We have incredibly exciting news: the KrugerExplorer App has launched!
It’s been a remarkable journey with many hours of work, steep learning curves and superb collaboration with partners.
Through all of this we hope we’ve created something quite wonderful, born from a conversation during a road trip through the Kalahari all those months ago.
We are extremely grateful to all of you for following and supporting our project so far, and would be delighted if you downloaded the App.
We're very excited about it (if you couldn't already tell!) and so we hope that you don't mind that today's blog is a focus on what you will find in the App - do read on for more info.
We can’t wait to hear what you think about it!
Warmest regards,
Danny & Charlotte
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When we had the idea for the KrugerExplorer App we wanted to provide users with a depth of quality information and an unsurpassed breadth of content too. We were dedicated to creating something very beautiful, that was a pleasure to use as a gateway to immersing yourself in the incredible Kruger wilderness, whenever and wherever you are.
The wildlife field guide sections of the App include detailed profiles on over 50 mammals, 225 birds and 40 reptiles, invertebrate and flora species. It totals over 300,000 words of content.
The information in the wildlife profiles is split into easy-to-navigate categories to help you identify, learn about and locate your favourite animals.
We've also been extremely careful to not reference any location information for species that are threatened by the scourge of poaching, such as rhino and pangolin. We take our responsibilities of protecting this wonderful place very seriously and hope that the App also encourages the next generation of stewards of the Kruger game reserve.
Getting the photography right was a hugely important and challenging process, involving the great 'hardship' of spending many weeks tracking species down to get the perfect photo!
The images in the App are high-resolution and zoomable, giving you all the detail you could possibly need to make a positive identification. Birders - beginners or seasoned - will particularly appreciate the quality and variety of the photos to demonstrate the nuances between different species.
The stunning images also mean you can enjoy the beauty of Kruger's wildlife while exploring the bush or in the comfort of your own home.
The routes section of the App showcases more than 70 of our favourite and most successful routes in Kruger National Park.
Each rest camp has a multitude of options and all of Kruger's main entrance gates have an epic full-day drive for day visitors.
The routes are not a basic list of roads though! And at no point does it say take road X because there's lions down there.
Instead, each route is a detailed, 'ground-up' description of the habitats you are traversing.
For example, if you are driving through a grassy plain, the App's routes describe the geology that underpin the grassy plains, explain that it is a good habitat for zebra and wildebeest, and indicate that lion often stalk these animals, which is why the road could be good for lion sightings.
We feel this approach creates a much more immersive experience for the user and really brings the bush to life!
You can't really adventure around Kruger's huge 3,500km road network without a good map either. Visitors are not given a free map on arrival and the options in the shop are riddled with errors and are not cheap.
For the KrugerExplorer App, we have specially commissioned and designed beautiful new maps for Kruger National Park.
The data behind them has been tested in the park and we are confident they are the most accurate, reliable and user-friendly maps of Kruger available on the market today.
Each route also has map 'snippets' included within the description so you can see the exact area you are exploring as you go - all designed with the user in mind.
And of course, it wouldn't really be a bush adventure if you couldn't keep track of your all wonderful sightings!
The KrugerExplorer App includes an integrated sightings list. You can check off any of the species found in the App, either in the list or on the profile of the species.
We're already wondering who can spot the most! :-)
One final thing to address is a question that we frequently get asked: Does the App work offline?
The very simple answer is: Yes, it does!
We've visited Kruger many times and know that the reception outside of the rest camps is either poor or non-existent. The App has therefore been designed to ensure all of its functionality works while completely offline. You can even turn your device into Airplane mode to avoid data usage or to switch off from the outside world while exploring the bush!
Of course, the initial download of the App from the App Store or Google Play needs to happen while you are connected to either WiFi or data. After this installation, the App will also download the remaining images when you first open the App. We recommend leaving the App open for up to 10-minutes, depending on the strength of your connection, to complete this process when you are using it for the first time.
Once this initial setup is complete, you will have all of the App's content stored on your device and everything you need to explore incredible wilderness that is Kruger National Park while completely offline.
We’re very excited about the KrugerExplorer App and hope you enjoy having it as your digital wildlife encyclopaedia and the ultimate bush companion through the incredible wilderness of Kruger National Park.
If you know other people that would love it, then we'd be incredibly grateful if you could help spread the word by sending them a link to this blog post or our website so they can learn more too. Word-of-mouth is going to be so important.
We'd also be thrilled to hear what you think of the App! You can always leave messages in the comments below, email us on team@krugerexplorer.com or, if you are feeling generous, then we would greatly appreciate any 5-star reviews you are willing to leave on the App Store or Google Play!
Thank you again for following our journey creating the KrugerExplorer App. It's just the start of this adventure for us though and the blog posts will keep coming too. We have several brilliant guest posters lined up, will share photos from our Kruger trip in September and may feature some of our favourite animal profiles from the App on here too.
So please do keep following, reading and exploring Kruger National Park!
Warmest regards
Danny & Charlotte
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