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Guinea: Best Tourist eSIMs Reviewed (2024)

Guinea is certainly not the popular travel destination in (West) Africa.

So, what are your local or travel eSIM options for Guinea?

You can get an eSIM for Guinea for as little as 9 USD from Airalo (Guinea Miyahu).

I will also introduce you to a few global eSIMs that be used in Guinea and 80+ other countries, including Guinea's neighbors, for competitive rates.

Buying an eSIM for Guinea Guide (logos of Airalo and Guinea Miyahu)

Original publication: 18th of December 2022. Last updated: 7th of March 2024.


Table of Contents

In a Hurry? A Quick Introduction

I will write about two eSIM options in Guinea (and explain why they are included).

But if you want to quickly check out what the best eSIMs are for Guinea without my analysis and explanations, here is an overview of the eSIMs covered in this guide:

The eSIM providers are in alphabetical order per grouping (Guinea-only, regional & global) – not in order of preference (you would have to read the complete guide to find out which eSIMs I love the most for Guinea 😜).

Let's truly get started, shall we?


Airalo Guinea Miyahu eSIM for Guinea

Airalo Logo
© Airalo

Airalo is the most popular eSIM platform, covering around 190 countries (more than any other eSIM platform out there).

That is because it is the largest and oldest eSIM platform worldwide.

Airalo has an eSIM that can be used in Guinea: Guinea Miyahu.

Guinea Guinea Miyahu eSIM Airalo
© Airalo

Travel eSIM providers like Airalo set up roaming agreements with local mobile operators.

But do not get too worried about the term roaming – you will not get a 3000 USD roaming bill.

What Airalo does, and basically all mobile operators do, is partner up with a local mobile operator so that their customers can still stay connected when abroad.

In Guinea, the Airalo Guinea Miyahu eSIM uses the MTN Guinea network up to 3G (no 4G/LTE and certainly no 5G NR anytime soon).

MTN Logo
© MTN

Be aware: most travel eSIMs, including Airalo's Guinea Guinea Miyahu eSIM, are data-only eSIMs, so you cannot call or text with them (nor can you receive any calls or SMS).

  1. Guinea/Guinea Miyahu 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 9 USD
  2. Guinea/Guinea Miyahu 2 GB eSIM for 15 days, costing 18.50 USD
  3. Guinea/Guinea Miyahu 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 26.50 USD
Airalo Guinea Guinea Miyahu eSIM with Prices
See the list above for up-to-date prices and allowances. The figures in this image may be outdated.

Once again: you will be restricted to 3G – not 4G/LTE with the Guinea Miyahu eSIM (unlike most Airalo eSIMs).

Now, you may think this is a sad selection or that 1 GB of data is insufficient.

Both points are true… I agree – but you can make unlimited top-ups with the Guinea Miyahu eSIM through the Airalo website or apps.

So if you need 5 GB of data, you can purchase the Guinea Miyahu 1 GB eSIM and get four 1 GB top-ups.

Yes, it is a bit inconvenient for now; Airalo may offer 3 GB, 5 GB & 10 GB plans with a 30-day validity for Guinea soon, as it did for many other countries it supports.

What makes things even more pleasant is that you can top up your eSIM when it is expiring or when you are out of data without the need to purchase a new eSIM.

But you may think that a local SIM card or eSIM will (still) be cheaper than Airalo or any other travel eSIM.

And you are right – that is true in most cases.

However, you will have to deal with the Guinean SIM card registration laws.

(Why does this matter? Because hackers can steal your (critical) personal data if the mobile operator does not secure your data properly, like what happened in Australia (10 million Optus customers were affected, where info, like passport numbers, were stolen (including mine – luckily not my passport number but my boyfriend was not as lucky) or Indonesia (1.3 billion SIM card-related data was hacked)).

Most mobile operators in Africa will only sell you (overpriced) tourist SIM cards (when available) or the most expensive plans because of “mandatory new plan requirements” (which are often lies to take more of your money).

