eSIM Tanzania
Tanzania eSIM from 4,95€ on the Airtel network, 1–10 GB prepaid without a contract or SIM registration — install it before you fly and you are online the moment you land in Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar.
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 Tanzania?
Set it up before you fly
You buy the eSIM and get an email with a link and a QR code straight away. Install it at home on Wi-Fi, days ahead if you like. The validity does not start yet.
Switch it on after landing
Whether you arrive at Julius Nyerere International in Dar es Salaam, at Kilimanjaro International between Arusha and Moshi, or at Abeid Amani Karume International on Zanzibar: turn on data roaming for the eSIM, wait a minute or two, done. No shop, no queue, no passport copy.
Top up as you go
Running low? Top up any time — same eSIM, no new QR code, no new setup. Handy when the week on Zanzibar turns into a safari up north after all.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
Which networks will you be on in Tanzania?
Your eSIM connects to the Airtel network in Tanzania by itself — nothing to type in, nothing to choose.
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- Typical download65Mbit/s
Source: Speedtest Global Index, national median, July 2026.
The first time you switch on in Tanzania, your phone finds the network and registers on its own. There is nothing to set up by hand. Two things matter: data roaming has to be on for the eSIM, and the eSIM has to be selected as the line for mobile data. If nothing happens after two or three minutes, turn flight mode on and off again. If that does not do it, go into your mobile network settings, switch network search from automatic to manual and pick Airtel. On some Android phones it also helps to switch from 5G to 4G/LTE.
At the arrival airports — Julius Nyerere in Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro near Arusha and Abeid Amani Karume on Zanzibar — you are usually online straight away. Coverage is solid in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Moshi, Mwanza, Dodoma and Zanzibar City, and along the Zanzibar coast in Nungwi, Kendwa, Paje and Jambiani. On the main roads Dar es Salaam–Morogoro–Dodoma and Arusha–Moshi you have signal almost the whole way, and for much of the ferry crossing to Zanzibar as well. In the safari areas it thins out, and you should hear that before you book: in the Serengeti, at the Ngorongoro Crater, in Tarangire, Ruaha and Nyerere National Park there is signal in patches — at the gates, near the lodges, on high ground, and often nothing in between. On the Kilimanjaro climb it depends on your route and altitude. Download maps, tickets and booking confirmations for offline use before you head into the park.
eSIM or a local SIM card in Tanzania?
Choose the eSIM for Tanzania if you just want data: it works at baggage claim, no biometric registration and no certified passport copy — a local SIM is the way only if you need M-Pesa or a Tanzanian number.
| Feature |  Simbye eSIM |
Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| ID and paperwork | None. You buy online and install at home | Passport with visa, certified copy at the operator, biometric registration |
| When you get online | Right after landing, still at baggage claim | After a queue at the airport or a trip to a shop in town |
| Phone number | No Tanzanian number, data only | Tanzanian number included |
| Mobile money (M-Pesa, Airtel Money) | Not usable | Usable once registered in a shop |
| Payment | Prepaid by card up front, no contract to cancel | Cash in Tanzanian shillings, exchange rate at the counter |
| Your home number | Stays in the phone and stays reachable | Has to come out if you only have one card slot |
| Topping up | In your account, from anywhere, no new QR code | Scratch vouchers from a kiosk or mobile money locally |
| If something goes wrong | Email support in English or German | Back to the shop, usually advice in Swahili |
For most travelers the eSIM is the simpler choice: set up before departure, no queuing on arrival.
How much data do you need in Tanzania?
Trip length
How you use your phone
What does an eSIM for Tanzania cost?
from 4,95€
4 plans · 7–30 days
Simbye offers 4 plans for Tanzania from 4,95€ to 42,95€ — prepaid, no contract.
Plans for Tanzania range from 1 GB to 10 GB.
Validity runs from 7 to 30 days and starts with your first connection in Tanzania.
Data plans
- 1 GB 7 days 4,95€ 0,70€ per travel day
- 3 GB 30 days 14,95€ 0,49€ per travel day
- 5 GB 30 days 23,95€ 0,79€ per travel day
- 10 GB 30 days 42,95€ 1,43€ per travel day
Good to know
- Networks
- Airtel
- Setting it up
- A link in your email, or the QR code — one tap is enough
- Network technology
- 4G/LTE — and 5G where the network already offers it
- APN and settings
- Nothing to set. The eSIM brings everything with it
- Hotspot
- Allowed — for a laptop, tablet or a travel companion
- Adding more data
- Top up any time, without setting anything up again
- Calls and texts
- Not included — WhatsApp calls run over the data
- Your own number
- Stays in the phone and stays reachable
- Contract
- None. The plan ends by itself
- Worth knowing
- Roaming on your home contract gets billed here — this eSIM is prepaid, so nothing is added afterwards
Frequently Asked Questions about Tanzania eSIM
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
No, this is not a Vodacom Tanzania eSIM - it connects to the Airtel network instead. Nothing changes for you: after buying you get a QR code by email, scan it at home and you are online after landing — no shop visit and none of the registration that applies to Tanzanian SIM cards from any operator.
Yes, the eSIM works on Zanzibar too. Zanzibar is part of Tanzania and the same eSIM covers it. In Zanzibar City and along the coast in Nungwi, Kendwa, Paje and Jambiani you are online as normal — no extra plan, no second eSIM.
No, you don't get a Tanzanian number. This is data only, so calls and texts over the network are not included. Calls through WhatsApp, FaceTime or Signal work fine, because those run on the data.
No, you don't have to register in Tanzania. The registration rule with a passport copy and visa applies to Tanzanian SIM cards bought in a shop. Your eSIM roams on the Airtel network — you go nowhere and fill in nothing.
This eSIM has nothing to do with Zanzibar's compulsory travel insurance, but you still need it: 44 US dollars per person, in place since 1 October 2024, only through the official portal visitzanzibar.go.tz, and bought before you travel. You show the QR code at immigration.
You get an eSIM for Tanzania online before you travel and install it in minutes. Pick your data size on this page, pay, and the QR code plus the manual settings arrive by email. Scan the code on Wi-Fi at home, then switch the line on after landing in Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar.
Yes, eSIM is available in Tanzania, and the local networks handle it like a normal SIM card. An eSIM for Tanzania is a digital SIM card built into your phone. You get mobile data in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Moshi and on Zanzibar, plus coverage along the main safari routes. Reception thins out deep inside the national parks, as it does for every local network.
An eSIM for Tanzania starts at 4,95€, and the exact price depends on the data size and how many days you need - the price table above on this page shows every option with its current amount. A week of safari with maps and photo uploads uses more data than a short Zanzibar beach stay, so choose accordingly.
How much data you need for Tanzania depends on the setting: safari often has no mast, so maps and WhatsApp use just 50-100 MB a day, less than you'd expect. Uploading photos and stories from the lodge takes you to 300 to 600 MB a day, and video or a tethered laptop past 1 GB. Ten days of parks plus Zanzibar usually lands around 3 to 5 GB.
The eSIM that is best for Tanzania covers your route, carries enough data and lasts your whole stay. This one runs on Airtel and is solid in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Moshi and across Zanzibar from Nungwi to Jambiani, plus the main roads and much of the ferry crossing. It is data only, with no Tanzanian number. Deep inside the parks and in the Ngorongoro crater expect stretches without signal.
Ready for Tanzania?
Pick a plan, tap the link in your email — you are online from the moment you land.
Choose a planPrepaid, no contract. The plan simply ends on its own.
