Best travel apps: Bar the insurgency and terrorism activities of Alshaabab militants and their ISIS sisters in Kenya, our country has long been regard as a tourist haven with beautiful sceneries, breath taking views, natural features and the only country in the world that play host to all the big five of the animal kingdom.

But tourist, foreign or local who want to visit various parts of this glorious nation often times find themselves having to rely solely on their tour guides and agencies in navigating across various tourist attractions.

Not anymore as advent of technology and emergence of apps has seen applications tailor made for travel released.

SEE MORE: Top 10 best beaches in Mombasa

And even sweeter is many of these apps now have even the most specific tourist information about our beloved country.

Below is a list of the ten best travel apps that will help you plan your trip, find friends, get directions, convert currency and most importantly move around while in Kenya. Best travel apps:

1. Whatsapp

This is the most popular communication app in Kenya and indeed in the whole world. You can download it to help you chat with the people you have just met, friends and relatives or even to chat with people in Kenya (the country you are visiting) who will be helping you facilitate you trip or whom you will be visiting. This is because making international calls is far much expensive compared to whatsapp which only require internet connectivity. Calls also involve hurried up conversations unlike  whatsapp where you have all the time in the world to engage and chart

2. TripAdvisor

This is one of the best apps that will help you find some of the best restaurants, hotels, fun activities and tourist destinations in the country. Its reviews and opinions on various listed places make it an important app because of their accuracy and honesty. Generally, the more reviews a particular topic has, the more accurate it will be!

3. Airbnb

If hotels turn out to be more expensive than you expected Airbnb will cater to your accommodation needs at a far much cheaper price than what your average hotel would ask for.  It also offers the unique proposition of a unique local experience. In simple terms, Airbnb connects hosts and travellers.

All you need to do is to register and fill up your profile. Then you can explore the options in the place where you want to stay in Kenya.  Currently, Airbnb is providing their services in roughly 35,000 cities and in 200 countries around the world; so it’s a reliable service.

4. Google Translate

This app is I deal when you want to translate text, handwriting, photos, and speech. It enables you to do translations to over a hundred languages from world all over. If you are a foreigner, it will help you a lot in translating”Swahili’ to your language.

5. XE Currency

This app will help you in the conversion of currency.  One good thing about XE currency is the fact that it updates its rates every minute, so you always have the most accurate information and can be used offline in areas with no internet connection.

6. Uber/ Taxify 

These are the most established cab companies in Kenya at the moment. They will connect you to an affordable ride anywhere, anytime. No need to make a reservation. One tap and a friendly driver comes directly to you!

7. Tinder 

Once settled it won’t hurt to try and meet new people from the local area you are visiting or indeed the whole country. Tinder comes in handy. Of course the people we meet change our lives. A friend, a date, a romance, or even a chance encounter can change someone’s life forever. Tinder will help you to to create new connections while in Kenya. Unlike real life, on Tinder, you only get messages from the people you’re interested in.

8. Google Maps

This app will help you navigate to different parts of the country without being lost. It offers satellite imagery, street maps, views of streets (Street View) and real-time traffic conditions (Google Traffic).

9. WeatherBug

Voted many times as the best weather app, WeatherBug will help you to get real-time forecasts (current, hourly and 10-day).

10. Sky Scanner 

This app will help you to find the cheapest flight to and from Kenya. It is simple, fast and free to use, so finding your flights to Kenya will be much easier.