🔒 PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: September 25, 2025

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Minca Seasons (“we”, “our” or “the company”) operates the website https://mincaseasons.com (the “Service”).

This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information when you use our Service and the choices you have associated with that data.

Company Information:

  • Business Name: Minca Seasons Birdwatching Hostel

  • Address: Camino a Milagro Verde, Minca, Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia

  • Contact Email: mincaseasons@gmail.com

  • Phone: +57 311 3323359

  • Tourism Registry: 135107

2. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

2.1 Personal Information You Voluntarily Provide

🏨 For Accommodation Reservations:

  • Full name

  • Email address

  • Phone number

  • Country of residence

  • Stay dates

  • Room preferences

  • Payment information (processed securely)

  • Special dietary requirements or accessibility needs

📧 For Communications:

  • Name and email when you contact us

  • WhatsApp/phone for direct communication

  • Inquiries about birdwatching and tours

  • Feedback and reviews

🐦 For Birdwatching Services:

  • Experience level in birdwatching

  • Target species or specific interests

  • Photography equipment you use

  • Physical limitations for outdoor activities

  • Previous birding locations visited

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

🌐 Technical Information:

  • IP address and general location

  • Browser type and device information

  • Pages visited on our website

  • Time spent on the site

  • Referral source (how you found our site)

  • Operating system and screen resolution

🍪 Cookies and Similar Technologies:

  • Essential cookies for site functionality

  • Analytics cookies (Google Analytics)

  • Social media cookies (if you interact with our content)

  • Marketing cookies (with your consent)

3. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

3.1 Primary Purposes

✅ Reservation Management:

  • Confirm and manage your reservation

  • Communicate check-in/check-out details

  • Process payments securely

  • Provide receipts and invoices

  • Handle cancellations and modifications

✅ Birdwatching Services:

  • Customize tours based on your experience

  • Recommend equipment and preparations

  • Coordinate with specialized local guides

  • Provide species lists and trail maps

  • Share real-time birding conditions

✅ Service Communication:

  • Send booking confirmations

  • Weather condition updates

  • Information about recent bird sightings

  • Customer service support

  • Safety and emergency communications

3.2 Secondary Purposes (With Your Consent)

📧 Marketing and Newsletter:

  • Send newsletters about Minca birdwatching

  • Special offers for previous guests

  • Updates about newly documented species

  • Conservation event invitations

  • Seasonal birding tips and guides

📊 Service Improvement:

  • Analyze guest preferences

  • Improve birdwatching experiences

  • Develop new tours and services

  • Website functionality enhancements

4. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING

We process your personal information under the following legal bases, complying with GDPR (for EU residents), CCPA (for California residents), and Colombian data protection laws:

⚖️ Contract Performance:

  • Processing reservations and payments

  • Providing accommodation services

  • Coordinating birdwatching tours

  • Customer service support

⚖️ Legitimate Interest:

  • Improving our services and website

  • Fraud prevention and security

  • Direct marketing to existing customers (with opt-out)

  • Website analytics for business improvement

⚖️ Consent:

  • Email marketing (you can withdraw anytime)

  • Non-essential cookies

  • Sharing photos on social media (with explicit permission)

  • Newsletter subscriptions

⚖️ Legal Obligation:

  • Tax and accounting records

  • Reports required by tourism authorities

  • Anti-money laundering compliance

5. SHARING INFORMATION WITH THIRD PARTIES

5.1 Essential Service Providers

💳 Payment Processors:

  • PayPal, Stripe (secure payment processing)

  • Colombian banks for local transfers

  • Credit card processing companies

🎯 Marketing Services:

  • Mailchimp (newsletter, consent-based only)

  • WhatsApp Business (direct communication)

  • Social media platforms (with your explicit consent)

📊 Web Analytics:

  • Google Analytics (anonymized information)

  • Facebook Pixel (only if you interact with our content)

  • Website hosting providers

5.2 Local Guides and Partners

🐦 Birdwatching Guides: We share minimal necessary information (name, experience level, interests) with our local guides to personalize tours and ensure safety.

