Best hiking apps to use in Georgia
So you decided to hike in Georgia? Brilliant! We cannot recommend the experience enough.
From snow-capped peaks of the Greater Caucasus, through hidden meadows of Racha and Tusheti, to dense forests along the Black Sea coast – this country has it all.
But to get the best out of your stay, you must come well-prepared. While stunningly beautiful, many of Georgia’s hiking trails are poorly marked or not marked at all.
If you want to make sure you are always on the right trail, the best option is to hire an experienced trekking guide. But if you prefer to hike on your own, here are several apps that will help you find your way around the Caucasus.
Maps.me
Maps.me is a simple, user-friendly travel app cataloging maps from all over the World. The app combines traditional Google Maps functions with more in-depth information regarding biking routes or hiking trails. It works well offline and is easy to figure out for first-time users.
Unfortunately, the app is a work in progress and lacks many more advanced, remote trails. So we would not recommend it if you plan to explore less popular routes. Plus it’s worth noting that at this point, Maps.me offers no topographic map or support for GPX files.
Mapy.cz
Great Czech app is also available in English. Mapy.cz provide a wide range of biking and hiking routes including some less-explored trails. The app has an easy interface and offers a great variety of details that help you follow the path. You also can upload GPX files.
The biggest disadvantage of the app is that it lacks proper mapping of urban infrastructure. You can hardly expect it to direct you to the best restaurant in town or the nearest post office. For this reason, it’s best to use it combined with Maps.me or Google Maps.
Gaia GPS
Gaia boasts stunningly sharp and legible maps, which you can easily use offline. The app offers many in-depth features that allow you to easily find or record your trail. With Gaia, all is in the hands of the users, who record and share their trails online. For this reason, the app is brilliant for finding new trails that remain unmarked on other maps.
On the downside, Gaia tends to lag and not show you your exact location correctly. In addition, the quality of some trails submitted by Gaia users can be questionable, as the hikers record the trail they are hiking for the first time and don’t know yet the best approach to the path.
OsmAnd
OsmAnd is yet another fantastic hiking offline map source with robust features and great navigations. You can think of it as a bit upgraded, more in-depth Mapy.cz. OsmAnd and Gaia share o lot of functions. But OsmAnd has a more colorful and easier-to-use interface. It also has a more orderly look and at least on our phones, it seems to work faster.
But contrary to Gaia, the app doesn’t support route plotting on a website. It also doesn’t offer access to trails recorded by other hikers that are not on the official maps.
Wikiloc
Like Gaia, Wikiloc offers access to a wide range of trails recorded and submitted by users. Wikiloc’s interface is more visually pleasing than Gaia’s. Data is easier to find and follow. It also offers space for extra notes.
But contrary to Gaia, the app doesn’t show the marked trails immediately on the map. You need to use a search option to find the place you want to explore and only then see if anyone hiked there before you. It makes finding new areas to explore more challenging.
And what about Google Maps?
And what about Google Maps? We cannot really recommend them as a navigation tool in Georgia. While we have seen some improvements in the quality of the local maps, Google Maps tend to be unreliable and provide navigation for very few trails. You should also be careful while using Google Maps as car navigation. The Georgian section of the maps isn’t always correctly updated.
Paper maps, anyone?
We will finish this short post with a recommendation for those hikers who prefer traditional paper maps over modern technological solutions. If you are in Tbilisi, head to geoland.ge.
In Geoland you will find a variety of detailed tourist and topographical maps. Those are excellent and truly recommended if you plan to hike in remote areas, where there is an increased risk of being estranged if technology fails.
Did you find our recommendations for the best hiking apps in Georgia useful? We hope you did. Feel free to leave us a comment. We will be more than happy to answer your questions. Meanwhile, have a lovely hike!