Privacy policy

Last updated: April 2026

This is our plain-English privacy policy. We have tried to write it the way we would explain it to you over coffee, then run it past someone who does this for a living.

Who we are

Marula Hill is a luxury safari travel brand. The website you are on (marulahill.com) is operated by Marula Hill, a trading entity based in South Africa. For South African residents, our domestic operations are at marulahill.co.za.

Our two contact emails are sian@marulahill.com and vikki@marulahill.com. Either of us is the person who handles your data. There is no separate "data team."

What we collect

Three things, and that is it:

Information you give us when you enquire. Your name, email, phone number, the country or trip you are asking about, and any context you share in your message. This is what we need to plan your safari.

Information you give us when you subscribe to our newsletter. Your email address. That is all.

Anonymous analytics about how you use the site. Pages viewed, time on site, country (city-level only, not precise location), and which device type you used. This is via standard tools like Google Analytics. We do not see who you are personally from this – it is aggregated.

We do not collect, sell, or trade your data with third parties for marketing. We do not run retargeting ad campaigns that follow you around the web.

What we do with it

Your enquiry data: We use it to answer your enquiry, plan your trip, send you the relevant proposal, and keep in touch about it. We share it only with operators, lodges, or partners who need it to deliver the trip you have asked us to plan. They are bound by their own data protection rules, and we vet them.

Your newsletter email: We send you the monthly Marula Hill newsletter and occasional notes about new content or new trips. You can unsubscribe at the bottom of every email.

Anonymous analytics: We use it to understand which articles and destinations get the most interest, what is broken on the site, and what to write about next.

Where it lives

Your data sits in:

Ghost – our content platform, which holds newsletter subscribers and the website itself
Email systems (Google Workspace) – for any messages we have exchanged
Trip planning tools – Wetu, Travelify, or similar industry platforms used to build itineraries

All of these are reputable providers with their own GDPR/POPIA-compliant infrastructure. Servers are in the EU, US, or South Africa depending on the tool.

How long we keep it

Enquiries that did not turn into a trip: Two years, then deleted, unless you have asked us to keep in touch.

Clients who travelled with us: Indefinitely, because past clients often come back five or ten years later. If you want us to delete your file, just ask.

Newsletter subscribers: Until you unsubscribe.

Analytics: Aggregated and anonymous, retained for up to 26 months.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, EU GDPR, and South Africa's POPIA, you have the right to:

Ask what data we hold about you
Ask us to correct anything wrong
Ask us to delete your data
Withdraw consent for marketing emails (one-click unsubscribe)
Lodge a complaint with the relevant regulator

To exercise any of these, email vikki@marulahill.com. We will respond within 30 days, usually within a week.

Children

We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16. Family safari enquiries are handled through the booking adult.

Changes to this policy

If we make a material change, we will note it at the top of this page and email anyone subscribed to the newsletter. Date at the top of this page is always the latest version.

Contact

Anything to do with privacy, data, or this policy – email vikki@marulahill.com.