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Terms of Service

Version 2.0 • June 2026

Mobile Application — Version 2.0 (Replaces all previous versions)

Operated by Tusker Trails (Pty) Ltd | Governed by the laws of South Africa

Summary

These Terms govern your use of the Kruger Companion app. Key points: the app is free; all user-submitted data belongs to you; conservation data may be shared with SANParks under an MOU; we are governed by South African law including POPIA.

1. Parties and Definitions

  • "Kruger Companion" refers to the mobile application of that name, operated by Tusker Trails (Pty) Ltd.
  • "Tusker Trails", "we", "us" or "our" refers to Tusker Trails (Pty) Ltd, the legal entity responsible for the App.
  • "SANParks" refers to South African National Parks, a statutory body established under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003.
  • "User" or "you" refers to any person who downloads, installs, accesses or uses the App.
  • "User Content" refers to any sighting data, photographs, reports or other information submitted by you through the App.
  • "Donated Data" refers to User Content that you voluntarily choose to share via the Donate Data feature.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By downloading, installing or using the Kruger Companion app, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you may not use the App.

These Terms apply to all features of the App, including sighting tracking, conservation reporting, data donation, offline maps, trip planning and any other functionality we may introduce.

3. Safety and Assumption of Risk

Kruger Companion is designed for use within and around South African national parks, which contain wild and potentially dangerous animals and environmental hazards.

By using the App or Website in or around a national park, you acknowledge and accept that:

  • You voluntarily assume all risks associated with visiting wild environments, including but not limited to injury, death or property damage caused by wildlife, terrain or weather.
  • Sighting data and reports in the App/Website are user-generated and may not reflect real-time conditions or dangers.
  • The App and Website must never be used as a substitute for your own judgement, situational awareness or official park safety guidance.

Liability Disclaimer: Tusker Trails is not responsible for any injury, death, or damage to property resulting from your visit to any national park or use of the App/Website in such environments.

3.1 Emergency Assistance Information

The Website and App provide emergency contact details, telephone numbers, procedures, checklists, and guidelines (collectively, "Emergency Information") for informational and convenience purposes only. By accessing or using this Emergency Information, you agree that:

  • No Control Over Third-Party Services: We do not operate, control, or guarantee the response times, availability, or quality of service of any third-party emergency services, resident medical staff, police, fire, or vehicle recovery teams listed.
  • Action at Your Own Risk: Any action you take in an emergency is done entirely at your own risk and on your own behalf. The guidelines provided are generic advice and must not supersede instructions from qualified rescue staff, medical professionals, or park authorities/rangers.
  • No Liability for Reliance or Technical Failures: We accept no liability for any delays in rescue, failure of contact numbers to connect, lack of cellular signal, incorrect advice, or any adverse outcomes (including physical injury, property damage, or loss of life) arising from your reliance on the Emergency Information.

4. User Conduct and Park Rules

You agree to comply at all times with all rules, regulations and codes of conduct of SANParks and any other relevant park authority. By using the App, you explicitly agree NOT to:

  • Use the App to harass, pursue, chase or disturb wildlife in any way.
  • Speed, drive recklessly or behave dangerously in order to reach a reported sighting.
  • Exit your vehicle in areas where doing so is prohibited by park regulations.
  • Submit false, misleading, fabricated or malicious sighting or incident reports.
  • Use the App for any unlawful purpose or in a manner that could bring SANParks or Tusker Trails into disrepute.

Tusker Trails reserves the right to suspend or terminate access to the App for any user who violates these conduct requirements.

5. User Content and Data Ownership

5.1 You Own Your Data

All User Content you generate through the App — including sighting logs, photographs, GPS coordinates, incident reports and any other submissions — belongs to you. Tusker Trails does not claim ownership of your User Content.

By submitting User Content to the App, you grant Tusker Trails a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to store, process and display your User Content solely for the purpose of operating and improving the App. This licence does not allow us to sell your User Content to third parties.

