eSIM Africa
The Africa eSIM from 8,95€ connects you to local networks in 29 countries, 1 to 5 GB, prepaid with no contract and no registration — you are online right after landing in Nairobi or Cape Town.
Your Selection
Your plan only starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination — so you can buy today and travel in three weeks.
How does Simbye eSIM work for Africa?
Get connected in under 2 minutes
Pick a plan and buy it
Take the amount of data that fits your trip. Right after checkout you get an email with a setup link and a QR code.
Set it up at home on Wi-Fi
Install the eSIM calmly before you fly, so it is ready when you land in Cairo, Marrakesh, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lagos, Accra, Dar es Salaam, Dakar or Tunis. It stays inactive until the first connection, so the clock is not running yet.
Switch it on after landing
Turn on data roaming for the eSIM — that is all it takes, a network is found automatically. From now on the validity period runs.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
Which countries does this eSIM for Africa cover?
This eSIM works in 29 African countries and regions — one is enough for the whole trip, even if you visit several of them one after another.
Network list from our provider, as of August 2026. Which network you get depends on coverage where you are.
eSIM or a local SIM card in Africa?
The eSIM is the easier route across Africa: one plan runs in all 29 countries with no card swapping and no ID registration, while a local SIM means a new card, and a new counter, at every border.
| Compared | Simbye eSIM | Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| Crossing a border | Keeps working in all 29 countries, you swap nothing | Buy and insert a new card in every country |
| Online from when | Set up by QR code at home, usable right after landing | Only after arrival, at a counter or shop |
| Registration | Not needed, you are a guest on the network | In many countries of the region an ID is required to register |
| Phone number | None, this is a data-only plan | A local number is included |
| Cost | Fixed at checkout | You only find out on the spot |
| Second line | Your usual number stays active alongside | The physical card takes up the slot |
| Hotspot | Allowed, share with laptop and tablet | Allowed or blocked depending on the operator |
| Language barrier | Buy and set up in your own language from home | Sign-up conversation at the counter in the local language |
Why an Africa eSIM pays off on a multi-country trip
Trips to Africa are rarely single-country trips. The classic routes cross borders: Kenya and Tanzania on a safari loop, Morocco and Tunisia in the north, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire in the west, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia in the south. With country eSIMs, every crossing means buying a new one, setting it up again and paying another minimum bundle.
The catch is the leftovers. Every single plan has its own minimum amount and its own validity, and neither ever quite matches your days in that country. Whatever is left over has been paid for and expires. A regional plan has that waste once, instead of at every border.
Then there is the hassle on arrival day. A plan you set up at home on Wi-Fi is simply there after landing in Nairobi, Cairo or Johannesburg — no shop, no photocopy of your passport, no counter conversation in a language you may not speak. Arrival day is exactly when you need the internet most: for the ride into town, for the address of your accommodation, for the message home.
Where coverage gets thin
To be straight about it: 29 countries are not the whole continent. If you are planning a Cape Town, Namibia and Victoria Falls loop, look closely — South Africa, Botswana and Zambia are included, Namibia and the Zimbabwean side of the falls are not. Ethiopia, Rwanda, Mozambique, Algeria and Mauritius are missing too. Those legs need a different solution.
Inside the covered countries, geography decides. In cities, coastal towns and along main roads, mobile coverage is normal. In large national parks such as the Serengeti or the Masai Mara, across the Sahara and the Sahel, on long overland stretches and out on the water there may simply be no mast — that is not a property of this plan but of the local network build-out. On safari, Wi-Fi at the camp is often the more realistic expectation than mobile coverage.
So plan to be briefly offline. Save maps, booking confirmations, tickets and the address of your accommodation while you have Wi-Fi. And set up every app that sends a confirmation code by SMS before you leave — this plan has no phone number for such a code to arrive on.
These countries are missing — check before you book
The plan covers 29 countries and regions, but not the whole continent. Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Mozambique, Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, Mauritius and Cape Verde are among those not included. For the popular Cape Town, Namibia and Victoria Falls loop that means: South Africa, Botswana and Zambia are covered, Namibia and the Zimbabwean side of the falls are not.
It is also a data-only plan with no phone number. Confirmation codes sent by SMS — for WhatsApp, your bank, M-Pesa or a taxi app — cannot arrive on it. Set those accounts up before you leave, and keep your usual SIM in the phone as a second line.
What does an eSIM for Africa cost?
Simbye offers 3 plans for Africa from €8,95 to €27,95 — prepaid, no contract.
Plans for Africa range from 1 GB to 5 GB.
Validity runs from 7 to 30 days and starts with your first connection in Africa.
| Plan | Validity | Price | Per travel day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | €8,95 | €1,27 |
| 3 GB | 30 days | €18,95 | €0,63 |
| 5 GB | 30 days | €27,95 | €0,93 |
Frequently Asked Questions about Africa eSIM
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
