From putting a name to a bird you’ve just spotted, or looking up the lifespan of an elephant, your phone can be a handy safari companion. A little preparation before you leave home will help you make the most of it, whether you’re finding your way with offline maps, learning about plants or exploring Africa’s extraordinary night skies.
We suggest setting aside a little time before your trip to download your chosen apps, set up any accounts and save the content you’ll want to use offline. Mobile coverage and WiFi can be limited in remote safari areas, and some camps have little or no connectivity, so it’s lovely to have everything ready before you arrive.
There’s no need to download them all. Have a browse below and choose the ones that suit your journey and the things you enjoy.
Maps and Navigation
If you’re exploring independently before or after your safari, a map app can help you find your bearings. Choose one that suits your plans and download the areas you’ll be visiting before departure.
Google Maps
Google Maps can be particularly handy during the independent parts of your holiday, whether you’re finding your way around an airport, exploring a city or looking for somewhere to eat or shop before or after your safari.
You can download selected areas to use offline, so it’s worth doing this while you have reliable WiFi. These maps can help with other parts of your journey, but in remote reserves and private concessions, please rely on your safari guide rather than an offline map.
MAPS.ME
MAPS.ME is another option for finding your way around towns and cities before or after your safari. Save your maps before you travel and you’ll be able to consult them without a mobile connection.
Staying Connected
An eSIM can make staying in touch easier where its partner mobile network has coverage. Before choosing a plan, check that it works with your phone and covers the countries, data allowance and activation arrangements you need. Even with an eSIM, you’ll still need a local network signal to connect.
Airalo
Airalo offers eSIM data packages for many destinations. If your phone is compatible, it can be a convenient way to get connected when you arrive in a new country, without buying and swapping a physical SIM card.
It’s useful to plan for some time offline while on safari. Airalo, like other eSIMs, relies on local mobile networks, and coverage can be patchy or unavailable in remote wildlife areas. You’re more likely to find it useful at airports, in towns and wherever there is network coverage; please don’t depend on it deep in the bush.
Saily
Saily offers travel eSIM data plans and is another option to compare for your journey. If your safari takes you across borders, take a moment to check every destination, as one plan may not cover all the countries you’ll visit.
Holafly
Holafly also offers travel eSIM plans. When comparing options, check the destination coverage and plan conditions, including any hotspot restrictions, to see how well they fit your plans. As with Airalo and Saily, a connection in remote safari areas still depends on the local network.
Language and Translation
Google Translate
Google Translate can lend a hand with everyday text and signs along the way. Before leaving home, download any available language packs you’ll need and give them a try. Offline support varies by language, so look for the download option in the app.
Weather
AccuWeather
AccuWeather can help you check the forecast before your trip and whenever you have a connection. You may find that your phone’s weather service or Google Weather does everything you need. Treat the forecast as a general guide, and chat with your safari guide about local conditions before heading out on an activity.
Bird Identification
Your guide is a wonderful source of knowledge about the bush, and a birding app gives you a way to explore a sighting further when you’re back at camp. Choose a field guide that matches your destination, as Southern African and East African guides cover different regions.
Merlin Bird ID
If Africa’s birdlife has caught your imagination, Merlin Bird ID is a welcoming place to start. Developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, it can help identify birds from photographs, descriptions and sound recordings, depending on the region and available data.
Download the relevant bird packs before you travel so useful content is ready to use offline. The app’s suggestions are a helpful starting point, and your guide can help you confirm a species when you’re unsure.
Picture Bird
Picture Bird is another handy companion when a bird catches your eye and you’d love to know its name. It can suggest an identification from a photograph or sound recording, making it an enjoyable way to revisit a sighting and learn a little more about the birds you encounter. Treat its suggestions as a starting point, and chat with your guide if you’re unsure.
Roberts Birds
Roberts Birds offers a wealth of information for exploring Southern Africa’s birdlife. Its regional field guide includes identification details, illustrations, photographs, distribution maps and bird calls to help you learn more about your sightings.
