Updated for 2026
The quick version: For most visitors, an eSIM is the easiest way to get online. Buy one before you fly (Saily or Airalo start around five dollars, Holafly does unlimited), install it, and you are connected the moment you land, with no store visit and no paperwork. For a longer stay, the cheapest option with the best rural coverage is a local Claro SIM, which by law has to be registered with your passport in person. Data is cheap, 4G is fast in the cities, 5G exists but is limited, and Wi-Fi is everywhere. One more thing to know: everything in Colombia runs on WhatsApp.
Getting connected in Colombia is genuinely easy, and you have two good options. The only real decision is whether you want the convenience of an eSIM or the lower cost and wider reach of a local SIM card. I have lived in Medellín since 2019, and here is how I would think about it.
The Short Answer: eSIM or Local SIM?
An eSIM is the right call for most trips. You buy it online, install it before you travel, and it works as soon as you arrive. There is no shop to find, no line to stand in, and crucially no passport registration. The trade-offs are that international eSIMs are usually data-only, so no local phone number or calls, and they mostly run on 4G.
A local SIM card makes more sense if you are staying a while, heading into the countryside, want the cheapest possible data, or need a local number for calls and bookings. The catch is that Colombian law requires every SIM to be registered to your passport in person, so it takes a store visit.
For a one or two week trip, get an eSIM. For a month or more, or a lot of rural travel, get a Claro SIM. You can also do both.
eSIM: The Easy Option
To use an eSIM your phone needs to be unlocked and eSIM-compatible, which covers most recent iPhones and Android flagships. Buy a plan from a provider like Saily, Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, or Ubigi, install it before you fly, and it activates when you connect in Colombia.
On price, the budget providers are cheap: roughly five to seven dollars for 1GB over a week, and around 36 dollars for a generous 20GB over a month. If you would rather not watch your usage at all, Holafly sells an unlimited-data plan for about 98 dollars a month. For normal travel use, maps, WhatsApp, social media, bookings, a mid-size data plan is plenty.
One detail worth checking before you buy: most international eSIMs roam on either Movistar or Claro’s network, and a few of the best-known ones run on Movistar, which is weaker once you leave the cities. If your trip includes the coffee region countryside, the coast, or other rural areas, pick a provider that uses Claro. The big local carriers also sell their own eSIMs now, so you can get a Claro or Movistar eSIM directly if you want their network or a local number without the plastic.
Local SIM Cards
Colombia’s main carriers are Claro, which has the best nationwide coverage and is the one I would recommend, especially for rural travel, followed by Movistar and Tigo, which are solid in the cities, and WOM, which is cheap but more limited.
The one rule to remember: by Colombian law, every prepaid SIM has to be registered with your name and passport number, and the store will take a copy of your passport. So bring it, and buy from an official carrier store rather than a random kiosk, which avoids registration problems later. You can buy at the airport on arrival, which is convenient but pricier, or more cheaply at a Claro store or a supermarket like Éxito.
The SIM itself is cheap, usually 5,000 to 20,000 pesos, but a bare SIM comes with no data, so you then add a package. The simplest route for a visitor is a tourist SIM that comes with data and minutes preloaded for 7 or 15 days. Otherwise you just top up, a recarga, and activate a data package. The payoff over an eSIM is a local number and the cheapest data going.
Coverage, 4G and 5G
For day-to-day use, 4G is what matters, and it is fast and reliable across Medellín, Bogotá, Cartagena, Cali, the coffee region, and the main tourist areas. Claro has the widest reach into smaller towns and the countryside.
5G has been live since 2024, but only in the big cities, and it is still patchy and not always available on prepaid or international eSIM plans. Treat it as a nice bonus rather than something to count on. The honest weak spots are the genuinely remote areas, the Amazon, the Pacific coast, and the high Andes, where signal drops off and in some far corners only Claro works at all. If you are taking a day trip into the countryside, download offline maps before you go.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is everywhere and usually free. Cafés, hostels, hotels, malls, and coworking spaces almost all have it, and Medellín in particular is a major remote-work hub, so connectivity is rarely a problem. The one habit worth keeping is to use a VPN on public Wi-Fi, which is covered in the safety guide.
A Word on WhatsApp
This is the part travelers underestimate. Colombia runs on WhatsApp. Hotels confirm bookings on it, tour operators and drivers coordinate on it, restaurants take orders on it, and most businesses list a WhatsApp number rather than expecting a call. Any data plan covers it, so make sure it is set up and working. It will be your main line of communication for the whole trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is eSIM available in Colombia? Yes. International providers like Saily, Airalo, and Holafly all cover Colombia, and the local carriers Claro, Movistar, and Tigo sell their own eSIMs too.
Do I need a passport to buy a SIM card in Colombia? Yes, for a physical local SIM. Colombian law requires every SIM to be registered to your passport, and the store will take a copy. eSIMs from international providers skip this step.
eSIM or physical SIM, which should I get? An eSIM for a short trip, for the convenience of arriving already connected. A local Claro SIM for a longer stay, heavy rural travel, or if you need a local phone number.
Which carrier has the best coverage? Claro, especially outside the major cities.
Is there 5G in Colombia? Yes, in the big cities since 2024, but it is still limited and not always available on prepaid or eSIM plans. 4G is the norm and is fast where you will spend your time.
Do I even need mobile data, or is Wi-Fi enough? Wi-Fi is widespread, but a small eSIM data plan is well worth it for maps and WhatsApp when you are out and about.
