Safari Journal

A fully offline React Native (Expo) travel companion app for the Ryan Party's South Africa & Zimbabwe safari, September 15–25, 2026.

Booking Reference: Ryan x 6 — 927743
Operator: The Malcolm Ainscough Collection (TMAC)

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Features

Tab	Screen	Description
Trip	Overview + Day Detail	Day-by-day itinerary with flight cards, hotel details, activities, and supplier contacts
Destinations	Guide + Detail	Full guides for Cape Town, Timbavati, Victoria Falls & Mana Pools — with history, practical tips, and local phrases
Wildlife	Field Guide + Detail	27 species across 4 destinations — searchable, with photos, conservation status, and trip-specific spotting tips
Checklist	Spotter's Checklist	Per-destination animal checklist with AsyncStorage persistence and completion celebration
Documents	My Documents	Upload, view, and delete local documents (passport, visa, insurance, etc.) — stored only on this device

100% offline — all content is hardcoded, all images are bundled, zero network calls at runtime.

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Running Locally with Expo Go

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Expo Go app on your iOS or Android device (iOS / Android)

Setup

# 1. Install dependencies
npm install

# 2. Download and compress wildlife images (run once)
npm run download-images

# 3. Start the development server
npm start

Scan the QR code with your device's camera (iOS) or the Expo Go app (Android).

Testing Offline Mode

After the app loads once in Expo Go, enable airplane mode — the app will continue to work fully offline. All content and images are bundled.

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Building for Production with EAS

Prerequisites

1. Install EAS CLI globally:

   npm install -g eas-cli

2. Log in to your Expo account:

   eas login

3. Configure EAS for this project:

   eas build:configure

iOS Build (requires Apple Developer account — $99/year)

# Build for TestFlight / App Store
eas build --platform ios --profile production

This produces a .ipa file that you submit via EAS or Apple Transporter.

Android Build (requires Google Play Console account — $25 one-time)

# Build for Google Play
eas build --platform android --profile production

This produces an .aab file for Google Play submission.

Local preview build (no store submission)

eas build --platform ios --profile preview
eas build --platform android --profile preview

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Submitting to App Store and Google Play

Apple App Store

1. Run the iOS production EAS build (above).
2. In App Store Connect, create a new app with bundle ID com.safariguide.ryanparty.
3. Fill in app name, description, screenshots, and privacy URL.
4. Upload the .ipa via EAS Submit or Apple Transporter.
5. Submit for review — Apple reviews typically take 24–48 hours.

# EAS can also handle submission automatically:
eas submit --platform ios

Google Play

1. Run the Android production EAS build (above).
2. In the Google Play Console, create a new app.
3. Fill in store listing details, screenshots, and privacy policy.
4. Upload the .aab to the Internal Testing track first, then promote.

eas submit --platform android

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Project Structure

safari/
├── App.tsx                     # Root entry point
├── app.json                    # Expo config (bundle ID, icons, splash)
├── assets/
│   └── images/
│       ├── destinations/       # Cape Town, Timbavati, Victoria Falls, Mana Pools
│       └── wildlife/           # All 27 species photos
├── scripts/
│   └── download-images.js     # One-time image download script
└── src/
    ├── data/
    │   ├── itinerary.ts        # All 11 days + flights from the PDF
    │   ├── destinations.ts     # 4 destination guides
    │   └── wildlife.ts         # 27 animal profiles
    ├── navigation/
    │   └── TabNavigator.tsx    # Bottom tab + stack navigators
    ├── screens/                # 8 screens
    ├── components/             # Reusable card components
    └── theme/
        └── colors.ts           # Earthy safari palette

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Key Contacts (from itinerary)

Supplier	Phone
Commodore Hotel	+27 11 806 6888
Kings Camp	+27 13 751 1621
Palm River Hotel	+263 83 28 44737
Wilderness Ruckomechi	+27 11 257 5000
Wilderness Emergency (After Hours)	+27 82 576 9173
Federal Air	+27 11 395 9000
Wilderness Air Zimbabwe	+263 213 284 3371

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License

MIT — for personal use by the Ryan Party, September 2026.