Privacy Policy
1. Who we are
This Privacy Policy explains how Earthborne LLC ("Earthborne," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you visit weareearthborne.com (the "Website"), subscribe to our newsletter, contact us, enquire about or book an expedition, or otherwise interact with us.
Earthborne LLC is a company registered in Michigan, United States of America, with operations based in Cape Town, South Africa.
We are the "responsible party" (under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act, "POPIA") and the "data controller" (under the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation, "GDPR") for the personal information described in this policy.
Contact / Information Officer: Information Officer Email: hello@weareearthborne.com
By using the Website or giving us your information, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
2. Scope of this policy
This policy applies to personal information we process about:
Visitors to our Website;
People who subscribe to our newsletter or field dispatches;
People who contact us or complete an enquiry or booking form;
Guests, prospective guests, and participants on our expeditions, experiences, and events;
Collaborators, partners, guides, and contractors; and
Anyone who otherwise communicates with us.
It does not apply to third-party websites, platforms, or services we link to, which have their own privacy policies.
3. The personal information we collect
We collect the following categories of personal information.
Information you give us directly
Identity and contact details — your name, email address, phone number, country of residence, and postal address.
Newsletter and communications data — your email address and any preferences you set when subscribing to our newsletter or field dispatches.
Enquiry and booking data — information you provide when enquiring about or booking an expedition, experience, or event, including travel dates, group details, and any special requests.
Health, dietary, and accessibility information — where you choose to share it for the purpose of participating safely in an expedition or experience (for example, dietary requirements, allergies, medical conditions, fitness information, or emergency contact details). This may include special/sensitive personal information, which we only process with your consent or as necessary to protect your vital interests and safety.
Payment and transaction information — where you make a payment, this is processed by our third-party payment providers. We do not store full card numbers ourselves; we may retain records of transactions, invoices, and amounts.
Content you submit — messages, comments, survey or poll responses, testimonials, photographs, or other content you send or share with us.
Information we collect automatically
Device and technical data — your IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and referring URLs.
Usage data — pages viewed, links clicked, time spent on pages, and how you navigate the Website.
Cookies and similar technologies — see Section 7 below.
Information we receive from third parties
Social media — if you interact with our pages on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, or other platforms, we may receive limited information consistent with those platforms' settings and policies.
Service providers and partners — analytics providers, our newsletter platform, and expedition partners or operators may provide us with information relevant to your interaction with us.
4. How and why we use your information (and our legal grounds)
We process personal information only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the context, our legal grounds under GDPR and POPIA include your consent, the performance of a contract with you, our legitimate interests, compliance with a legal obligation, or protection of your or another person's vital interests.
To respond to your enquiries and communicate with you
Basis: To respond to your enquiries and communicate with you
To send you our newsletter and field dispatches
Basis: Consent (you may withdraw at any time)
To process, administer, and deliver an expedition, experience, or event you book
Basis: Performance of a contract
To arrange safe participation, including catering to dietary, medical, and safety needs
Basis: Consent; protection of vital interests; performance of a contract
To process payments and keep financial records
Basis: Performance of a contract; legal obligation
To operate, secure, and improve the Website
Basis: Legitimate interests
To understand how the Website is used (analytics)
Basis: Consent (where required) / legitimate interests
To comply with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations
Basis: Legal obligation
To protect our rights, property, safety, and those of others
Basis: Legitimate interests; legal obligation
Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
5. Marketing Communications
If you subscribe to our newsletter or field dispatches, we will use your email address to send you stories, updates, and information about our expeditions, experiences, and community.
Our newsletter is delivered through Beehiiv, our email service provider. Every email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can opt out at any time by clicking it or by emailing hello@weareearthborne.com. We do not sell your email address, and we do not share it for other companies' independent marketing.