🏨 Accommodation Services: Hostel staff access reservation information to provide appropriate service and emergency contact capabilities.

5.3 We Never Share With:

❌ Third-party marketing companies for spam ❌ Commercial data aggregators ❌ Social media platforms (without your explicit consent) ❌ Competing tourism businesses ❌ Government agencies (unless legally required)

6. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

🌍 Servers and Storage:

  • Website hosted on secure servers with SSL certification

  • Some providers (Google, PayPal) may store data in the US and Europe

  • All providers comply with appropriate GDPR and privacy shield standards

🛡️ Safeguards:

  • Data processing agreements with all providers

  • Appropriate security certifications

  • Encryption in transit and at rest

  • Regular security audits

7. DATA RETENTION

7.1 Retention Periods

🏨 Reservation Data:

  • During stay: Complete access for services

  • After stay: 7 years (Colombian tax requirements)

  • Payment information: Deleted after 90 days

  • Guest preferences: Retained until you request deletion

📧 Communications:

  • Service emails: 3 years for reference

  • Newsletter: Until you unsubscribe

  • General inquiries: 2 years

  • Complaint records: 5 years

📊 Analytics Data:

  • Google Analytics: 26 months (standard setting)

  • Server logs: 12 months maximum

  • Website behavior: Anonymized after 2 years

7.2 Automatic Deletion

We have implemented automatic processes to delete data when retention periods expire, except where law requires longer conservation.

8. YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

8.1 Universal Rights (All Users)

📋 Right to Access: Request a copy of all personal information we hold about you.

✏️ Right to Rectification: Request correction of incorrect or incomplete information.

🗑️ Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.

🚫 Right to Object: Object to processing of your data for direct marketing.

⏸️ Right to Restriction: Request limitation of processing in certain circumstances.

8.2 Additional Rights for EU Residents (GDPR)

⚡ Right to Data Portability: Request your data in structured format to transfer to another service.

🏛️ Right to Lodge a Complaint: File a complaint with your local data protection authority.

8.3 Additional Rights for California Residents (CCPA)

📊 Right to Know:

  • Categories of personal information collected

  • Sources of personal information

  • Business purposes for collecting information

  • Categories of third parties with whom information is shared

💰 Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

🛍️ Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information to third parties.

8.4 How to Exercise Your Rights

📧 Primary Contact: Email: mincaseasons@gmail.com Subject: “Data Privacy Request”

📱 Immediate Contact: WhatsApp: +57 311 3323359

📮 Mailing Address: Minca Seasons Birdwatching Hostel Camino a Milagro Verde Minca, Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia

⏰ Response Time: We will respond to requests within 30 calendar days (GDPR) or 45 days (CCPA).

9. DATA SECURITY

9.1 Technical Measures

🔒 Encryption:

  • SSL/TLS for all web transmissions

  • Database encryption at rest

  • Secure communications with providers

  • Encrypted backups and data storage

🛡️ Access Control:

  • Two-factor authentication for staff

  • Role-based access with minimum necessary privileges

  • Regular access audits and reviews

  • Secure password policies

💾 Secure Backups:

  • Daily encrypted backups

  • Multi-location storage

  • Regular restoration testing

  • Secure data destruction procedures

9.2 Organizational Measures

👥 Staff Training:

  • Regular data protection training

  • Internal privacy policies

  • Confidentiality agreements

  • Incident response procedures

🚨 Incident Response:

  • Security breach response plan

  • Notification within 72 hours if required (GDPR)

  • Proactive communication to affected users

  • Remediation and prevention measures

10. COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES

10.1 Types of Cookies We Use

🍪 Essential Cookies (No consent required):

  • Basic website functionality

  • Reservation cart and user session

  • Language preferences

  • Security features

🍪 Analytics Cookies (Consent required):

  • Google Analytics for website improvement

  • Anonymized usage information

  • Performance monitoring

  • User experience optimization

🍪 Marketing Cookies (Consent required):

  • Facebook Pixel (only with consent)

  • Newsletter signup tracking

  • Advertisement effectiveness

  • Retargeting capabilities

🍪 Social Media Cookies (Consent required):

  • Instagram feed integration

  • Social sharing functionality

  • WhatsApp integration

10.2 Managing Your Cookie Preferences

⚙️ Cookie Consent Banner: You can manage your cookie preferences through our consent banner that appears on your first visit.

