Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Climbing Lions Safari ("we," "our," or "us") is a tour operator specialising in luxury safari experiences, Kilimanjaro treks, cultural tours, and beach holidays in Tanzania and East Africa. Our primary office is located in Arusha, Tanzania, with a US contact address at 260 South 2nd Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10550.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at info@climbinglionsafaris.com.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, including:

• Contact & Booking Data: Name, email address, phone number, country of residence, travel dates, group size, accommodation preferences, and any special requests you submit via our contact or booking forms.
• Newsletter Subscriptions: Your email address if you subscribe to our newsletter.
• Communications: Records of correspondence when you contact us by email, phone, or WhatsApp.
• Technical Data: IP address, browser type and version, time zone, browser plug-in types, operating system, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website (collected via server logs and analytics cookies).
• Usage Data: Information about how you use our website, including pages visited, links clicked, and time spent on pages.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to your safari inquiries and booking requests
• Prepare and send customised travel quotes and itineraries
• Process and manage your bookings and travel arrangements
• Send you important pre-trip information, confirmations, and updates
• Send our newsletter (only if you have subscribed)
• Improve and personalise our website and services
• Comply with legal obligations and prevent fraud
• Analyse website traffic and usage patterns (via Google Analytics)

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and United Kingdom, our legal bases for processing personal data are:

• Contract: Processing necessary to fulfil your booking or respond to your inquiry
• Legitimate Interests: Improving our services, preventing fraud, and website analytics
• Consent: Newsletter subscriptions and non-essential cookies (you can withdraw consent at any time)
• Legal Obligation: Complying with applicable laws and regulations

5. Cookies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience. Cookies we use include:

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect website functionality.

6. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share it with:

• Safari Partners & Lodges: Accommodation, park, and logistics providers necessary to fulfil your booking (only the data they need)
• Email Service Providers: To send booking confirmations and newsletters
• Google Analytics: Anonymised usage data for website analytics
• Legal Authorities: If required by law, court order, or to protect our rights

All service providers are contractually required to handle your data securely and in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:

• Booking inquiries: 3 years after your trip (or last contact)
• Confirmed bookings: 7 years (tax and legal compliance)
• Newsletter subscribers: Until you unsubscribe
• Website logs: 90 days

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw Consent: Unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time

To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@climbinglionsafaris.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal data, including:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website
• Secure, hashed storage of any credentials
• Rate limiting and CSRF protection on all forms
• Regular security reviews

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take all reasonable precautions.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., TripAdvisor, social media platforms). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.

11. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us immediately.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. For significant changes, we will notify you by email (if you are a subscriber) or by a prominent notice on our website.