This notice explains how we handle personal information when you use thermalsafaris.com or contact us. We follow the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). We collect only what we need to answer you, and we don’t sell it.

Who we are

The responsible party for your information is Smartronics (Pty) Ltd (trading as Thermal Safaris), 337 Knoppiesdoring Rd, Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate, Hoedspruit, Limpopo, South Africa. Email info@thermalsafaris.com or call 083 650 2752. Contact our Information Officer about any privacy question at the same email address. Full company details are on our terms page.

What we collect

When you enquire. Your name, email address and phone number, plus what you choose to tell us. For lodges this is usually your lodge or company, reserve and number of vehicles. For private guests it is usually your preferred dates and group size. You give this to us yourself, and giving it is voluntary. Without a way to reach you, we can’t reply.

How the forms work. The forms on this site don’t send or store anything. They open your own email app with a message addressed to us, and nothing reaches us until you press send there. The WhatsApp buttons open a chat in WhatsApp in the same way.

When you browse. Our web host keeps standard server logs, such as IP address, browser type, pages requested and time, to run and secure the site. If you accept analytics, Google Analytics also records how the site is used (see Cookies).

We don’t ask for special personal information (such as health or religious information), and this site isn’t aimed at children.

How we use it

We use your details to reply to your enquiry, to arrange a demonstration or a safari you ask about, and to keep a record of our correspondence. If you accept analytics, we use the anonymous totals to improve the site. We won’t send you marketing unless you ask for it, and you can stop it at any time.

We don’t sell or rent personal information. It passes through the services that carry it: our email and web hosting providers, WhatsApp (Meta) if you message us there, Google if you accept analytics, and YouTube (Google) if you press play on a film. The share and follow links are plain links: nothing from WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube loads on this site, and those services only receive anything once you open them. If you book a private safari, we share what is needed with the accommodation and guides who host you. We disclose information to authorities only where the law requires it.

Outside South Africa

WhatsApp, Google Analytics and YouTube may process information on servers outside South Africa, including in the United States. We rely on these providers’ own data-protection terms, as section 72 of POPIA allows. If you’re in the European Union or the United Kingdom, the same rights described below apply to you.

How long we keep it

We keep enquiry correspondence for as long as we need it to deal with your enquiry or booking, and after that only as long as the law or our business records require. Then we delete it.

Keeping it safe

The site is served only over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, and it doesn’t store form entries on the server. Our accounts are password-protected and only people who need your details to help you can see them. If we ever learn of a security compromise affecting your information, we will tell you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.

Your rights

You may ask what personal information we hold about you and ask us to correct or delete it. You may also object to our using it, and withdraw any consent you gave. Email info@thermalsafaris.com and we’ll respond as quickly as we can, and within the time the law allows. Our PAIA manual, which explains how to request access to records we hold, is available on request from info@thermalsafaris.com.

If you’re not happy with how we handled your information, you may complain to the Information Regulator: inforegulator.org.za, enquiries@inforegulator.org.za, 010 023 5200. We’d appreciate the chance to put it right first.

Cookies

Cookies are small files a website saves in your browser. This site uses as few as possible:

What	Why	When
Your analytics choice ts-analytics	Remembers whether you accepted or declined analytics, so we don’t ask again. Stored in your browser only, never sent to us.	Only after you choose
Google Analytics _ga, _ga_*	Counts visits and shows which pages and contact buttons are used. Kept by Google for up to two years.	Only if you press Accept
YouTube set by youtube-nocookie.com	Plays the film. YouTube applies Google’s privacy policy.	Only when you press play on a film

Nothing else is loaded from other companies: the fonts, images and thermal clips are all served from this site. If you decline analytics, the site works exactly the same.

Changes

If we change this notice, we’ll update the date at the top of this page.

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