🌐 Browser Settings: You can also control cookies through your browser settings:

  • Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies

  • Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security

  • Safari: Preferences > Privacy

  • Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions

📱 Mobile Settings:

  • iOS: Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security

  • Android: Browser > Settings > Site settings > Cookies

11. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR MINORS

👶 Children Under 13 (COPPA Compliance): We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware we have collected such information, we will delete it immediately.

🧒 Minors 13-18: We require parental consent for minors under 18 staying at our hostel. Parents/guardians must provide consent for data processing.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Reservations: When families book together, we collect minimal information about minors (name, age for appropriate room assignment) with parental consent.

12. CALIFORNIA CONSUMER PRIVACY ACT (CCPA) DISCLOSURES

12.1 Information We Collect (Last 12 Months)

Category

Examples

Sources

Business Purpose

Identifiers

Name, email, phone

You directly

Reservations, communication

Commercial Info

Booking history, preferences

Your interactions

Service personalization

Internet Activity

Website usage, clicks

Automatic collection

Site improvement

Geolocation

IP address location

Automatic collection

Service customization

12.2 We Do Not Sell Personal Information

Minca Seasons does not sell, rent, or lease personal information to third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration.

12.3 Your CCPA Rights Summary

  • Right to Know what personal information is collected

  • Right to Delete personal information

  • Right to Opt-Out of sale (not applicable as we don’t sell)

  • Right to Non-Discrimination for exercising rights

13. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PRIVACY MATTERS

13.1 General Privacy Questions

📧 Email: mincaseasons@gmail.com 📱 WhatsApp: +57 311 3323359 📮 Address: Minca Seasons Birdwatching Hostel Camino a Milagro Verde Minca, Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia

13.2 Data Protection Officer

For complex privacy matters, our Data Protection Officer can be reached at: Email: mincaseasons@gmail.com (Subject: “DPO – Privacy Matter”)

14. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

📝 Policy Updates: We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last modified” date.

📧 Notification of Material Changes: For material changes that affect your rights, we will notify you via:

  • Email to your registered address

  • Prominent notice on our website

  • WhatsApp message (if you’ve provided consent)

✅ Continued Use: Your continued use of our services after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

15. GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION

⚖️ Applicable Law: This Privacy Policy is governed by:

  • Colombian data protection laws (Ley 1581 de 2012)

  • GDPR (for EU residents)

  • CCPA (for California residents)

  • Federal Trade Commission Act (for US residents)

🏛️ Dispute Resolution: Any disputes related to this Privacy Policy will be resolved through:

  1. Direct negotiation

  2. Mediation (if necessary)

  3. Courts of Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia (for Colombian law matters)

  4. Appropriate jurisdiction for international privacy law matters

16. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

🌐 Useful Links:

📚 Our Related Policies:

  • Terms of Service: mincaseasons.com/terms

  • Cookie Policy: mincaseasons.com/cookies

  • Booking Terms: mincaseasons.com/booking-terms

Contact us with any questions about this Privacy Policy: 📧 mincaseasons@gmail.com | 📱 +57 311 3323359

Last updated: September 25, 2025

 

Welcome to Minca Seasons! We’re thrilled you’re considering our birdwatching hostel. How can we help make your Sierra Nevada adventure unforgettable?

Facebook X-twitter Instagram Houzz
Links
Our Location

Camino a Milagro Verde, Minca, Santa Marta, Magdalena

© Copyright Minca Seasons 2025 all rights reserved