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Privacy

Last updated: March 2025 | Effective date: March 2025

Kerala Trek (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates keralatrek.com — an information portal for forest trekking, permits, and forest stays in Kerala, India. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you visit our website.

1. Information we collect

Information you provide directly

  • Operator application form: Name, business name, WhatsApp number, email address, district, and trekking experience — collected only when you voluntarily submit an operator listing application.
  • Contact enquiries: Name and email address if you contact us directly.

Information collected automatically

  • Analytics: We use Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymised data including pages visited, time on site, device type, and approximate location (city/country level). This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally.
  • Cookies: We use cookies to remember your language preference (English or Malayalam) and to support Google Analytics. No advertising or tracking cookies are used.
  • Server logs: Our hosting provider (Hostinger) automatically records IP addresses, browser type, and page requests for security and performance purposes.

2. How we use your information

  • To process and review operator listing applications
  • To respond to your enquiries
  • To understand how visitors use the site and improve content
  • To maintain website security
  • To send application status updates (only if you applied as an operator)

We do not use your information for advertising, profiling, or automated decision-making.

3. Information we do not collect

  • We do not process payments — all bookings are handled directly by Forest Department offices, KFDC, or the respective operators.
  • We do not collect Aadhaar numbers, passport details, or any government identity documents.
  • We do not collect health or medical information.
  • We do not have user accounts or registration on this site.

4. Cookies

We use the following cookies:

  • kft_lang — Stores your language preference (EN or Malayalam). Expires after 1 year. No personal data.
  • kft_alert_dismissed — Remembers if you dismissed a site alert. Session cookie, deleted when browser closes.
  • _ga, _ga_* — Google Analytics cookies for anonymous usage statistics. Expires after 2 years.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings. The site functions fully without cookies except that your language preference will not be remembered.

5. Third-party services

  • Google Analytics 4 — Anonymous usage statistics. Google Privacy Policy
  • Google Maps — Embedded maps on trail and office pages. Google Privacy Policy
  • Amazon Associates — Affiliate links on the Safety page. Clicking these links takes you to Amazon where Amazon’s privacy policy applies.
  • Cloudflare — CDN and security provider. Processes your IP address for security purposes. Cloudflare Privacy Policy

6. Data sharing

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with any third party for commercial purposes. We may share information only:

  • With service providers who help operate this site (Hostinger for hosting, Google for analytics) — under data processing agreements
  • If required by Indian law or a valid court order
  • To protect the safety of our users or the public

7. Data retention

  • Operator application data is retained for 12 months from the date of submission, then deleted.
  • Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months (Google’s minimum setting).
  • Server logs are retained for 30 days by Hostinger.

8. Your rights

Under applicable Indian privacy law (Information Technology Act 2000 and IT Rules 2011), you have the right to:

  • Request access to personal information we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate information
  • Request deletion of your information
  • Withdraw consent for processing at any time

To exercise these rights, email us at hello@keralatrek.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Children’s privacy

This website is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information including HTTPS encryption, security headers, and regular security reviews. However, no internet transmission is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the most recent version. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact

For privacy-related questions or requests:

Kerala Trek
Email: hello@keralatrek.com
Website: keralatrek.com
Kerala, India