Most mapping applications rely on a continuous data feed, which will not be available to us in Sikkim. So, what applications offer offline viewing?
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<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.maps&hl=en">Google Maps</a> allows downloading of areas for offline use. <a href="https://support.google.com/gmm/answer/6291838?hl=en">Here are the official instructions for doing so.</a> The Sikkim area takes about 500mb of space so be aware of that.
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<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.osmand&hl=en">OSMAnd</a> is an interesting alternative. It is mostly designed for offline use. If you buy the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.osmand.srtmPlugin.paid&hl=en">countour Lines Plugin</a> for $1.99, you can add topographic map contour lines to your map, which is pretty cool. I kind of love it myself, and it’s what I’ll be using. The interface is perhaps a little less intuitive than the Google Maps interface, but I’m getting used to it. You will need to download the world base map, as well as the detailed map for all of India (if you have enough space on your phone) or the information for Sikkim only (if you don’t have enough room). The contour map is a separate download, and to be able to use it, you will need to purchase the plugin linked to above.
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The free version of the app allows only 7 downloads in total, but we shouldn’t need more than that for our trip. I myself bought the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.osmand.plus&hl=en">full paid version</a> but that shouldn’t be necessary IIUC.
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