eSIM for a Kenya and Tanzania safari, Zanzibar included
A safari in Kenya or Tanzania often crosses a border, finishes on a beach in Zanzibar, or adds Uganda for the gorillas. Here is which plan covers which leg, what each costs, and what signal to expect once you are past the park gate.
One plan or two: Kenya, Tanzania or both
If your safari is in one country, buy that country's eSIM: it costs less than an Africa plan of the same size. If it takes in both, one Africa plan costs less than a Kenya plan and a Tanzania plan together, and you install one eSIM instead of two.
| Plan | In Kenya | In Tanzania | 5GB, 30 days | 10GB, 30 days | Endless, a week at 1GB a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Safaricom, 4G | Not covered | US$21.40 | US$37.30 | US$34.80 |
| Tanzania | Not covered | Airtel, with 5G | US$35.40 | US$62.90 | US$49.50 |
| Africa, 21 countries | Airtel, with 5G | Airtel, with 5G | US$38.60 | US$68.80 | US$63.50 |
The trade in Kenya is the network. Our Kenya plan uses Safaricom, which our Kenya page calls the country's dominant network; the Africa plans use Airtel there. If most of your days are in Kenya's parks, ask your safari operator which network works at your camps before you choose.
Every one of these plans starts counting days when it first connects in a country it covers, so you can install it at home and it waits. Only the 100MB trial plans start on install, and the plan says so before you buy.
Which Africa plan covers your route
We sell two Africa lists, and they are not the same countries. Both cover Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Rwanda and Zimbabwe are on the 21 country list only; South Africa and Botswana on the 25+ list only.
| Country | Africa, 21 countries | Africa, 25+ countries | Its own plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tanzania, Zanzibar included | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Uganda | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rwanda | Yes | No | Yes |
| Zambia | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Zimbabwe | Yes | No | Yes |
| Botswana | No | Yes | Yes |
| South Africa | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mozambique | No | No | Yes |
| Ethiopia | No | No | Yes |
The prices in the first table are the 21 country list. The 25+ list sells sizes up to 5GB and costs more at 5GB, so pick it only when your route needs a country the 21 list leaves out. Our Africa page lists every country on each plan.
On safari: towns, gates and the open plains
Expect good signal in the towns, at the park gates and along the main routes, and stretches with no coverage from any network deep inside the big parks such as the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and the Maasai Mara. That is true of every network there, not only ours.
So treat each game drive as offline. Before you leave a town or a camp with signal, download offline maps of the park, your bookings and anything you want to read. Photos and videos can wait until you are back in range or on wifi.
When the bars drop, do not delete the eSIM or change its settings: it reconnects on its own when signal comes back. Lodge wifi is often slow, because many camps run it over a satellite link, so your own data is usually what keeps messages moving between camps. Our guide to remote areas and backup plans covers offline maps and what to do with no signal.
Zanzibar: part of Tanzania, the same plan
Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, so a Tanzania plan works there with nothing to change, and so do both Africa plans. A safari in the north followed by a week on the beach in Stone Town or the east coast runs on one eSIM.
Our Tanzania plans run on Airtel, with 5G, which the Tanzania page says covers Zanzibar, the northern safari towns and the main routes well. Its plans start at US$9.20 for 1GB.
If your trip starts in Nairobi and ends in Zanzibar, a Kenya plan stops at the border and a Tanzania plan only starts once you cross: that is the trip where an Africa plan earns its keep. If the Kenya leg is only a night in Nairobi between flights, airport and hotel wifi may be enough, and a Tanzania plan covers the rest.
Adding Uganda, Rwanda, Victoria Falls or South Africa
Gorilla treks and the falls are the common add ons, and each changes which list fits. Uganda is on both Africa lists, Rwanda on the 21 country list only, so a Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda trip fits the 21 country list.
Victoria Falls sits on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Both are on the 21 country list; the 25+ list has Zambia only. Botswana, for Chobe or the Okavango, is on the 25+ list only, and no plan we sell covers Zimbabwe and Botswana together, so a falls and Chobe trip needs two eSIMs or one plan plus wifi. We have no plan for Namibia.
