About Kolea

What is Kolea?

Kolea was built to be the opposite of most apps. It doesn't want your constant attention, doesn't send you notifications every five minutes, and honestly doesn't do much at all when you're sitting on your couch. That's the point.

But take Kolea on a road trip? Cross into a new state, drive through a mountain range, pass a historical marker you'd normally ignore? That's when it comes alive. Depending on which data packs you've downloaded, Kolea becomes that friend who actually knows things, sharing stories about the geology beneath your wheels, the history you're driving through, and the ecosystems you're passing.

Some narrations are deep dives into fascinating subjects. Others are quick, quirky facts that make you go "huh, didn't know that." We're still building this thing, so the mix varies. But if you finish a drive having learned something new or seeing a familiar landscape in a different light, we're calling that a win.

Right now, Kolea works best for long road trips that cover serious ground. Down the road (pun intended), we're planning more local content such as walking tours of cities, neighborhood histories, trails in your favorite state park. We're also planning to introduce some premium content to help cover our costs, especially as we grow. But there will always be great free content available.

Quick shout-out: much of what you hear in Kolea right now comes from Wikipedia. We're endlessly grateful to the thousands of editors who've spent years building that incredible resource. Thank you for making projects like this possible.

Is Kolea free?

Yep, completely free. No ads, no subscription required, no catch. Download it and start exploring.

We're committed to keeping Kolea's core functionality free for everyone. We're currently working on adding some premium content packs to help cover development costs, but to drive around and learn some interesting things? Still free.

What does the name mean?

"Kolea" is the Hawaiian name for the Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva), a small shorebird that makes one of nature's most impressive road trips.

Every year, these little birds fly 3,000 miles non-stop from Hawaii to Alaska in the spring and back in the fall. It takes them about 3-4 days each way, cruising at around 50 mph. No snack breaks, no bathroom stops, just pure determination and excellent navigation.

Felt like a fitting namesake for an app about exploration.

Who makes Kolea?

Hi! I'm Dan, the person behind Kolea. Just one person, at least for now. My background is pretty diverse, combining biology, photography, environmental education, environmental education, and I've always had a knack for programming. I've spent time in Maryland (where I'm based), Hawaii, Wyoming, and Mexico, and I've loved exploring interesting places for as long as I can remember. Kolea started on a road trip when I noticed the vegetation suddenly shift and found myself wondering: what ecosystem did I just enter? What makes it unique? There should be an app that just tells you this stuff while you're driving, without you having to pull over and Google it.

So I looked around for something like that. Couldn't find one. Realized the technology existed to build it, and that I probably knew enough to make it happen. So I did. It's been incredibly rewarding to create something that combines everything I care about: helping people connect with the natural world, making learning effortless, and solving a problem I genuinely had.

What's next for Kolea?

Short term: We're focused on polishing the experience; fixing bugs, smoothing out rough edges, and getting Kolea to a point where we're confident calling it a proper 1.0 release.

Long term: We want to massively expand the content catalog. More local experiences (city walking tours, neighborhood stories), international coverage beyond the U.S., and deeper dives into the subjects people care about most.

We're also listening. If there's content you wish Kolea covered or features that would make your trips better, let us know. This thing gets better when actual users tell us what they want.