5.2 Data Donation — Voluntary and Anonymised

The App includes an optional Donate Data feature. If you choose to activate this feature, you voluntarily agree to share anonymised versions of your sighting coordinates, species identifications and timestamps for conservation and research purposes.

When you donate data:

  • Your data is anonymised before sharing — no personal identifiers are attached to donated records.
  • Donated data may be shared with SANParks Scientific Services and other named conservation partners for research, monitoring and park management purposes, under a formal data sharing agreement.
  • You grant Tusker Trails and its named conservation partners a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to use your donated data for conservation and research purposes.
  • You may withdraw your consent to future data donation at any time by disabling the feature in the App settings. Withdrawal does not affect data already donated.

Data donation is entirely voluntary. The App functions fully without it.

5.3 Data Storage

Your sighting logs and personal activity data are stored locally on your device. Where data is transmitted to our servers, it is stored on Google Cloud infrastructure. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for full details on data storage locations, retention periods and security measures.

6. POPIA Compliance

Tusker Trails is committed to compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) of South Africa. In line with POPIA:

  • We collect only the minimum personal information necessary to operate the App.
  • All conservation and incident reports submitted through the App are anonymised — no personal information is attached to any report visible to third parties.
  • You have the right to access, correct or request deletion of any personal information we hold about you.
  • We have appointed an Information Officer responsible for POPIA compliance. Contact details are provided in Section 11.
  • We will notify affected users and the Information Regulator in the event of a data breach, as required by POPIA.

A full account of how we collect, use, store and protect your personal information is set out in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.

7. Offline Mode and Data Usage

The Offline Mode feature is designed to reduce mobile data consumption by pre-loading map and species data to your device. It does not guarantee that all data traffic will be blocked. System-level services, background processes and third-party components may still consume data.

Recommendation: You are solely responsible for all mobile data charges, roaming fees and carrier costs incurred while using the App. Tusker Trails recommends downloading offline content while connected to Wi-Fi before entering the park.

8. Accuracy of Information

All content provided on the Website and App — including species information, camp comparisons, accommodation guides, room listings, facility details, game drive routes, malaria status reports, gates & opening times, conservation fees, and planning checklists — is provided for informational and planning purposes only and is based on our best current knowledge at the time of publication.

We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, currency, or reliability of any information. You are encouraged to verify critical information (especially entry rates, malaria conditions, and gate closing times) with official SANParks authorities before acting on it. Tusker Trails shall not be liable for any booking discrepancies, closures of facilities, changes to fees, travel delays, medical illnesses (including contraction of malaria), or navigational errors arising from the use of our planning tools.

9. Intellectual Property

The Kruger Companion app, including its design, code, content, trademarks, logo and all other intellectual property, is owned by Tusker Trails (Pty) Ltd. You may not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute or create derivative works from any part of the App without our prior written consent.

Species data, park maps and similar content sourced from third parties remains the intellectual property of those parties and is used in accordance with applicable licences.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability

THE APP IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE APP WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT MAP DATA, SIGHTING REPORTS OR OTHER CONTENT WILL BE ACCURATE OR COMPLETE.TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, TUSKER TRAILS AND ITS DEVELOPERS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM (A) YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE THE APP; (B) ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE APP; OR (C) UNAUTHORISED ACCESS, USE OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR CONTENT.

11. Contact and Information Officer

For any questions, concerns or requests relating to these Terms of Service, your personal data, POPIA rights or data donation, please contact:

Tusker Trails (Pty) Ltd

Email: hello@krugercompanion.com

Information Officer: Alexander Hoppenrath

Postal Address: 1120 Vienna, Austria

We aim to respond to all enquiries within 10 business days.

12. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including but not limited to POPIA and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the South African courts.

Tusker Trails is a company with operational ties to both South Africa and Europe. Where applicable, we also aim to align with the principles of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users based in the EU.

13. Amendments

We reserve the right to update or amend these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated to users via an in-app notification. Your continued use of the App after such notification constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. The effective date at the top of this document will always reflect the most recent version.

Kruger Companion Terms of Service | Tusker Trails (Pty) Ltd | Effective June 2026