  • Find out which countries have SIM card registration regulations and what is required from you (lookup tool)
SIM Card Registration Worldwide Tool by Phone Travel Wiz

So yes, you could get cheaper plans, but the question is if you can actually get them.

Oh, you should also be aware of the following, you can get up to 3G connections with the Airalo Guinea Guinea Miyahu eSIM, your speeds will most likely not be faster than someone using a local SIM card.

That is because you are roaming on the MTN Guinea network instead of being a native customers

But that does not mean you will have (extremely) slow speeds – just (slightly) slower than native customers.

Anyway, the Airalo Guinea Guinea Miyahu eSIM is fantastic and is the eSIM I, and many Phone Travel Wiz readers, recommend the most.

The eSIMs are affordable, the data allowances can be tailored to your needs (1 GB only, but unlimited top-ups are available) & you will have a smooth network experience (in most cases).


Local Guinean eSIM for Prepaid Customers

If you want the best and full network experience, including being able to call and text, you want to get a local eSIM.

You have four mobile operators in Guinea: Orange Guinea, MTN Guinea & Cellcom Guinea.

Currently, no Guinean mobile operator offers eSIMs to prepaid customers.

For more information about the plans offered by the Guinean mobile operators, check out my Guinea SIM card buying guide.

Buying a SIM Card in Guinea Guide (logos of MTN, Orange & Cellcom)

International eSIM for Guinea & More Countries

Okay, I went over the Guinea travel eSIM options offered by Airalo.

As expected, these eSIMs can only be used in Guinea and not in neighboring Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali or Senegal.

So what if you plan on visiting any of those countries, or you are on a world tour and wish to use one eSIM in multiple countries – do you have any other options?

Yes, you do. Airalo have regional, global & international eSIMs covering at least 80 countries; some include Guinea too.

So let's see which multi-country eSIMs can be used in Guinea and other countries, including Guinea's neighbors.


Airalo Hello Africa eSIM

Hello Africa Africa eSIM Airalo
© Airalo

Airalo also has the Hello Africa eSIM covering 26 countries with two variants: 1 GB/30 days very popular with PTW readers and 3 GB/30 daysmost popular with PTW readers.

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in December based on data up to the 30th of December (2023 data only). The (promotional) prices were updated on the 31st of January.

Like Asia, the Caribbean, Europe & Latin America, many readers tend to visit multiple African countries, so they would rather have a travel eSIM covering multiple countries than just one.

The Hello Africa eSIM can be used in 27 countries in Africa:

  • Algeria
  • Botswana
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cameroon
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Congo, Democratic Republic of (Kinshasa)
  • Congo, Republic of (Brazzaville)
  • Eswatini (Swaziland) 1
  • Gabon
  • Ghana
  • Guinea 1
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Ivory Coast
  • Kenya
  • Liberia
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Namibia 1
  • Nigeria
  • Rwanda
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • Tanzania
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda
  • South Africa

1 on 3G only

Airalo Hello Africa eSIM Eligible Countries Map Infographic by Phone Travel Wiz (October 2023 Version)

Do you think the map above is nice, but you want a country list instead (because you do not recognize the countries on a map🗿)? You can find it in my Airalo review!

Below is an overview of how much each Hello Africa eSIM costs:

  1. Africa/Hello Africa 1 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 27 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
  2. Africa/Hello Africa 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 59 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in December based on data up to the 30th of December (2023 data only). The (promotional) prices were updated on the 31st of January.

With the Hello Africa eSIM, you can save a lot of money by skipping the initial SIM card costs per country you visit.


Overview of the Best eSIMs for Guinea (Airalo)

I introduced you to various travel eSIMs that can be used in Guinea.

So, which eSIM do I recommend the most? Here is my recommendation order:

Phone Travel Wiz Approved Seal

Buying a SIM Card in Guinea

Want to just use a SIM card but not your current one because roaming will be criminally expensive?

Consider getting a Guinean SIM card instead – local SIM cards are the cheapest way to stay connected abroad.

Buying a SIM Card in Guinea Guide (logos of MTN, Orange & Cellcom)