If you’re visiting Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia or Zimbabwe, it’s worth considering a dedicated Southern African guide like this one. Its regional focus can be more helpful than a general worldwide identification app.
Sasol eBirds Southern Africa
Sasol eBirds Southern Africa is another option for anyone looking forward to birdwatching in the region. With species information, photographs, illustrations, maps, bird calls and search tools, there’s plenty to explore between outings.
There’s a lot of content to download, so allow yourself plenty of time before departure and check that your phone has enough storage space.
eGuide to Birds of East Africa
If your journey takes you to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda or Rwanda, the eGuide to Birds of East Africa is a regional reference worth exploring. It is based on the well-known field guide by Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe.
With more than 1,300 species, images, distribution maps and detailed species information, it gives keen birders plenty to browse. Having it already stored on your phone makes it easy to look up a sighting during your East African safari.
Mammals and Other Wildlife
Stuarts’ African Mammals
Stuarts’ African Mammals is a rewarding companion when you’d like to learn more about an animal you’ve just encountered. It includes species descriptions, photographs, distribution maps and a country search, along with a sightings list for recording what you’ve seen. Once downloaded, it works offline too.
Mammal Guide of Southern Africa
Mammal Guide of Southern Africa introduces 135 common mammal species through photographs, distribution maps, tracks and calls. If you’re travelling in Southern Africa, it’s another regional guide to explore. Before downloading, check the current store listing to make sure it’s compatible with your device.
Seek by iNaturalist
Seek invites you to take a closer look at more than just birds. Point your camera at a plant, insect, flower, fungus or animal, and its image recognition can suggest what you’re looking at.
It won’t get every identification right, especially where reference data is limited. Even so, it can be a lovely starting point for discovering the smaller details of the bush that are easy to miss from a safari vehicle.
Picture Insect
Picture Insect helps you explore some of the smaller creatures that make the bush so fascinating. Take a photograph or upload one you’ve already saved, and the app can suggest an identification and share information about the insect. It’s a lovely way to follow up on a butterfly or beetle you noticed around camp and discover details you might otherwise have missed.
iNaturalist
iNaturalist lets you keep a record of wildlife observations and share them with a community that helps with identification. Save your photographs and notes as you travel, then upload them when you have a reliable connection. If an unfamiliar plant, insect or animal catches your eye on a game drive, it’s a way to keep learning afterwards.
Plant
PictureThis
PictureThis is worth exploring if you enjoy getting to know the plants around you. Take a photograph of a tree, flower or other plant, or choose an image from your phone, and the app can help put a name to it. It’s an enjoyable companion for looking back at the plants that caught your attention on safari, with your guide’s local knowledge helping you explore the story behind them.
The Night Sky
One of safari’s quiet pleasures is looking up at the stars after dinner. Away from the lights of towns and cities, the night sky can be spectacular. If you’d like to get to know it a little better, choose a stargazing app and spend an evening trying it at home before you travel.
Star Walk 2 Plus
Star Walk 2 Plus turns your phone into an interactive sky map. Point it towards the sky to help put names to the stars, planets, constellations, satellites and other celestial objects above you.
On a clear evening by the campfire or on your lodge deck, it offers an enjoyable way to get to know the Southern Hemisphere sky.
SkyView
SkyView also lets you point your phone towards the sky to identify stars, constellations, planets and satellites through an augmented reality view. Its night mode is designed to reduce the effect of a bright screen on your night vision.
Even if stargazing is new to you, it can help you find familiar Southern Hemisphere sights such as the Southern Cross and enjoy a little more of those peaceful evenings in the bush.
Sky Guide
Sky Guide is another option for iPhone and iPad users. Its interactive sky view lets you explore what’s overhead as you enjoy an evening at camp. Have a look at the features available on your device before you travel, so you’re ready when the stars come out.
