Privacy Policy

1. The short version

• We collect only what we need to answer your enquiry, plan your safari, take payment and run the trip safely.
• We never sell your personal data.
• We share it only with the people who help deliver your trip (lodges, drivers, guides, payment and technology providers) and only to the extent they need it.
• Card payments are handled by Pesapal. We do not see or store your card number.
• You can ask us to access, correct or delete your data, or to stop marketing, at any time. See section 11.

2. Who is responsible for your data

Cherish Africa Safaris is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.

• Address: Riva Service Station, Zambezi, Kikuyu, Kenya
• General enquiries and privacy requests: info@cherishafricasafaris.com
• Partnership enquiries: partner@cherishafricasafaris.com
• Phone / WhatsApp: +254 794 588 242 / +254 725 824 854

Please mark privacy requests “Privacy request” in the subject line so that they reach the right person quickly.

3. What personal data we collect

3.1 Information you give us

• Enquiry and quote forms: your name, email address, phone or WhatsApp number, country, preferred travel dates, group size, budget, interests and any message you write.
• Bookings: the names, nationalities and ages of the travellers, passport details where needed for park permits, flights, visas or hotel check-in, arrival and departure details, room and bed preferences, and emergency contacts.
• Special requirements: dietary needs, allergies, medical conditions, mobility or accessibility needs. These can be “sensitive personal data” under Kenyan law. We only collect them when you choose to tell us, and only use them to keep you safe and comfortable on your trip.
• Payments: confirmation of payment, amount, date and reference. Card and mobile-money details are entered on Pesapal’s secure payment page and are not stored by us.
• Communications: emails, WhatsApp messages, call notes and any reviews or photos you choose to share with us.
• Newsletter and updates: your email address and name, if you subscribe.

3.2 Information collected automatically

• Device and usage data: IP address, browser type, device type, pages viewed, time on page, referring website, approximate location (city or country level) and the actions you take on the site. This is collected through cookies and similar technologies (see section 8).
• Security logs: IP addresses and request details used to detect and block attacks, spam and login abuse.
• Wishlist: if you use the “Add to wishlist” heart on a tour, your choices are kept in your own browser storage on your device. We do not receive them unless you send them to us.

3.3 Information from other sources

If you reach us through a travel agent, a partner company or a review platform (for example Tripadvisor or SafariBookings), we may receive your name, contact details and trip requirements from them so that we can respond to you.

4. How and why we use your data (our legal bases)

We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling that has a legal or similarly significant effect on you.

5. Who we share your data with

We do not sell or rent your personal data. We share it only as follows:

• Safari partners: lodges, camps, hotels, drivers, guides, airlines, park and conservancy authorities and activity providers, so they can host and transport you. They receive only what is needed (usually names, dates, nationalities, and any dietary or medical needs you have told us about).
• Payment provider: Pesapal Limited processes online payments for us under its own privacy policy.
• Website and technology providers: our web host (GoDaddy), email delivery, spam filtering (Akismet), security (Wordfence), bot protection (Cloudflare Turnstile), analytics and advertising measurement (Google), and WhatsApp (Meta). These providers act on our instructions or under their own privacy terms.
• Professional advisers and authorities: accountants, lawyers, insurers, and government or regulatory bodies where the law requires or allows it.
• Business changes: if our business is sold or merged, your data may be passed to the new owner, who must continue to protect it under this policy.

6. Sending data outside Kenya

Some of our providers (for example Google, Cloudflare, Meta and our web host) store or process data in other countries, including the United States and the European Union. Your safari partners in Tanzania and Uganda also receive your details when your trip includes those countries. Where we transfer personal data abroad, we do so only where Kenyan law allows it, such as where the recipient provides adequate safeguards, where it is necessary to carry out your booking, or where you have consented.

7. How long we keep your data

If a legal dispute, claim or investigation is under way, we may keep relevant records for longer.

8. Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use the following categories:

Your choices. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; the site will still work, although some features (such as form protection) may be affected. You can also opt out of Google Analytics with the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, and manage Google ad personalisation in your Google account settings. Where the law requires your consent for non-essential cookies, we will ask for it before they are set.

We do not currently use Meta (Facebook) Pixel, session-recording or heat-mapping tools on this website. If that changes, we will update this policy first.

9. Third-party content, social media and links

• Embedded and linked services: our pages may load fonts from Google Fonts, avatars from Gravatar, videos from YouTube, and review badges from Tripadvisor and SafariBookings. When these load, the provider can see your IP address and that you visited our page.
• WhatsApp: clicking a WhatsApp button or the chat widget opens WhatsApp, where your messages and number are handled by WhatsApp (Meta) under its own privacy policy. Please do not send passport scans or payment card photographs by chat; we will tell you the safest way to share documents.
• Social media: we link to our pages on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Those platforms set their own cookies and apply their own policies when you visit them.
• Other websites: we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of other sites that we link to.

10. How we protect your data

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encrypted (HTTPS) connections, a web application firewall and login protection, bot checks on forms, access limited to staff who need it, and secure payment processing through Pesapal. No system is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a breach is likely to put your rights at risk, we will notify you and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner within the time the law requires (72 hours for the regulator).

11. Your rights

Under the Data Protection Act, 2019 (and, where it applies, the GDPR), you have the right to:

• Be informed about how your data is used (this policy).
• Access the personal data we hold about you and get a copy.
• Correct data that is wrong or incomplete.
• Delete your data, where we no longer need it or have no legal reason to keep it.
• Object to, or ask us to restrict, certain uses, including direct marketing.
• Data portability: receive your data in a common, machine-readable format.
• Withdraw consent at any time. This does not affect what we did before you withdrew.
• Complain to a regulator (see below).

How to use your rights: email info@cherishafricasafaris.com with the subject “Privacy request” and tell us what you need. We may ask you to confirm your identity first. We will reply within 30 days, and sooner where Kenyan law requires. There is no charge unless a request is clearly unfounded or excessive. To stop marketing emails, use the “unsubscribe” link in any message or tell us directly.

Complaints: we would like the chance to put things right first, so please contact us. You also have the right to complain to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), Kenya at www.odpc.go.ke, or, if you are in the EU or UK, to your local data protection authority.

12. Children

This website is not aimed at children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect their data through the site. When you book for a family, we collect children’s names, ages and any needs they have from the parent or legal guardian, who confirms that they are entitled to give us that information. We use it only to plan and run the trip.

13. Marketing messages

We send newsletters and offers only if you have asked for them or have booked with us before and we are offering similar services. You can opt out at any time. We do not add people to marketing lists because they sent a one-off enquiry unless they say yes.

14. Changes to this policy

We will update this policy when our practices, tools or the law change. The date at the top shows when it was last revised. If we make a material change, we will tell you through the website or by email where we have your address.