Packing for a trip to Nepal? You may know what to bring in your backpack and suitcase, but have you prepped your smartphone? Whether you're trekking or immersing yourself in culture, download these 10 helpful apps, ranging from off-line maps to a mountain identifier to an English-Nepali dictionary.

#1 Peakfinder

Hands framing Mt. Machapuchhare (Fish Tail)

As the perfect companion to your trek, mountain flight or helicopter tour, Peakfinder will help identify the majestic mountains you're gaping at by just using your camera, giving you plenty of bragging rights when you return home, and making it easy to craft the perfect Instagram caption. 

Learn all about Nepal's main regions and mountain ranges here

#2 Maps.me

Map of Nepal

Now available for free, Maps.me has a detailed map of Patan and Kathmandu, as well as maps of Pokhara and numerous villages. What's most helpful is that you can download them by regions (West Nepal, Eastern Region, Central Region, and Kathmandu), and use the navigation and search functions while offline.

#3 English-Nepali Dictionary 

Hamro Pato's English-Nepali Dictionary is Nepal's first "two-way" dictionary app that can be used offline. You can search for words in English or Nepali, and hear how they are pronounced. The app has over 30,000 Nepali word meanings and also includes a number of word games to help make learning Nepali fun. Unfortunately for iPhone users, the app requires an Android device. 

#4 Tootle

Tootle is a rideshare app for motorbikes

The rideshare for motorbikes, Tootle is a cheap and easy way to get around Kathmandu Valley. Just enter your pick up and drop off locations, and Tootle will match you with a biker following the same route (as well as one according to your gender preference) and give you a price.

Pay in cash at the end of your ride (or through the app if you have Esewa, which requires a debit card linked to a Nepali bank). Note that you'll need either Wifi or cell data to make the request, but not during the ride itself. If you're concerned about health and safety, bring your own helmet (only the driver is obligated to one in Nepal) and facemask for the dust. 

Interested in a guided tour of Kathmandu from the back of a vintage Vespa? Check it out here

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 #5 Ncell 

If you plan to get a local SIM card (which is highly recommended; you can get a 2500 MB data package for about $5) you'll want to pre-download Ncell's app so that you can easily activate services, know your data usage, buy data packages, check your balance, find out about special offers, etc. As an added perk, you'll also get to send 10 free SMS everyday. 

#6 Foodmandu

Classic Nepali meal

Nepal's answer to Seamless, Foodmandu is a 21st century game-changer for travelers visiting Kathmandu. Whether you're feeling jet-lagged, run-down, or just too lazy to leave your hotel, you can have your favorite thin-crust pizza, Vietnamese noodle soup, or Newari choyla delivered right to your room (as long as you're staying within the Ring Road).

It's also a great way to survey the food scene in Kathmandu, as each restaurant provides photos — and some even provide discounts. Place your order between 11am - 8:30 pm and pay cash (Nepali rupees) upon delivery. For more on the city's food scene, check out the Best Places to Eat and Best Cafés in Kathmandu

#7 HoneyGuide

Honeyguide is Nepal's first trekking app

HoneyGuide is Nepal's first trekking guide app. Pick your trek, then select categories of interest (mountains, flowers, animals, culture, etc.) so that you can preview and learn about what you'll come across. You can also find out which teahouses have wifi and showers, and read about signs of altitude sickness. While the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek content is free to download, you'll have to pay to access other treks in the Annapurna and Everest regions. A map of the Terai belt of West Nepal, from Nepalgunj to Mahendranagar, is also in the works. 

Learn all about Nepal's main trekking areas here. For trekking itinerary inspiration, take a look at these amazing tours

#8 FlowerChecker

Nepal's national flower, the rhododendron

It's spring in Nepal and you're wondering which of Nepal's 30+ rhododendron species you witnessed on your trek? Was that pink flower a Rhododendron lepidotum or Rhododendron arboreum? Enter FlowerChecker, an app developed by a team of botanists who have already identified 215,000 plants, and has botanists online who can help answer your questions. 

#9 EPA AIRNow 

Planning to go for runs in Kathmandu? Sensitive to pollution and/or suffer from asthma? If so, you should download the EPA's Air Now app, which displays an up-to-date air quality index for Kathmandu based on the results of the US Embassy Nepal's two air quality monitors, which are located on the Embassy grounds and at the Phora Durbar Recreation Center in Thamel. The app will let you know the best times of day to go outside. 

Note that these results do not apply to the entire country (the Government of Nepal also has its own air quality data for other areas in Nepal, which you can consult instead.) For a better understanding of the air quality index, visit the US Embassy in Nepal's website

#10 Yeti Calls 

Yeti Calls is perfect for kids

In search of the fabled Yeti? Yeti Calls, an app which has 12 distinct howls, knocks and groans, will help you and your kids track down the ever elusive Himalayan giant. Available for iPhones (at a cost) and Android