South Africa is on the 25+ list only. For a trip that is mostly South Africa, our own South Africa plan, on Vodacom, costs less: 5GB for 30 days is US$13.90.
Mozambique and Ethiopia: their own plans only
Neither Mozambique nor Ethiopia is on either Africa list, so each needs its own plan. Our Mozambique plans start at US$11.10 for 1GB and our Ethiopia plans at US$9.90.
We sell no unlimited or daily plan for Mozambique, so plan a fixed amount there. A beach week on the Mozambique coast after a South African safari is a second eSIM: install both at home and switch which line uses data when you cross. Your phone keeps both, and our guide to keeping your home number shows how to pick the data line.
If your flights connect through Addis Ababa, a few hours in transit rarely need a plan: airport wifi is usually enough. You only need an Ethiopia plan if you leave the airport, and our guide to an eSIM for a stopover explains when a short plan is worth it.
Where your data exits, and banking app checks
Most travel eSIMs send your data out to the internet through a hub in another country, and ours do too. Our Kenya plans exit in Israel, our Tanzania plans and the 21 country Africa plan in Singapore, and the 25+ country Africa plan in the United Kingdom or Norway.
That does not change your signal or speed on safari. It can change what websites see: a banking app may ask for an extra check, or a streaming app may show another country's catalogue. Keep your home SIM switched on, with its data roaming off, so text message codes from your bank still reach you.
Each destination page lists the exit for every plan. Our guide to where your eSIM's internet comes out explains what to expect and why.
How much data on safari, and Endless for photo uploads
Less than at home on most days, because game drives are offline. Across our travellers the median day online used 470MB (July to October 2026), and a safari day with patchy signal usually uses less.
For a week on safari with a few nights in towns, 3GB to 5GB is usually enough for maps, messages and some photos. Uploading video every evening, or video calls home from camp, pushes you toward 10GB.
If you would rather not count, Endless is our unlimited eSIM with one price for the whole trip. At 1GB a day a week costs US$34.80 in Kenya, US$49.50 in Tanzania and US$63.50 on the 21 country Africa list; two weeks on that list are US$125. After the day's 1GB the speed drops until it refills: to 1 Mbps in Kenya and on the Africa list, and to 512 kbps in Tanzania, where 3GB a day keeps 1 Mbps for US$160.10 a week.
Prices for popular trips
- Kenyafrom US$6.20
- Tanzaniafrom US$9.20
- Africafrom US$9.90
- Ugandafrom US$10.30
- Rwandafrom US$10.30
- South Africafrom US$4.70
Cheapest plan with 1GB or more, in US dollars from our catalogue, updated 27 Sep 2026.
Questions travellers ask
Does a Kenya eSIM work in Tanzania?
No. Our Kenya plans cover Kenya only, and our Tanzania plans cover Tanzania only. Both of our Africa plans cover Kenya and Tanzania together, so a safari that crosses the border can run on one of those.
Will my eSIM work in the Serengeti or the Maasai Mara?
In the towns, at the gates and along the main routes, usually yes. Deep inside the big parks there are stretches with no coverage from any network, so download offline maps and your bookings before each game drive, and do not delete the eSIM if the bars drop.
Is there one eSIM for Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar?
Yes. Both of our Africa plans cover Kenya and Tanzania on one eSIM, and Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, so it is covered too. If your trip is Tanzania and Zanzibar only, our Tanzania plan covers both.
Do I need to register a travel eSIM in Kenya?
No. Local Kenyan SIMs need ID registration, but a roaming eSIM does not. You install it before you fly and it connects when you land, with no paperwork.
Is there an eSIM for Mozambique?
Yes, our Mozambique plan, which covers Mozambique only. Neither of our Africa plans includes it, and we sell no unlimited plan for it, so a trip that adds Mozambique needs its own eSIM for that leg.
Which Africa eSIM covers South Africa?
Our larger Africa plan, the 25+ country list, covers South Africa; the 21 country list does not. For a trip that is mostly South Africa, our South Africa plan costs less than the Africa plan of the same size.