Every trail has its beginning—and for Chimani, it starts not in a national park brochure, but halfway around the world in the rugged wilderness of Zimbabwe.
🌍 It All Started in Chimanimani
In 1992, a college student named Kerry Gallivan took a leap—and landed in Zimbabwe. As an intern at MangoNet, the country’s first internet service provider, Kerry was also craving a deeper experience of the country. He joined an Outward Bound program that took him deep into the Chimanimani National Park, a remote, stunning stretch of wilderness straddling the Mozambique border.
The landscape—and the experience—was unforgettable. Locals simply called the area “Chimani“, and the name stayed with Kerry long after his return. By 1998, he’d registered the domain chimani.com, sensing that someday, somehow, this name would be part of something bigger.
📱 Flash Forward: A Mountain, a Map, and an iPhone
Fast forward to 2008: Kerry is hiking Gorham Mountain in Acadia National Park, iPhone in hand but no signal, no GPS, and no way to get trail info. Like so many outdoor lovers, he was juggling a paper map, trailhead signs, and guesswork.
“Why isn’t this amazing device helping me explore this amazing place?”
That moment of frustration became a spark of innovation. Chimani was born. And the name? There was never a question. It had to be Chimani.
🗺️ A Timeline of the Trail So Far
🗓️ 2010
- May: Launch of the Acadia National Park app on iOS
- September: Apps for Yosemite and Cape Cod National Seashore launch on iOS and Android
🗓️ 2011–2012
- Expansion to the top 10 most visited national parks
- April 2011 National Park Week promo leads to 120,000 downloads in five days
- Total apps surpass 20 by end of 2012, hitting 500,000 downloads
🗓️ 2013–2016
- Chimani partners with Subaru to promote the NPS Centennial
- By 2016, launches individual apps for all 59 U.S. national parks
- Kerry Gallivan is named one of Outside Magazine’s “Pioneers for the Next 100 Years”—a list of six innovators shaping the future of the national parks.
Read the article âžś - Chimani receives the Google Play Editors’ Choice award
🗓️ 2019
- Partners with Subaru again for the Chimani STARLINK app, launched at the 2020 Outback unveiling during the New York Auto Show
🗓️ 2021
- Releases a fully redesigned consolidated app built in SwiftUI (iOS) and Kotlin (Android)
🗓️ 2024
- Debuts the new Trip Planner Tool—a visual itinerary builder for national park travelers
🗓️ 2025
- Launches AI-powered trip planner, enabling personalized, real-time itinerary recommendations
✨ Why We Built Chimani
Chimani was created for people who believe national parks aren’t just places—they’re pilgrimages. Our mission is to help you go farther, know more, and connect deeper with the wild spaces that inspire you.
Whether you’re driving to Yosemite’s Glacier Point or wandering Acadia’s shores, Chimani is your guide—offline, online, and everywhere in between.
From Kerry’s first trek in the Chimanimani Mountains to your next trail adventure, thank you for being part of our journey.
Chimani Blog 