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1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Mhondoro Safari Lodge and Villa collects, uses, shares, and protects personal information through mhondoro.com (the “Site”) — including when you browse the Site, make a booking enquiry, or subscribe to our newsletter. In this policy, “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to Mhondoro Safari Lodge and Villa in its operation of the Site.

This policy covers the Site only. It does not cover personal information collected separately through other means — for example, in person during a stay at the lodge, over the phone, or through channels outside mhondoro.com.

We are based in South Africa and handle personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Where applicable to visitors from other regions, we also aim to align with international data protection principles, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

2. Who We Are

  • Data controller / responsible party: Mhondoro Safari Lodge and Villa
  • Registered office: Unit S40, Welgevonden Game Reserve R33, Vaalwater, Limpopo, 0530
  • Postal address: PO Box 742, Vaalwater, Limpopo, 0530
  • Contact for privacy matters: privacy@mhondoro.com

3. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information through the Site:

  • Booking and reservation details — name, email address, phone number, travel dates, and related enquiry information submitted through our booking channels.
  • Contact form submissions — name, email address, and the content of your message.
  • Newsletter subscription details — name and email address, collected and processed via Mailchimp.
  • Usage and analytics data — pages visited, time on site, browser/device type, and general location, collected via Google Analytics.

We do not directly collect or store payment card details. All payments are processed entirely by our third-party booking engine and its payment processor — see Section 5.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect through the Site to:

  • Respond to enquiries and process booking requests;
  • Send newsletters and promotional communications, where you have subscribed or otherwise consented;
  • Understand and improve how visitors use our Site, using aggregated analytics;
  • Meet legal, accounting, or regulatory obligations.

5. Booking Engine and Payments

Bookings made through our Site are redirected to a third-party booking engine, RoomRaccoon, which operates on its own domain and under its own privacy policy. Any payment or card information you provide there is submitted directly to RoomRaccoon and its payment processor — the Site itself does not receive, process, or store payment card data. We encourage you to review the booking engine's privacy policy before completing a reservation.

6. Cookies and Analytics

Our Site uses cookies and similar technologies. Non-essential cookies, including Google Analytics, only load after you provide consent through our cookie consent banner. You can withdraw or change your consent at any time through that banner or your browser settings.

Google Analytics collects information about how visitors use our Site (pages viewed, session duration, general location, device/browser type) in aggregated and pseudonymised form, to help us understand and improve Site performance. Data processed by Google Analytics is subject to Google's own privacy policy.

7. Third-Party Service Providers

We share personal information collected through the Site with the following categories of third-party service providers, solely to the extent necessary for them to perform their services:

  • Booking engine provider — processes reservation and payment details on their own systems.
  • Mailchimp — processes newsletter subscriber names and email addresses to send communications.
  • Google Analytics — processes anonymised/aggregated Site usage data.

These providers may process data outside South Africa. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure an appropriate level of protection is maintained, consistent with POPIA's requirements for cross-border transfers.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, using the following periods:

  • Guest data (bookings and stays): retained for the duration of your relationship with us, and for 7 years after your most recent stay or interaction with the Site, after which it is deleted or anonymised. Each new stay or interaction resets this period.
  • Enquiry-only data (contact or booking enquiries that do not result in a stay): retained for 3 years after your last enquiry, after which it is deleted or anonymised.

Newsletter data is retained until you unsubscribe.

9. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, in relation to personal information we hold about you through the Site, you have the right to:

  • Access it;
  • Request correction of inaccurate information;
  • Request its deletion;
  • Object to or restrict certain processing, including marketing communications;
  • Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent;
  • Lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority (in South Africa, the Information Regulator).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@mhondoro.com.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Site is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children without appropriate parental or guardian consent.

11. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the personal information we hold about you through the Site against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, or disclosure. However, no method of transmission or storage over the internet is entirely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page indicates when it was last revised.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, contact us at privacy@mhondoro.com, or by mail at PO Box 742, Vaalwater, Limpopo, 0530, South Africa.