6. When we share your information
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in the following circumstances:
Service providers who help us operate — including our website host and platform (e.g. Webflow / Framer), our email and newsletter platform (Beehiiv), analytics providers, payment processors, and IT and administrative support. These providers ("operators" under POPIA) may only use your information on our instructions and are bound to keep it secure and confidential.
Expedition partners and operators — where necessary to deliver an expedition, experience, or event you book, we share the information needed for your participation (for example, with local operators, accommodation providers, guides, or partners such as our collaborators on the ground). We share only what is necessary.
Professional advisers — such as lawyers, accountants, and insurers, where necessary.
Legal and regulatory bodies — where required by law, court order, or a lawful request, or to protect our rights, safety, or property, or those of others.
Business transfers — if we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this policy.
7. Cookies and tracking technologies
The Website uses cookies and similar technologies to function properly, remember your preferences, and understand how the Website is used.
Strictly necessary cookies are required for the Website to work and cannot be switched off.
Analytics and performance cookies help us understand how visitors use the Website.
Functional and marketing cookies support features and, where applicable, measure the performance of our content.
Where required by law (including under POPIA and GDPR), we will ask for your consent before placing non-essential cookies, and you can change your preferences at any time via the cookie settings on the Website. You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect how the Website functions.
We honour recognised opt-out signals such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC) where legally required.
8. International transfers of your information
Earthborne operates across borders. Because we are a US-registered company operating from South Africa and working with international partners and providers, your personal information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in countries other than your own — including the United States, South Africa, the European Union, and the countries in which our expeditions and partners are based. These countries may have data-protection laws that differ from those in your country.
Where we transfer personal information across borders, we take steps to ensure it remains protected, including by relying on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses, the recipient's own adequate protections, or your consent, as permitted by GDPR and POPIA. You may contact us for more information about the safeguards we use.
9. How long we keep your information
We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including to provide our services, maintain records, and comply with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.
Newsletter data is kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it.
Enquiry data is kept for a reasonable period to respond and follow up.
Booking, payment, and financial records are kept for the periods required by applicable law.
10. How we protect your information
We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so while we work hard to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a data breach occurs that is likely to affect you, we will notify you and the relevant regulator as required by law.
11. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you have rights over your personal information. We honour these rights regardless of where you are located. Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:
Be informed about how we use your information (this policy);
Access the personal information we hold about you;
Correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
Delete your information ("right to erasure");
Object to or restrict our processing of your information, including for direct marketing;
Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on it;
Data portability — receive your information in a portable format;
Not be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects; and
Complain to a regulator (see Section 15).
For California residents (CCPA/CPRA): you also have the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use and disclose it, the right to delete and to correct, and the right to opt out of any "sale" or "sharing" of personal information and to limit the use of sensitive personal information. We do not sell your personal information. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.
To exercise any right, email us at hello@weareearthborne.com. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law and may need to verify your identity first. You may use an authorised agent where the law allows.
12. Children's Policy
The Website and our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 without the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Where a child participates in an expedition or experience, we process their information only with the consent of, and through, their parent or guardian, and in accordance with applicable law. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without appropriate consent, please contact us and we will delete it.
13. Third party links and content
The Website may contain links to, or embedded content from, third-party websites and platforms (for example, Instagram, YouTube, or partner sites). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third parties. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing them with your information.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or the law. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above and, where the changes are significant, take reasonable steps to notify you. Your continued use of the Website after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
15. How to contact us and make a complaint
If you have any questions, requests, or concerns about this policy or how we handle your personal information, contact our Information Officer:
Earthborne LLC Attention: Jay Dike, Information Officer Email: hello@weareearthborne.com
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant regulator:
South Africa — the Information Regulator (South Africa), www.inforegulator.org.za, email inforeg@justice.gov.za.
European Union / United Kingdom — your local data protection supervisory authority (in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office, www.ico.org.uk).
California — the California Privacy Protection Agency and the California Attorney General.
We would, however, appreciate the chance to address your concerns directly before you approach a regulator, so please reach out to us first.
