South America eSIM

One eSIM for a backpacking route through Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Brazil, and on north through Ecuador, Colombia and Central America to Panama. It doesn't cover Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana or Mexico, and in Bolivia it runs on a single network, so check your route against the list above.

What three weeks across Peru, Bolivia and Chile costs

A classic route: 8 days in Peru, 6 in Bolivia and 7 in Chile. Prices checked on 3 November 2026, per phone. Daily passes charge for each day you use the phone abroad.

For a couple on Verizon, that's $504 for the trip. Three UK and Telstra customers pay the most in Bolivia, where neither has a daily pass. We couldn't find current prepaid prices for Peru or Bolivia on the operators' own pages, so we've left them out rather than guess.

Landing at Lima, La Paz, Bogotá, São Paulo and the Galápagos

Switch the kimsim line on as the plane taxis to the gate, with Data Roaming on for the kimsim line only. A change of planes in Lima, Bogotá or Panama City starts your days, because all three countries are covered. A connection in Miami doesn't.

• Lima (LIM): the new Jorge Chávez terminal opened on 1 June 2025. The UK Foreign Office warns of fake taxi drivers at the airport, so book in an app or use an official airport taxi company.
• La Paz (LPB): El Alto sits at about 4,060 metres, the highest international airport in the world. British visitors can stay up to 90 days without a visa.
• Bogotá (BOG): fill in Migración Colombia's Check-MIG form between 72 hours and 1 hour before your flight, and carry an onward ticket. The form is free on migracioncolombia.gov.co, so a site that charges for it isn't the official one.
• São Paulo (GRU) or Rio (GIG): since April 2025, US, Canadian and Australian tourists need Brazil's e-visa, from the official portal only.
• Galápagos (GPS, SCY): since May 2025 you can buy the islands' Transit Control Card online before you fly from Quito or Guayaquil. Do it on Wi-Fi at your hotel.

If the line doesn't connect after a few minutes, see what to do if there's no signal when you land.

Networks and coverage

Your phone shows the local operator's name, not kimsim: Claro, Vivo or TIM in Brazil, Movistar or WOM in Chile, Tigo in Bolivia. In most countries the plan can use two or three networks. Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico and the French islands rely on one.

Movistar has changed hands across the continent. Telefónica sold Movistar Argentina to Telecom Argentina in February 2025. Its Peruvian company became Integratel Perú in June 2025. Millicom, which runs Tigo, bought Movistar in Uruguay and Ecuador in October 2025 and in Colombia in February 2026. So your phone may show Movistar, Tigo or a new name as these brands change. It's the same network either way.

Coverage is generally good in cities and thin in the wild places. The Andes, the Amazon, the Atacama, Patagonia and the Bolivian altiplano have long gaps between masts. In Bolivia, with one network on this plan, a dead zone is a dead zone. Why 5G or 4G shows on your phone

The networks your plan uses are listed above.

Which countries, and which plan

• The Andes route: Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Ecuador are all on this plan, so a Lima to Santiago or Quito to La Paz trip runs on one eSIM.
• Brazil and Iguaçu: the falls sit on the Brazil–Argentina border, and the Friendship Bridge links Foz do Iguaçu with Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. All three countries are covered, unlike a Brazil eSIM on its own.
• Central America: Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala are in. Belize and Mexico aren't; for Mexico, add a Mexico eSIM or pick the Global plan.
• Not covered: Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. We sell a Venezuela eSIM, a Guyana eSIM, a Suriname eSIM and a French Guiana eSIM.
• Islands too: Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin are on this plan. For Jamaica, Barbados or the Dominican Republic, see the Caribbean plan, which also covers eight South American countries but not Chile or Ecuador.
• One country only? A single-country plan such as Peru, Chile, Argentina or Colombia may cost less. Compare the prices in each picker.

Buses, borders and remote trips

• Overnight buses link most capitals. Signal comes and goes on mountain roads, so download tickets and offline maps before you board.
• Bolivia: the UK Foreign Office says protest groups often block roads without warning, and travellers can be stranded in high, remote areas. It also notes there are no official minimum standards for salt flat tour operators. Choose one with a satellite phone or radio.
• Peru's mountains: in the Cordillera Blanca, rescues are usually on foot, and the Foreign Office says to contact iPeru in Huaraz before you set off.
• Patagonia: crossing between Chile and Argentina keeps you on the same eSIM, but the national parks and the roads between towns are largely without signal.
• Galápagos: Claro launched 4G in Puerto Ayora in 2016, while Movistar, the network this plan uses, offered satellite 2G and 3G on the islands. Expect slower data in the towns, and none at sea.

Apps worth having

• Uber runs in Lima, La Paz, Santiago and Buenos Aires. The Foreign Office advises against hailing taxis in the street in Peru and Brazil.
• WhatsApp is how hostels, tour agencies and drivers message you. Keep your WhatsApp number working abroad
• Offline maps: download each country on Wi-Fi before you leave the city.
• Payments: Brazil's Pix moves money between Brazilian bank accounts, so most visitors can't use it. Carry a card that works abroad and some cash for rural Bolivia and Peru.
• Set up ride apps and banking at home, because most send a text code to your usual number.

SIM and phone rules, country by country

• Peru: since November 2025, under Lima and Callao's state of emergency, foreigners can only buy a line in person after a biometric identity check. Osiptel calls the measure temporary. A phone bought abroad and used with a Peruvian SIM must be registered, or the network blocks it after two working days. Visitors roaming on a foreign line don't need to do anything.
• Chile: a foreign phone used with a Chilean SIM must be registered through a certified company; roaming phones are exempt.
• Brazil: prepaid lines are activated with a CPF tax number, a selfie and a photo of your ID.

A kimsim eSIM is a foreign line roaming as a visitor, so none of these counters or registrations apply. It's data only, with no number, and your phone must be unlocked.

Common mistakes

• Assuming "South America" means every country. Venezuela and the Guianas aren't on it, and Mexico isn't either. How regional plans work
• Starting the plan on a stop-over. A connection in Lima, Bogotá or Panama City starts your days. Keep the line off until the trip begins. If your plan started early
• Losing data near a border. Around Iguaçu, Lake Titicaca or the Chile–Argentina passes, your phone can cling to the last country's network. Choose a network by hand
• Using your phone at the kerb. The Foreign Office warns that motorbike riders snatch phones in Peru, and that thieves in Brazil target them. Keep your order email reachable from another device. What to do if your phone is lost or stolen
• Running out on a long trip. Packs are fixed, so check usage before a week in Patagonia or the Amazon. Check how much data you've used

More on South America

• How much data do I need for a week abroad?
• eSIM vs roaming: which is cheaper for your trip?
• Does WhatsApp work with a travel eSIM? Keep your number

How we put this page together

We checked carriers' roaming price pages (Verizon, T-Mobile, Three UK, Telstra), Entel Chile's prepaid page, Peruvian and Chilean phone rules, airport, immigration and Galápagos sites, the UK Foreign Office, company filings and the other sources noted above on 3 November 2026. Our CPF, phone theft and Iguaçu facts use the same sources as our Brazil page. T-Mobile's pages block automated checks, so we read its country list from search listings. The country list and networks come from the plan itself. We haven't measured speeds or coverage ourselves, so coverage notes are general guidance, not a map. kimsim sells the eSIMs on this page.