Your Privacy Matters to Us. Namaste Earth collects and uses your personal information only to provide and improve our trekking and tour services. We never sell your data to third parties. If you have any questions about our privacy practices, please contact us at travel@namasteearth.com.
1. Information We Collect
Personal Information
- Name, email address, phone number, and WhatsApp number provided when submitting inquiry forms or booking a trek/tour.
- ID details, date of birth, and nationality required for bookings and permit applications (including restricted-area trekking permits).
- Payment information (processed securely through third-party payment gateways — we do not store card details).
- Fitness level, medical conditions, dietary requirements, and other special needs disclosed by you for trek safety planning.
Automatically Collected Information
- IP address, browser type, device information, and operating system.
- Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs (via cookies and analytics tools).
- Location data (with your permission) to provide location-relevant trek and tour recommendations.
2. How We Use Your Information
Service Delivery
- Processing trek/tour bookings, reservations, and payments.
- Sending booking confirmations, itineraries, and gear/preparation checklists.
- Coordinating with homestays, transport operators, guides, and permit authorities on your behalf.
- Providing travel support and emergency assistance during your trek or tour.
Communication
- Responding to your inquiries and providing customized trek/tour quotes.
- Sending promotional offers, newsletters, and departure updates (with your consent — you may opt out at any time).
- Conducting post-trek satisfaction surveys to improve our services.
Business Improvements
- Analyzing website usage to improve user experience and content.
- Detecting and preventing fraudulent activity or security breaches.
- Complying with legal obligations and regulatory requirements.
3. Information Sharing & Disclosure
Third-Party Service Providers
- We share your information with homestays, transport operators, guides, and permit/forest authorities solely to fulfill your booking.
- Payment processors receive only the information necessary to process your payment securely.
- Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics) receive anonymized usage data to help us improve our website.
Legal Requirements
- We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government authority.
- We may share information to protect the rights, property, or safety of Namaste Earth, our customers, or the public.
What We Do NOT Do
- We do NOT sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third parties for marketing purposes.
- We do NOT share your data with unauthorized parties or use it for purposes not described in this policy.
4. Data Security
Security Measures
- We implement industry-standard security measures including SSL encryption, secure servers, and access controls to protect your data.
- Payment transactions are processed through PCI-DSS compliant payment gateways.
- Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel who need it to perform their job functions.
- We regularly review and update our security practices to address emerging threats.
Data Breach Response
- In the unlikely event of a data breach, we will notify affected individuals and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.
- We maintain an incident response plan to minimize the impact of any security incidents.
5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
Types of Cookies We Use
- Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function properly (session management, form submissions).
- Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website (e.g., Google Analytics).
- Marketing Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and track campaign effectiveness.
- Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences for a better experience.
Your Cookie Choices
- You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings.
- Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.
- You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
6. Your Rights & Choices
Your Data Rights
- Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Correction: You can request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- Deletion: You can request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
- Portability: You can request your data in a machine-readable format.
- Objection: You can object to certain processing of your data, including direct marketing.
- Withdrawal of Consent: You can withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time.
How to Exercise Your Rights
- Contact us at travel@namasteearth.com with your request.
- We will respond to your request within 1 week.
- We may require proof of identity before processing certain requests.
7. Data Retention
Retention Periods
- Booking records and associated personal data are retained for 7 years to comply with Indian tax and accounting laws.
- Marketing preferences and opt-in records are retained for 3 years from the last interaction.
- Website analytics data is retained for 26 months in accordance with Google Analytics defaults.
- Inquiry data from users who did not book a trek/tour is retained for 2 years.
8. Children’s Privacy
Age Restrictions
- Our services are not directed to children under the age of 18.
- We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18.
- If we discover that a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, we will promptly delete it.
- Parents or guardians who believe their child has provided us with personal data should contact us immediately.
9. Third-Party Links
External Websites
- Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including homestays, transport operators, and travel platforms.
- Namaste Earth is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external websites.
- We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any third-party website you visit through links on our site.
10. Changes to This Privacy Policy
Policy Updates
- Namaste Earth reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time.
- Material changes will be communicated via email (for registered users) or through a prominent notice on our website.
- The “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy reflects when it was last revised.
- Your continued use of our services after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact Our Privacy Team
For any privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns, please reach out to us:
Namaste Earth
Khaniyara, Dharamshala, H.P. 176218
📧 travel@namasteearth.com
📞 +91 78766 03962
Response time: Within 1 week