Privacy Policy for Scales & Shores

At Scales & Shores, we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our site, use our services, or interact with our online platform. We operate in the fields of tourism and eco-adventure, offering guided wildlife tours focusing on reptilian habitats, educational excursions, bespoke eco-friendly travel packages, photography workshops, and sustainable accommodation bookings. Your trust is paramount to us, and we are dedicated to handling your personal data responsibly and in compliance with global data protection regulations, including the GDPR.

Information We Collect

We collect various types of information to provide and improve our services.

1. Personal Data You Provide Directly

• Contact Information: Names, email addresses, postal addresses (e.g., for booking confirmations or mailing brochures), and phone numbers. This is collected when you book a tour, workshop, or accommodation, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact us directly.
• Booking and Travel Details: Information related to your tour preferences, dietary restrictions (if applicable), health conditions relevant to tours (e.g., allergies, mobility issues to ensure your safety and comfort), emergency contact information, passport details (for international bookings requiring such verification), and accommodation preferences.
• Payment Information: While we process payments through secure third-party providers, we may collect billing addresses and transaction details. We do not store full payment card details on our servers.
• Communication Data: Records of your correspondence with us, including emails, chat messages, and feedback provided through surveys.

2. Data Collected Automatically

• Usage Data: Information about how you access and use our site, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and dates/times of access. This helps us understand user behavior and improve our online platform.
• Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our site and hold certain information. These are used for functional, performance, and analytical purposes. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent.

How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for various purposes:

• To Provide Our Services: To process your bookings for tours, workshops, and accommodation, arrange your travel logistics, and deliver the eco-adventure experiences you've requested.
• To Communicate With You: To send booking confirmations, updates about your travel arrangements, respond to your inquiries, and provide customer support.
• For Safety and Well-being: To ensure your safety during tours, especially for activities that may require specific health considerations, and to handle emergencies.
• To Improve and Customize Our Services: To analyze how our services are used, understand customer preferences, personalize your experience, and develop new offerings related to wildlife tourism and conservation.
• Marketing and Promotional Purposes: With your consent, to send you newsletters, special offers, and information about new tours or workshops that may be of interest to you. You can opt out of these communications at any time.
• For Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data (GDPR)

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Performance of a Contract: When processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract (e.g., booking a tour).
• Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., subscribing to our newsletter). You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
• Legitimate Interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms (e.g., improving our services, preventing fraud, maintaining security).
• Legal Obligation: Where processing is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

Disclosure of Your Information

We may share your information with third parties only when necessary to provide our services or as required by law.

• Service Providers: We work with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our business, such as payment processors, accommodation partners, local tour operators, and data analytics providers. These providers only have access to the personal data they need to perform their functions and are contractually bound to protect your information.
• For Legal Reasons: We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or government agency).
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your personal data may be transferred. We will provide notice before your personal data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The precise retention period will depend on the nature of the data and the purpose for which it was collected.

Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR)

Under certain circumstances, you have the following data protection rights:

• The right to access: You have the right to request copies of your personal data.
• The right to rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or complete information you believe is incomplete.
• The right to erasure: You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
• The right to restrict processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
• The right to object to processing: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
• The right to data portability: You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.

If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. Please contact us at the address provided below if you wish to exercise any of these rights.

Security of Your Data

The security of your data is important to us. We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, accidental loss, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Links to Other Sites

Our site may contain links to other sites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your data, or would like to exercise one of your data protection rights, please contact us at: