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A trip through several African countries is easiest on one regional eSIM: Simsima's Africa plan covers thirty-six countries from a single profile, installed at home and active when you land. Check the list against your route first, because Morocco, Tunisia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are not on it in October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Simsima's Africa plan covers thirty-six countries, from Algeria and Egypt to Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and the Indian Ocean islands; the plan details show the current list
- Morocco and Tunisia are on the Middle East and North Africa plan instead, and Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are on neither regional list in October 2026
- Data costs around $5.12 per GB at the regional median against $3.11 worldwide (Simsima eSIM Price Index, 3 September 2026)
- A local SIM means passport registration in Kenya, Ghana and South Africa; Liberia's rules explicitly leave out foreign roaming SIMs for stays of up to 30 days
- A data-only eSIM has no local number, so M-Pesa, MoMo and other mobile money wallets stay out of reach
Thirty-six countries on one plan, and the gaps on classic routes
Simsima's Africa plan reaches across the continent: Algeria and Egypt in the north, West Africa from Senegal and the Gambia through Ghana, Togo and Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and both Congos in the center, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda in the east, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Malawi in the south, and the islands of Cape Verde, Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles. The full list sits in the plan details and can change as networks are added or dropped, so check it on the day you buy.
The gaps fall on some of the most traveled routes. Victoria Falls is the classic case: Livingstone, on the Zambian bank, is covered, while the town of Victoria Falls across the bridge is in Zimbabwe, which is not. A self-drive from Cape Town to Etosha crosses into Namibia, also off the list, and so does a detour to Mozambique's coast. Morocco and Tunisia belong to Simsima's Middle East and North Africa plan rather than this one, so a trip pairing Marrakech with Dakar needs two plans.
For a day or two outside the list, a plan for that country, where one exists, is simpler than hunting for a bigger zone. Keep data roaming off on your home line near those borders, so your own operator cannot bill you when the travel plan has no network to join.
What a gigabyte costs, from Algeria to Cape Verde
More than the world average, with a wide spread. On the last complete snapshot of the Simsima eSIM Price Index, on 3 September 2026, the regional median was around $5.12 per gigabyte against $3.11 worldwide. Algeria sat near $2.04 and Egypt near $2.16, while Cape Verde reached $12.94, the highest in the region among countries with real provider coverage.
Competition explains most of the gap. Markets where several national operators sell wholesale access attract more travel eSIM providers, which pulls the median down; small island markets with one or two operators stay expensive whichever plan you pick. If one stop on your route is an expensive island, compare its country plan with the regional plan before deciding.
the median price per gigabyte in 240 countries — to look up your specific destinations
Nairobi to the gorillas: one plan across four borders
A common two-and-a-half-week East Africa trip starts in Nairobi, drives to the Masai Mara, crosses at Namanga to Arusha for the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, flies to Zanzibar for the beach, then ends in Kigali with a gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park or across the border at Bwindi in Uganda. Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda are all on the Africa plan, so the eSIM changes network at each border and nothing needs reinstalling.
Signal follows the towns, not the parks. Nairobi, Arusha, Stone Town and Kigali have dependable 4G. On game drives across the Mara plains and the Serengeti you will be offline for hours, with signal at some lodges and around Seronera, and the gorilla treks in Volcanoes and Bwindi lose coverage as you climb into the forest.
Data use is uneven as a result. Count on roughly 1 GB a day in the cities for maps, ride-hailing and photo backups, and a few hundred megabytes on park days, which puts most versions of this route at around 10 to 12 GB. Download offline maps of each park and save flight and permit details before you leave town.
SIM registration: what a local line asks of you
Most African countries tie every local SIM to an identity document, and visitors are no exception. Kenya's 2025 subscriber registration regulations require a foreigner to show a valid passport or a Foreign National Registration Certificate. In Ghana, the National Communications Authority's procedure has the agent check your passport or ECOWAS card before the SIM is activated. South Africa's RICA Act forbids activation until the operator has recorded your name, passport number and an address.
A travel eSIM is a different case: you buy it online and it joins local networks as a roaming line, with no counter visit and no ID check. Liberia's regulations say so in writing, excluding SIMs issued by foreign operators that roam on Liberian networks for stays of thirty days or less.
For a long stay in one country, the balance shifts. A registered local line brings a number, mobile money and local pricing, which after a few months usually outweighs the convenience of skipping the counter.
what breaks on a prepaid plan past 30 days — expiry, top-ups and network reselection
No M-Pesa, no MoMo: what a data-only eSIM won't do in Africa
- No local number: drivers, guides and lodges often call or text, so share your WhatsApp contact instead
- No mobile money: M-Pesa in Kenya, MoMo in Ghana, Rwanda and Uganda, and Orange Money or Wave in Senegal all need a registered local line
- No way around shutdowns: when authorities restrict the internet, every network is affected, eSIM included, as happened in Tanzania on the eve of the October 2020 elections and in Uganda in January 2021
- Hotspot use depends on the plan, so check the plan details if you work from a laptop
- Your phone must support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked
When the Africa plan beats a plan per country
- Three or more countries overland, such as the East Africa loop above or the coast from Dakar to Accra, which stays on the list all the way: one regional plan, one installation
- A single country, even for three weeks: a country plan, since you are not paying for coverage you will not use
- Botswana with a day trip to Livingstone: compare two country plans with the regional plan, and remember the Zimbabwean side of the falls is on neither
- North Africa: Egypt and Algeria are on this plan, but a route through Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt fits the Middle East and North Africa plan, which lists all three
- Several months in one country: a registered local line, for the number and mobile money
Simsima recommendation
One plan across your African route
Simsima regional plans cover multi-country travel on a single profile, with no swapping at borders.
If your trip continues into Jordan or the Gulf, compare this plan with the Middle East and North Africa plan, which also covers Egypt, before buying two.
how multi-country plans work at the border — and where the tipping point sits
Or choose another country
- Algeria
- Botswana
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Egypt
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Mauritius
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- South Africa
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Uganda
- Zambia
Frequently asked questions
Your own number works wherever your operator has roaming agreements, at its roaming rates. For data, a travel eSIM works on any eSIM-compatible, carrier-unlocked phone in the countries on its list, while your home SIM stays in place for calls and SMS. Turn data roaming off on the home line so your operator cannot charge you for data.
It is data only, so there is no local number for drivers or lodges and no access to mobile money such as M-Pesa or MoMo. It needs a compatible, unlocked phone, and like any SIM it has no signal in remote parks or during an internet shutdown.
Buy a South Africa plan, or the Africa plan if your trip continues to other countries, online before you travel, then install it on Wi-Fi at home: on iPhone with one tap, on other phones by scanning the QR code. It connects to a South African network when you land, with no RICA step, because it is a roaming line rather than a South African SIM.
Yes, as long as every country is on the regional plan's list: the profile stays installed and changes network at each border. Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, Morocco and Tunisia are among the countries not on Simsima's Africa plan in October 2026.
Yes. The eSIM is added next to your existing SIM, which keeps your number for calls and SMS at your operator's roaming rates. Most travelers set the eSIM as the data line and call home over WhatsApp or FaceTime.
It activates by itself when it first connects to a network in a covered country, so you install it at home and it starts when you land. If you install it once you are already in a covered country, it starts there.
#Travel eSIM#Africa#Regional plans#Guide
Dimitri MorvanFounder
Founder of Simsima. A passionate traveler based in Barcelona, he helps travelers stay connected without breaking the bank on roaming fees.
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