You can land in Cape Town, connect to the airport Wi-Fi and only then start downloading taxi apps, looking up your accommodation address and figuring out what to use around the city.
But why spend the first hours of your trip doing that?
Before your flight, it is better to install a few apps that cover the most common questions after landing. How to get from the airport, avoid getting lost, order groceries, understand what is happening around you and find a court if a holiday without sport is not really a holiday for you.
You do not need to download everything on this list.
Start with the basics, then add the apps that fit your own routine.
🚕 Uber, Bolt and inDrive
For getting around Cape Town, it is better to have several services installed.
- Uber and Bolt are useful from the airport, for travelling between neighbourhoods and in the evening when you do not feel like walking through unfamiliar streets.
- inDrive can be kept as a third option so you can compare available rides.
Before your flight, register at least with Uber and Bolt, add your bank card and check that the payment method is accepted.
After ordering a ride, always check that the car and registration number match what the app shows.
The idea here is very simple.
When you need a car right now, it is much nicer to open two or three services and choose the best option than to discover that the only app you downloaded has nothing convenient available today.
🗺 Google Maps and Waze
- Google Maps is useful for everyone.
Before the trip, save your accommodation and the places you definitely plan to visit, and download an offline map of Cape Town.
Even if your mobile connection disappears, you will still understand where you are.
On the street, you do not need to constantly hold the map in front of you.
Check the direction, put your phone away and keep walking.
If you are renting a car, Waze is also useful.
It is especially convenient for driving and checking current road conditions, so there is no problem having both apps on your phone at the same time.
In South Africa, WhatsApp is used much more often than you might expect before the trip.
Your accommodation host, driver, guide, restaurant, coach, car rental company or transfer manager may all contact you through it.
Even if you barely use it at home, it is better to install and register the app before travelling.
🚌 MyCiTi
If you are planning to use city buses, install the official MyCiTi app.
It is convenient for finding stops, planning routes and checking current bus information.
There is no need to use MyCiTi just for the sake of it, but if there is a convenient route near your accommodation, the app can noticeably reduce the number of taxi rides you need.
It is better to look at the payment system and routes once you know where you are staying and where you will actually be travelling.
🆘 Buzzer and Namola
These apps have slightly different purposes.
Buzzer Community Safety helps you see community reports about incidents, send alerts and get safety-related information about what is happening nearby.
Namola is more focused on emergency assistance and SOS.
It is better to install and open the app in advance so you are not trying to understand the interface for the first time when you actually need help.
Neither app replaces emergency phone numbers.
Save those in your contacts too.
We collected the main rules for the street, your car and accommodation in the article “Safety in Cape Town”.
🛒 If you want to order groceries
For the first few days, local supermarket apps can be especially convenient.
Woolworths, Checkers Sixty60 and Pick n Pay let you sort out groceries without making a separate trip to the shop.
This is especially nice after an evening arrival, when the last thing you want is to search for the nearest supermarket with a suitcase and an empty fridge.
If you are staying longer, Takealot can also be useful.
It is a local marketplace where you can order household items and everything else you suddenly realise you need after moving in.
🎾 For sport
This is an easy one to overlook, and then you discover that convenient courts and training sessions are booked through local platforms.
For tennis and other activities, BOOKnPLAY can be useful.
Through the service, you can search for sports facilities, coaches and activities and book them in advance.
If you play tennis or padel, it is also worth checking Playtomic.
Some clubs use it for court bookings and finding games.
So if you want to play in Cape Town, it is better to register with at least BOOKnPLAY while you are still at home, and then check which system your chosen club uses once you arrive.
Then the process is simple.
Find a court, book a time or a coach, and the only thing left to sort out is equipment.
🌬 Windy
In Cape Town, a forecast of “+25 and sunny” does not necessarily tell you what your day will look like.
The wind changes a lot here.
Windy is especially useful before going to the beach, hiking, heading up Table Mountain, going sailing, kayaking or doing any other outdoor activity.
For an ordinary city walk, there is no need to download a separate weather app.
But if nature makes up half of your itinerary, Windy quickly becomes more useful than another standard temperature forecast.
🌊 Surfline
If you are coming for surfing and the ocean, add Surfline.
If you only want to lie on the beach once, you definitely do not need it.
But if you are planning to choose your beach and timing based on ocean conditions, it starts to make sense.
📲 And one more thing before your flight
All these apps become fairly useless if you land without internet.
You can buy a local SIM once you are in South Africa or install an eSIM in advance.
With FROGI eSIM, you can prepare your data package before the trip.
After landing, switch the line on and you can immediately open the map, message someone on WhatsApp and order a car.
If you are staying for a long time, it makes sense to compare an eSIM with a local SIM.
For a short trip, the main advantage of an eSIM is much simpler:
after the flight, you do not need to start by searching for somewhere to buy mobile data.
What you actually need to set up before the flight
You do not need to spend the evening before your trip registering with ten different services.
To start with, it is enough to install and set up Uber, Bolt, Google Maps and WhatsApp, download an offline map and sort out your internet after landing.
Then add apps depending on your trip.
MyCiTi is useful for people planning to use buses, Waze for those renting a car, BOOKnPLAY and Playtomic for those who want to exercise, Windy for nature lovers, and Surfline for people coming to the ocean for more than just photos.
That way, your phone actually helps during the trip instead of becoming another folder with twenty apps you never open.
What to read next
If you are preparing specifically for arrival, continue with “Your first 24 hours in Cape Town”.
If you need to sort out cars and taxis, go to “How to get around Cape Town”.
And the rules for using your phone, navigation and safety apps are explained in more detail in “Safety in Cape Town”.
Officially, I'm an editor of city media around the world. But really, I'm just that traveling frog who chases adventures, connects people, and discovers new ways to make life a little more meaningful, exciting, and full of wonder every day
