Who We Are

Summit Routes is a Himalayan trekking, expedition, and cultural tours company based in Manigam, Ganderbal, Jammu & Kashmir, India. We operate under the trade name Summit Routes (evolved from Kashmir Treks, established 2011) and organise guided treks and expeditions across India (Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand), Nepal, and Bhutan.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect through summitroutes.com, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data.

Data controller: Summit Routes, Manigam, Ganderbal, Jammu & Kashmir, India
Contact: info@summitroutes.com

What Data We Collect

Inquiry and Trip Planner Forms

When you submit an inquiry or use our trip planner, we collect the information you provide — typically your name, email address, country of residence, the trek or expedition you are interested in, your intended travel dates, and any details you add in the message field. This data is submitted via Contact Form 7 and delivered to our inbox by email. We do not store form submissions in a database beyond the standard WordPress contact form log.

Booking Confirmations

Once a booking is confirmed (typically via WhatsApp or email exchange), we collect additional information necessary to plan your trek: passport details for permits, emergency contact information, dietary requirements, and fitness/health notes where relevant. This information is collected directly, not through the website.

Analytics Data

We use Google Analytics 4, loaded via Google Tag Manager, to understand how visitors use our site. This includes which pages are visited, approximate geographic region (country/city level), device type, and traffic source. All analytics data is anonymised — we do not use it to identify individuals. Google Analytics is only loaded if you accept analytics cookies via our cookie consent banner.

Technical Logs

Our server infrastructure (AWS Lightsail, Amazon CloudFront CDN) automatically records standard web server logs: IP addresses, timestamps, pages requested, and browser type. These logs are retained for up to 30 days for security and performance purposes and are not used for marketing.

How We Use Your Data

We use the information you provide solely to respond to your inquiry, plan and organise your trek or expedition, issue the required permits and documentation, and communicate trip logistics with you. We do not use your personal data for advertising, profiling, or automated decision-making.

Legal Basis for Processing

For visitors in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom, our legal basis for processing personal data is:

• Contractual necessity — for inquiry handling and booking administration.
• Consent — for analytics cookies, where you have opted in via our cookie banner.
• Legitimate interests — for server security logs.

Who We Share Data With

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.

Limited sharing occurs only where necessary to deliver your trek:

• Government permit offices — passport details are submitted to Indian and Nepalese authorities to obtain required trekking and expedition permits.
• Local partners — in Nepal and Bhutan, we work with licensed local operators who handle in-country logistics. Only the data needed for your trip is shared.
• Google LLC — analytics data processed via Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager. Google acts as a data processor. See Google’s privacy policy.
• Amazon Web Services — our website is hosted on AWS Lightsail and served via Amazon CloudFront. AWS processes technical log data as a data processor. See AWS privacy notice.

Data Retention

Inquiry emails and related correspondence are retained for up to three years, in line with normal business record-keeping. Booking and permit documentation is retained for up to five years for legal and compliance purposes. You may request deletion at any time (see Your Rights below) subject to any legal obligation to retain records.

International Transfers

Summit Routes is based in India. If you are contacting us from the EEA, UK, or another jurisdiction with data transfer rules, please be aware that your data will be processed in India, which may not have equivalent data protection laws. By submitting an inquiry, you acknowledge this. Google Analytics data is processed by Google LLC in the United States; Google participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

Cookies

Our use of cookies is described separately in our Cookie Policy.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Erasure — ask us to delete your data, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Restriction — ask us to limit how we process your data.
• Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent (e.g. analytics cookies), you may withdraw at any time by clearing your browser’s localStorage and reloading our site.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@summitroutes.com. We will respond within 30 days.

Security

Our website uses HTTPS encryption. Form submissions are transmitted securely. We do not store payment card data — all bookings are confirmed by bank transfer or other offline means. While we take reasonable precautions, no system is completely immune to security risks, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children

Our website is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has submitted data to us, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. Significant changes will be noted on this page with an updated date. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically.

Contact & Complaints

For any privacy-related queries or to exercise your rights, contact us at info@summitroutes.com.

If you are based in the EEA and believe we have not handled your data correctly, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

Last updated: April 2026