Your right to be forgotten

Data will only be stored for as long as it is reasonably necessary to carry out services and administer your relationship with us. Typically, this is five years since your last interaction with us. If you subscribe to our newsletter, you will continue to receive it until such time that you unsubscribe. If we dispose of your information, this will always be done securely.

The security of your information

When details such as your name and email address are submitted via a contact form or email, this can never be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, whilst we will strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us and you do so at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will endeavour to ensure it is kept securely on our systems.

Payment security

We only take payments using traditional methods such as direct bank transfer, cheque, cash or credit card and do not operate an online payments facility on our website. We do not have the facility to take debit cards. When taking credit card payments, we do not store or process credit card details on any of our systems; credit card details are taken over the phone and payment is made straight away over a secure online payment gateway operated by Barclaycard Merchant Services. Once payment has been confirmed by Barclaycard Merchant Services we will always destroy your card payment details. You will receive a confirmation of the payment directly from Barclaycard Merchant Services by email.

Breach notification

If we hold records of your personal data and we become aware of a data breach, we will endeavour to inform you of this as soon as possible and within 72 hours.

Links to other websites

Our website contains some links to other websites of interest. You should note that we do not have any control over those websites and so cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting them.

Users under 18 years of age

Any user under 18 years of age must have their parents’/guardians’ consent to submit an enquiry form over our website. Users without this consent are not permitted to provide us with personal information.

If you are booking a holiday for your family we will need to ask for details about the children who will be travelling with you, in order to process the booking. This may include information about interests and preferences that help us provide a tailored service to your family. Please rest assured that we will never contact your children directly.

Cookies

A cookie is a small file sent to your computer’s hard drive by a web page that you visit. Cookies allow web applications to recognise your device (not you personally) as you move from one page on the site to another, or if you revisit the site within a certain period of time. If you express a preference on a web page, for instance, that preference can then be recalled in the future. A cookie in no way gives us access to other files on your computer or to any other of your device’s functions.

This website uses Google Analytics which uses traffic log cookies to compile statistics about the popularity of pages on our site and about how people have arrived here. This helps us understand how visitors use the website and helps us improve their experience. We only use this information for statistical purposes. For further information about Google Analytics and their use of cookies, please refer to the official Google Analytics website.

You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, however, you can usually modify your browser settings to decline or block cookies if you prefer.

What to do if you don't want cookies to be set

If you prefer, it is possible to block some or all cookies, or even to delete cookies that have already been set; but you need to be aware that some functions of the website might become inoperable. If you use the Internet Explorer browser, find out more information HERE. If you use Firefox, see the information HERE. If you are using Safari, see the information HERE.

Acceptance of these terms

In choosing to share your personal information with us, you will be agreeing to Walks in Africa holding and using your information as described in this policy. Should you decide that you no longer wish for us to hold or process your details, you can request that we remove your details at any time.

Scroll to Top