The simplest approach in 2026: if your phone supports it, activate a travel eSIM so you're online the moment you land, then buy a cheap local SIM in town for the best value across the rest of your trip. If you'd rather just buy a local SIM, the three networks worth considering are Vodacom, Airtel and Yas (the rebranded Tigo). Skip Halotel, its coverage is the weakest for tourists.

A local SIM costs under a dollar; the real cost is the data bundle, which is cheap. The rest of this page covers which network for where, the registration to expect, and the honest truth about signal in the parks.

There's no single best network, it depends where you're going:

• Vodacom — the largest network with the widest overall coverage; a strong default, and the better choice around Arusha, Moshi and Kilimanjaro.
• Airtel — a reliable option, particularly noted for reasonable coverage around the Ngorongoro area.
• Yas (formerly Tigo) — strong all-round coverage, often the pick if your trip combines the Serengeti and Zanzibar.

For a typical northern safari plus Zanzibar, any of the three will keep you connected on the main routes. Halotel is cheap but the weakest for tourists, so we don't recommend it.

• Local physical SIM — the best value, especially for longer stays or heavier data use. You buy it in-store with your passport. Note that the main local networks don't generally sell eSIMs direct to tourists, so the physical SIM is the local route.
• Travel eSIM — convenient and instant: no shop, no queue, no registration, and you're online as you land. It costs more than a local SIM (often 30 to 50% more), and the well-known travel-eSIM services typically run on the Vodacom network.

The strategy most travellers like: an eSIM for the first day or two, then a local SIM once you reach a city for the cheapest data across the trip.

You can buy a SIM at the airport (there's a network store right outside arrivals at Dar es Salaam, and kiosks at Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar airports) or at network stores in town. Airport prices are usually higher than in the city.

Registration is mandatory and takes a little patience: bring your passport, and expect biometric registration (fingerprint and photo), which can take 20 to 30 minutes in a busy store. Top up afterwards with scratchcards, mobile money or the network's app. An eSIM skips all of this, which is part of its appeal.

Be realistic here. On the main tourist routes and at many lodges you'll get usable signal, Vodacom in particular reaches a lot of the popular areas, and Yas does well in the Serengeti. But remote camps often have little or no signal, and that's normal. Treat connectivity in the bush as a bonus, not a guarantee.

Lodge WiFi varies enormously, from good in larger lodges to slow or evening-only at remote, solar-powered camps. Many guests come to enjoy the disconnection. If you genuinely need to stay reachable, tell us and we'll factor connectivity into the lodge choices.

If being reachable matters for your trip, whether for work or family, we can factor connectivity into your route and lodge choices, and tell you honestly where you'll be offline. Most guests, though, find a cheap local SIM or eSIM covers everything they need on the main routes.

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