1. Introduction
Welcome to ComeToLadakh.com ("we", "us", "our"). We are a travel company based in Choglamsar, Leh, Ladakh (19104), India, offering Ladakh tour packages, expeditions, visa assistance, forex services and corporate travel solutions.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect when you visit our website, submit an enquiry, or book a trip with us — and how we use, store and protect that information. By using our website or services, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
The short version: We only collect what we need to plan your trip, we never sell your data, and we handle everything with the care and respect you'd expect from a family-run Himalayan travel company.
We collect information in three main ways:
a) Information you give us directly
- Identity & contact details — your name, mobile/WhatsApp number, email address and city/country when you fill in our booking or contact forms.
- Trip details — destinations, travel dates, duration, number of travellers, budget, accommodation preferences and add-on services.
- Special requests — any dietary, medical or accessibility information you choose to share with us (for example, to plan safe acclimatisation).
- Documents for visa or permits — when you engage our visa assistance or we arrange inner-line permits for Ladakh, we may collect copies of your passport, photograph and related documents.
b) Information collected automatically
- Usage data — pages visited, time spent on the site, referring links and general browsing behaviour, collected via cookies and analytics tools.
- Device data — browser type, device type, operating system and approximate location (city level) for analytics and security purposes.
c) Information from third parties
- WhatsApp — when you message us via WhatsApp, we receive your phone number and the contents of the conversation.
- Payment processors — when you make a payment through our bank or approved payment channels, we receive confirmation of the transaction (but not your full card details).
- Booking partners — hotels, homestays, transport providers and permit authorities may share confirmation details necessary to deliver your trip.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information only for legitimate purposes connected to your trip and our services:
- To respond to enquiries — to reply to your booking form, WhatsApp message, call or email with a personalised plan and quote.
- To plan and deliver your trip — to make reservations with hotels, homestays, transport providers and guides, and to arrange permits and visas.
- To communicate with you — to send confirmations, updates, reminders and important information before, during and after your journey.
- To keep you safe — to plan safe acclimatisation at high altitude and to respond to any medical or emergency situation during your trip.
- To improve our services — to understand how our website is used, to improve its content and to develop better trips.
- For legal compliance — to meet our obligations under Indian law, including permit requirements and tax regulations.
- For marketing (only with consent) — to send you occasional offers and updates, only if you have opted in. You can unsubscribe at any time.
4. Sharing & Disclosure
We never sell your personal information. We only share it with trusted parties who are necessary to deliver your trip:
- Hotels, homestays & camps — your name and stay dates to make and confirm bookings.
- Transport & guide partners — your name, pickup details and itinerary so they can look after you during the trip.
- Permit & visa authorities — documents and details required by law for inner-line permits, national park entry or visa applications.
- Payment processors & banks — to process payments and prevent fraud.
- Service providers — such as our website host, email provider and analytics tools, who process data on our behalf under appropriate safeguards.
- Legal authorities — where required by law, court order or to protect the safety of travellers and staff.
We ensure that any partner we share data with is bound to handle it confidentially and only for the purpose for which it was shared.
5. Cookies & Tracking
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to make your experience smoother and to understand how the site is used. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.
Types of cookies we use
- Essential cookies — necessary for the website to function, such as remembering your form progress or preferences.
- Analytics cookies — help us understand which pages are most visited and how visitors navigate the site, so we can improve it.
- Third-party cookies — set by services we use, such as Google Analytics or embedded maps.
Most browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can usually block or delete cookies — but doing so may affect how some parts of our website work.
6. Third-Party Services
To operate our website and services, we use a few trusted third-party providers. These may process your data in accordance with their own privacy policies:
- WhatsApp (Meta Platforms) — our primary channel for booking enquiries. Messages sent via WhatsApp are subject to WhatsApp's privacy policy.
- Google Analytics & Google Maps — for understanding site usage and showing our office location.
- Email providers — for sending confirmations, documents and (with consent) newsletters.
- Website hosting — our site is hosted on secure infrastructure that may log basic access data.
We choose partners with strong security practices, but we encourage you to review their privacy policies if you have concerns.
7. Data Security
We take the security of your personal information seriously. We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss or misuse — including:
- Secure storage of physical documents (passports, permit copies) in our locked office in Leh.
- Access limited to the small team members who need it to deliver your trip.
- Encrypted website hosting and secure communication channels.
- Regular review of our data practices and staff training on confidentiality.
Please note that no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we do our best, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you ever suspect that your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately.
8. Data Retention
We keep your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected:
- Enquiries that do not become bookings — generally kept for up to 12 months for follow-up, then deleted.
- Booking records — kept for the duration of your trip and for a reasonable period afterwards (typically 3 years) for customer support, repeat bookings and legal compliance.
- Financial records — kept for the period required by Indian tax and accounting laws.
- Visa and permit documents — retained only as long as necessary to process the application and meet legal requirements.
When data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.
9. Your Rights
You have the following rights regarding your personal information. To exercise any of them, simply contact us using the details at the bottom of this page:
- Right to access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Right to correct — ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Right to delete — ask us to delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.
- Right to restrict or object — ask us to limit how we use your information, or object to specific uses such as marketing.
- Right to withdraw consent — where we rely on your consent (for example, for newsletters), you can withdraw it at any time.
- Right to data portability — request a machine-readable copy of the information you provided to us.
We will respond to legitimate requests within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing a request.
10. Children's Privacy
Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under the age of 18 without the involvement of a parent or guardian. When families travel with children, the booking is always made by an adult, and any information about children is provided by that adult for the purpose of delivering the trip safely.
If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without appropriate consent, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
11. International Users
ComeToLadakh.com is based in India, and any information you provide is primarily processed and stored in India. If you are visiting our website or contacting us from outside India, please be aware that your data will be transferred to and processed in India, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.
By using our website or services, you consent to this transfer. We take steps to ensure that your data continues to be protected in accordance with this policy, regardless of where it is processed.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology or legal requirements. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
For significant changes, we may also notify you by email or a notice on our website. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.
If you have any questions, concerns or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or your personal information, we'd love to hear from you. You can reach us through any of the following:
We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 7 working days.
Thank you for trusting ComeToLadakh with your journey. We treat your personal information the same way we treat our travellers — with care, respect and a genuine sense of responsibility.