Privacy Policy

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Himalayan Unique Travels is committed to protecting the privacy of every guest who plans a trip to Bhutan with us. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how it is used, and the limited circumstances in which it is shared with third parties — most notably the Bhutanese authorities responsible for issuing your travel documents.

We never sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. Where information is shared, it is shared only as necessary to deliver the trip you have booked, or where we are legally required to do so.

Information We Collect

When you enquire about or book a trip through our website, by phone, or by email, we collect the information necessary to plan and deliver your trip. This typically includes:

• Your name, phone number, email address, and country of residence
• Your age and gender, used for identification and itinerary planning purposes
• Passport details and a scanned copy of your passport, required for visa, route permit, and special permit processing
• Flight information, used to arrange airport transfers and coordinate with your travel schedule
• Dietary requirements or restrictions, shared with our guides, hotels, and trekking chefs to ensure your needs are met
• General health information relevant to your trip, such as any condition that may affect your trekking ability, used to plan an appropriate itinerary and prepare our guides
• Any special requests or preferences you share with our team, used to personalise your trip

Why We Collect This Information

Bhutan’s tourism system requires accurate visitor information before a Visa Clearance Letter, route permits, or special area permits can be issued. As your tour operator, Himalayan Unique Travels is responsible for submitting this information on your behalf to the relevant Bhutanese authorities. Beyond these legal requirements, we use your information to:

• Plan and confirm your itinerary, flights, and accommodation
• Communicate with you about your booking
• Arrange appropriate guides, vehicles, and equipment for your trip
• Accommodate dietary, medical, or accessibility needs
• Respond to enquiries, feedback, or complaints

Who We Share Your Information With

We share personal information with third parties only where it is necessary to deliver your trip or where the law requires it. Specifically:

Royal Government of Bhutan and the Tourism Council of Bhutan: Your passport and personal details are submitted to these authorities to obtain your Visa Clearance, Route Permit, and any Special Permits required for restricted areas, in accordance with Bhutan’s tourism regulations.

Local airlines: Flight and passport information may be shared with Bhutanese carriers when booking or confirming domestic or regional flights on your behalf.

Hotels, guides, and trekking crew: Dietary requirements, special requests, and relevant health information are shared with the people directly responsible for your comfort and safety during your trip.

We do not share your information with any other third party for marketing, advertising, or any purpose unrelated to delivering your trip, without your explicit consent.

How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable administrative and technical measures to keep your personal information secure, including restricting access to booking files to staff who need it to do their jobs, and storing passport scans and personal documents securely. No method of data transmission or storage is completely without risk, but we are committed to handling your information responsibly at every stage of your booking and trip.

How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain your booking and trip information for as long as necessary to deliver your trip, comply with our legal and tax obligations, and respond to any post-trip queries you may have. [Insert specific retention period if known, e.g. “up to 5 years after your trip” — confirm with your accountant/legal advisor.]

Your Rights

You may ask us at any time what personal information we hold about you, request a correction to inaccurate information, or ask us to delete information we are not legally required to retain. To make any such request, please contact us using the details below.

Cookies

Our website may use cookies to understand how visitors use our site and to improve your browsing experience. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. [If you use a cookie consent plugin such as CookieYes or Complianz, list the specific cookie categories here, matching what is actually deployed on your site.]

Filing a Complaint

If you have any concern about how Himalayan Unique Travels has handled your personal information, please contact us directly using the details below, and we will respond within 30 business days. We will take any justified complaint seriously and act to address it appropriately.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in Bhutanese or international regulations. The most current version published on this page governs our use of your personal information.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please get in touch:

Himalayan Unique Travels

Thimphu, Bhutan

Email: info@bhutanholidayadventure.com

Phone: +975-17723819

Important Note Before Publishing

This privacy policy is written to reflect your company’s described data practices, including the visa/permit-sharing arrangement with Bhutanese authorities. However, since privacy policies have legal weight under regulations such as GDPR (for EU/UK visitors) and similar consumer-protection laws, we recommend a quick review by a local legal advisor before publishing — particularly the data retention period and cookie sections, which depend on your actual website setup.