1. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your browser or device when you visit. They are used to remember information about you so that subsequent visits can be made easier or more useful — for example, by keeping you signed in, remembering preferences, measuring how the site is used, or powering embedded media. Web beacons, pixel tags and similar local-storage technologies are treated equivalently in this Policy.
2. Who is responsible for cookies on this site?
VAOVA S.A.S. (NIT 900.679.700-7), Calle 93A # 11-53, piso 5, Bogotá, Colombia, is the data controller of the cookies set by vaovatravel.com. Some cookies are set by selected third parties (analytics, embedded YouTube videos) on our instructions; in those cases the third party also acts as a data controller for its own purposes. Their privacy notices are linked below.
3. Legal basis
We process cookie data on the following legal bases:
- Strictly necessary cookies: our legitimate interest in operating the website securely and as intended. These cookies do not require consent.
- Analytics cookies: our legitimate interest in measuring how professional buyers find and use the site (source, landing page, brief submissions). We do not use Analytics for advertising or remarketing.
- Preference and third-party media cookies: your prior, freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous consent under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), the UK GDPR and Colombia's Law 1581 of 2012 and Decree 1377 of 2013, where those cookies are set.
You can withdraw consent at any time using the controls described in section 5. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.
4. Cookies we use
The following table summarises the cookie categories on vaovatravel.com, the purpose of each, the typical retention period and whether consent is required.
Always active
Strictly necessary
Required for the website to function. Enable navigation between pages, secure form submission and load balancing. Without these cookies the site cannot operate, so they are not subject to consent.
Examples
- Session cookies that keep the brief form (/plan-your-program) safe from cross-site request forgery (CSRF).
- Load-balancer cookies set by our hosting provider.
Retention: Session — deleted when you close the browser.
Optional
Preferences
Remember your selected language and any non-essential UI preferences across visits, so you do not have to set them again.
Examples
- Language preference (en / es) once Spanish translations are published.
Retention: 12 months.
First-party measurement · no ads
Analytics
Aggregated, pseudonymous traffic measurement. Help us understand which pages buyers and AI crawlers find useful and improve content accordingly. We do not use these cookies for advertising.
Examples
- Google Analytics 4 cookies (_ga, _ga_*), first-party measurement only. No advertising or remarketing features. GA4 anonymises IP by default.
Retention: Up to 14 months.
Activated only on interaction
Third-party / embedded media
Set by external platforms when their content is embedded — primarily YouTube videos used to illustrate our Happenings. We use the privacy-enhanced YouTube embed (youtube-nocookie.com) by default, which only stores cookies if you actually press play.
Examples
- YouTube no-cookie embed (https://www.youtube-nocookie.com) — only sets cookies when a video is played.
- LinkedIn / Instagram social link previews if you click through from the footer.
Retention: Set and managed by the third party. See their respective policies.
5. How to manage cookies
You have three ways to control cookies on this site:
- Browser settings — every modern browser lets you block all cookies, block third-party cookies, delete cookies on close or wipe existing cookies. See Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge.
- Cookie banner — when present, the consent banner on this site lets you accept all, reject all non-essential, or choose by category. You can re-open it from the footer link “Cookies” at any time.
- Opt-out tools — Google Analytics offers an opt-out add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Blocking strictly-necessary cookies will break parts of the site (notably the brief form at /plan-your-program). Blocking the other categories has no impact on the core experience.
6. International transfers
Where third-party cookies (analytics or embedded media) result in your data being transferred outside Colombia or the European Economic Area, the transfer is governed by the third party's standard contractual clauses, certifications and supplementary measures. Vaová may make international data transfers to destinations certified by the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (Colombia's Data Protection Authority) as providing an adequate level of protection.
7. Your rights
You have the right to access, rectify, update or request the suppression of personal data processed via cookies, as well as the right to withdraw consent and to file a complaint with the competent data protection authority (Superintendency of Industry and Commerce in Colombia, your national data protection authority in the EU/UK). To exercise these rights, write to trek.info@vaovatravel.com — see also our Privacy Policy.
8. Changes to this Cookies Policy
We may update this Cookies Policy to reflect changes in the cookies we use, in technologies, or in applicable law. Material updates will be highlighted at the top of this page. The current version is dated .