Published on 21 August 2018, Last updated on 14 May 2024.
By Landia Davies in African Animals & Conservation.
[updated Nov 2019]
Taking a good travel app on safari with you in Africa is an easy way to get the best out of your time in the bush. It's a win-win travel accessory as it costs you little to nothing, weighs nothing and doesn't take up any extra space in your luggage!
The sheer volume of information, maps and photographs that you can now carry with you (paper-free) into the bush is simply amazing!
These travel apps help you to identify animals, birds and plants and gain insight into the fascinating species of the African bush. Using mobile apps you can now better understand the wild animals and birds you see with ease, sometimes even getting help to find them in the wild.
One of the major strengths of this app is that you can download the images and articles onto your mobile device before you go on safari. This means you can access all the info without an internet connection - often absent in the heart of the African bush.
This wildlife app by Oren Meiri includes the following:
Up-to-date Wikipedia articles and full-sized images of the main wildlife species found on safari in Africa
Categories for wildlife groups - cats, elephants, rodents and squirrels, rhinos etc
An Africa category with general Wikipedia articles about Africa and safaris
App Features:
Wikipedia articles cached with large-sized images
Image Picker
Search capabilities
Landscape & portrait modes
Wikipedia pages formatted for iPhone display
App Recommendations:
Use this app with the African Birds application providing similar information on the birds sighted on African Safaris
Download the whole Wikipedia Encyclopedia application for natural history information and a huge array of articles on African culture, politics and history (does not include photos)
Use on: iPhone and iPad Price: About R100 Download
... based on the classic Jonathan Kingdon’s Pocket Guide to African Mammals, considered an essential field guide to African mammals
The best feature of this app is that it includes information about all major land mammals as well as general information about smaller mammal groups. It is seen as an essential field guide for anyone travelling to and living in Africa, with an interest in wildlife, of course.
This wildlife app by mydigitalearth.com includes the following regions and countries:
Southern Africa - South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique
East Africa - Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Rwanda and Burundi
North, Central & Western Sahara - Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Sudan
Central Africa - Chad, D.R.C, Congo, Angola, Central African Republic, Cameroon and Gabon
Northwestern Coast - Togo, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Liberia, Senegal, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Ghana and Nigeria
App Features:
Interactive access to images, distribution maps and descriptions of over 460 species found across Africa
Country and region-specific selection filters - list only species in the selected region
Personal species list - stores your mammal sightings, saving them to your device* (ability to upload list coming soon)
Use on: iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Price: About R156
... the most comprehensive guide with in-depth information on over 475 birds, mammals, and reptiles.
The Audubon African Wildlife app contains in-depth information on 164 mammal species, 284 bird species and 24 species of reptiles, providing fantastic high-quality images and range maps.
This wildlife app by Green Mountain Digital includes:
Range maps, photographs and species notes
Africa’s best nature reserves and wildlife areas
Notes on physical geography, climate and habitat zones
Reference section on where to see wildlife, conservation status and habitat details
App Features:
Professional colour photographs for every species (high quality)
Detailed range maps showing species distribution
In-depth descriptions of species, with accurate information on appearance, habitat, and more
Real-time access anywhere - without an internet connection
Search by shape, family or common name
Information about the biogeography of Africa
An extensive list of where to see wildlife by countries and game reserves
Detailed reference information on the IUCN status of wildlife detailing the type of threat
Use on: iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Price: About R100
... keep updated and see the latest orphaned baby elephants at the charity's Nursery in Nairobi, Kenya.
This is a fantastic free app that enables you to foster an orphaned elephant and keep track of your orphan, as well as get updates about the Orphan Project in Nairobi and The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
App Features include:
Rescue videos, photo gallery and orphan profiles
Orphans News section from the keeper's diary (magazine format)
Mapped rescue locations
Unique elephant ringtone
Latest news feed about the orphans' project at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
... share and view real-time African wildlife sightings on the move.
This travel app features a live map of game sightings in various safari areas, such as Kruger National Park, and allows you to share and add wildlife sightings instantly and easily. The application is really useful on safari and in wildlife conservation research.
Africa: Live app by Satpack Travel includes:
Extensive reference materials - safari animal field guide, tips and contacts for safari travel
Live maps, photos and sighting locations
Database input - app catalogues, analyses and shares data with conservation organisations to support wildlife audits
Travel App Features:
Real-time map showing your location and the location of recent game sightings (only one of its kind for Africa)
Interactive markers showing the details, descriptions and a photo of sightings
Add sightings and photo upload function (rhino sightings do not display, due to the poaching crisis)
Live social media stream of relevant sightings (add posts from your social media accounts)
Dynamic Q&A. If you're not sure what it is you're looking at, or what it is doing just ask us via the map and we'll answer (or if we can't, our Facebook friends will!).
Use on: Android and Apple Smartphones Price: FREE Download
A hugely popular new travel app for Kruger National Park in South Africa.
One of the most popular travel apps in South Africa, KrugerExplorer provides a digital guide for visiting Kruger Park complete with maps, routes and information about the flora and fauna. It's the ideal digital companion for exploring Kruger.
... an easy-to-use interactive version of the popular Wildlife of Southern Africa field guide.
This wildlife app is a great resource for nature lovers visiting any part of the Southern African region. The reviews are not all good due mostly to poor-quality images and graphics - so this one, although handy, is not on the top 6 list.
Wildlife of Southern Africa includes the following categories:
Spiders and other arachnids
Insects
Freshwater fishes
Frogs and reptiles
Birds and mammals
Grasses, sedges, ferns and fungi
Wildflowers and Trees
App Features:
Fast, user-friendly interface: quickly sort through all categories
Information on over 2500 species found in the region
Over 1600 images of the species
Quick search - "Easy ID" feature to find plants
Species lists in common and scientific names
Use on: iPhone, iPod touch and iPad / Blackberry / Android Price: R91.68 for Android and R79.99 for Apple devices and Blackberry Download
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