App Review | Go! Travel South Africa

February 15, 2012 at 9:40 AM

I'm not a massive fan of many of the travel apps that are on the market as very few of them actually provide information on travel within South Africa and other African Countries. Usually you'll get one or two highlights in each of the major cities and details on the international airports and that's about it! The go! Travel South Africa app is the exception to the rule and it is great to see South African companies embracing new technology!

This app is essentially what all local travelers and more adventurous foreign travellers to South Africa have been waiting for! This comprehensive application has mapped 25 000+ points of interest, including landmarks, nature reserves, restaurants, accommodation options ranging from campsites to hotels, great drives, hiking trails, wine estates, tourist information, shops, services... even adventure activities. In short, this is a one-stop resource for finding out everything you want to know about travelling in South Africa.

On the opening page you can select the specific region that you may be in, or interested in visiting, and the bottom bar allows you to browse the offline maps (more about these later) and suggested trips in the region.

Selecting the "Explore" option takes you to an interactive map which allows you to select various options such as "Activities", "Sightseeing" and "Accommodation". As you can see, the app contains a wealth of information on accommodation options throughout the country - the same applies to the sightseeing and activity options.

Explore a Region

Selecting to explore a specific province takes you to a map of the region with a number of tabs at the top of the page. These tabs allow you to select activities, sightseeing options, accommodation, services, transport, shops and restaurants in the region. Selecting one of the options (I selected places of interest on the examples below) brings up a variety of pins, each representing an attraction in the area. Selecting one of the pins brings up the name of the attraction and a short summary along with the contact details. Read more takes you to a new window with a comprehensive description of the attraction which can be shared with friends by email by tapping the mail icon on the top right of the page. This is bound to make planning those day trips and adventures with your mates a lot easier!

Suggested Trips

The suggested trips section is a great feature where the best attractions that each of the nine provinces has to offer are put together into a planned trip for you to follow. Selecting one of the trips for the specific province takes you to a new window where the route that the trip follows, along with all of the major attractions, is displayed on a map. The full route of the journey is represented in the map whilst the broad strip at the bottom shows each of the stop off point in more detail - with an easy reference of driving distance between the attractions.

This is probably one of the best features of the app in my opinion as it makes it easy for local and foreign travelers to plan a trip in a region that they might not be familiar with at the drop of a hat!

Offline Maps

The offline maps are available as an addition to the standard app which allows you to explore maps of regions where you might not have Internet connections. These maps are available at a minimal cost (USD 0.99 each) and will help you to pick the best rest camps, drive the most scenic routes, find the Big Five and take stunning photographs in the National Parks, and explore the hidden gems of the Garden Route and Wine route.

The Kruger Park and Kgalagadi maps were put together by our very own Villiers Steyn! You can check out Villiers Blog "Out & About" by clicking here. Maps currently available include:

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Kruger National Park
The Garden Route
The Stellenbosch Wine Route

Who Should Get The App?

The app is FREE, who would not want to check it out!? Seriously though, this is a great app for anyone planning to travel to South Africa, or even for those adventurous South Africans looking for great tips and ideas on what to do for a day or two. Have you tried the app already? We would love to hear your thoughts on it!