Bought the wrong plan? An unused, never-activated eSIM can be refunded in full within 30 days of purchase. See our refund policy for the full terms.
Fixed data plans give you a set amount of data, for example 1 GB or 5 GB, to use at full speed for the whole plan period. When it runs out, you top up or buy again. Pick this if you know roughly how much you'll use.
Unlimited plans have no total data cap for the plan period, but each day includes a high-speed allowance. Once you use that day's allowance, you carry on at a reduced speed. Reduced-speed data has a daily limit too, and if you reach it, data pauses until the allowance resets 24 hours after you activate the eSIM. Pick this for heavier or less predictable use. A fair-use policy applies.
Pay As You Go is not a plan at all. You add credit once and it comes off by the megabyte at the local rate as you use it, so you never pay for data you do not finish. Credit never expires, data pauses when the balance hits zero, and the same eSIM keeps working across every country we cover. It costs more per gigabyte than a plan, so pick this for light or hard to predict use rather than heavy days.
Add your other stops and we check whether one regional eSIM costs less.
South Africa's main mobile operators are Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom, and the regulator ICASA checks their service with drive tests. Heading to a remote lodge or reserve? Ask the lodge what reception to expect there.
Every South African SIM has to be registered under a law called RICA. As South African Tourism explains, that means registering a local SIM in person with your passport details and a letter from your accommodation, and activation can take up to 24 hours.
Numbers from the UK government's South Africa advice.
Regional & global eSIMs that also cover South Africa on one plan.
One eSIM for the whole trip — premium tier-1 networks across the globe.
One eSIM across 30 countries — no SIM swaps at the border.
Pick a row, watch the phone.
Everything you need to know before you buy.
Your South Africa eSIM connects automatically to Vodacom, MTN, and Cell C, switching to the strongest available signal. Vodacom and MTN cover the parks and main routes best.

Cape Town and Johannesburg run fast, dense networks. A Kruger safari doesn't. How much data a South Africa trip really needs, and where signal drops out.

Kenya's networks are fast in Nairobi and Mombasa but thin out on safari. How much data a Kenya trip really needs, and where to expect no signal at all.

Two small islands off Gabon, one plan: which networks reach São Tomé town and Príncipe's Santo António, how much data you need, and where the signal drops.
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