Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, made popular by the Netflix series “Money Heist”, is one of Africa’s most important tourist centers. It has multiple places that you can’t miss during your vacations here, such as the Nairobi National Park or the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. However, these places are only the tip of the iceberg. If you want to explore everything that this capital city offers you, we recommend that you forget about roaming. Instead, we invite you to find out how you can connect with the new eSIM with data for Nairobi. This new card will connect you to the International internet as soon as you arrive at the airport at an incredible price!
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Requirements to install the eSIM card for Nairobi
The first thing you should know about eSIMs is that they are pretty new products, so, they use innovative technology. Important to realize that not all cellphones support this technology. For this reason, you must meet some requirements if you want to use an International eSIM to have internet in Nairobi. To help you save some time and money, we have briefly summarized these requirements in the following list:
- Your smartphone must support the eSIM technology, and your provider must be compatible with your smartphone. In most cases, carriers are more compatible with iPhone models.
- Your email service must be active.
- Once you have your eSIM and carry out the activation process, remember that you must have a prior internet connection to activate the eSIM correctly.
- The SIM can only be activated when you arrive at your destination.
(You may be interested in Best eSIM for the USA)
Cellular providers of eSIM cards to travel to Nairobi
Providers play a fundamental role in you having an eSIM with data for Nairobi. Indeed, they are the ones who offer this product to travelers and even to residents of this city. Among them, we can find international eSIM carriers, which are companies or online stores that sell eSIM cards with international data for vacations or short business trips. Buying an eSIM with them is quite simple. However, their eSIMs usually have fairly short validity periods.
On the other hand, local providers, which are usually national cellular operators that offer eSIM through prepaid and postpaid plans, usually have a much more cumbersome and lengthy purchase process. For example, they usually ask for personal documentation such as passports or foreign citizenship cards to activate the data plan.
In the case of Nairobi, if you want to buy an eSIM for your vacation, the only option available is through international providers, which are:
Holafly stands out among them, as it’s the one with the most reasonable data rate to connect to the internet during a vacation in Nairobi.
Prices and data plans of eSIM providers to travel to Nairobi
You already know what you need to have an eSIM and you already know which providers can offer you an eSIM. But, do you know how much it can cost you to have internet with this eSIM? If the answer is no, don’t worry because below we’re going to present a price list and a comparative chart with the rate and data plans of each of these providers. This way you can compare them and draw conclusions based on your needs and preferences.
However, remember that is not always about the price. Another aspect that you must consider is coverage, which we will talk about later. We will show you coverage maps and highlight the best cellular networks in this country.
Holafly plans and prices in Nairobi
- 15 days with 6 GB at $44 USD
FlexiRoam plans and prices in Nairobi
- 3 GB for 15 days at $50
Comparison of eSIM providers for Nairobi
| Provider | Data | Days | Price (USD) | Language | Sales channels |
| Holafly | 6 GB | 15 | $44 | Spanish, English, French, and German | Web |
| FlexiRoam | 3 GB | 15 | $52 | English | Play Store, App Store |
Features of the eSIM to travel to Nairobi
We know that eSIMs are a fairly recent product. So, it’s normal that you’re not familiar with its advantages and limitations. Therefore, so that you have a much more complete picture of what an eSIM is and what you can have during your vacation in Nairobi, we have made the following list of general features. There you’ll see some advantages, disadvantages, specific and general characteristics, etc.
- Most eSIMs only offer data. So, if you need to make or receive calls, you can do so through data consuming apps such as WhatsApp or Skype.
- If your smartphone is Apple or some other high-end brand, you can use your eSIM at the same time as your traditional SIM card. That is, it will automatically convert your smartphone into a DualSIM device.
- The eSIM plans can accrue, that is, you can have several eSIMs on your cellphone, but you can only use one at the same time.
- You can only install them once after purchase, so avoid uninstalling your eSIM at all costs.
- With some providers, you can enjoy additional benefits, such as the Holafly eSIM for Nairobi which offers you to share the internet with your friends.
- The shipping cost and the waiting time is zero.
(You may be interested in Best eSIM for Europe)
Cellular coverage of the eSIM to travel to Nairobi
As we mentioned before, the data rate is not everything. It’s pointless to have an unlimited data plan if the eSIM coverage is poor or almost zero. The reason for this is mainly due to the problems that poor coverage comes along with. For example, the apps and pages you search for on your cellphone won’t load or might load quite slowly, and you may even end up without a signal in some areas of Nairobi.
If you don’t want to end up in this kind of situation, with a throbbing headache during your vacation, we recommend that, before choosing which provider to connect to the internet, you do your research. Find out to which provider’s cellular network will you connect to once you arrive in Nairobi. For example, the Holafly eSIM connects you to one of the best cellular networks in this country, those of Airtel, one of the best cellular operators in Kenya. Therefore, your coverage will be quite good throughout your vacation.
Airtel 4G coverage map in Nairobi
Local cellular operators offering eSIM in Nairobi
As you may well know, there’s currently no local cellular provider or operator in Kenya that offers its residents or travelers an eSIM to connect to the internet. However, this doesn’t mean that there won’t be a local eSIM for Nairobi, since it’s a fairly important city for the African continent and with quite noticeable development. Meanwhile, the only option available to have internet with this new product is through international providers, of which only Holafly stands out.
FAQ about eSIM for Nairobi
If you have any doubts, then we will answer the most frequently asked questions that travelers usually have regarding the eSIM for Nairobi.
You can investigate the compatibility of your smartphone with eSIMs on the internet, or by checking the specifications of your cellphone. However, the easiest way is to search for your cellphone in the article about eSIM-compatible smartphones.
This depends on each provider. In the case of Holafly eSIM for Nairobi, you can share data with more devices.
The activation process will depend on the operating system of your smartphone. You must scan the QR code that you receive by email when making your purchase. Once you do this, you must choose the virtual SIM as the default means of cellular data, activate data, and roaming, and that’s it! Your virtual SIM will now work.
Different options also provide you with cellular data during your trip to Nairobi. Among these options, we find the Pockets WiFi and the roaming of your domestic operator. However, these usually have a much more expensive data rate than those offered by the eSIM.
To begin with there are no local eSIM providers in Nairobi. But if there were, to buy an eSIM with them, you must request a data plan at the physical stores available in Nairobi. Once there, what you should do is request a data plan that includes eSIM. Remember that to buy a data plan, cellular operators ask for documents or ID such as passports, so don’t forget to bring yours.
The physical branches of Nairobi cellular operators are usually found in business centers or places with a high affluence of people. These areas can be shopping malls or around airports or terminals.
