Mauritius: Best Tourist eSIMs Reviewed (2024)

Mauritius – known for its rum, glorious beaches & the extinct Dodo.

It is an expensive resort travel destination. But it is still a fascinating country.

You could explore one of the many national parks and rainforests, such as the Black River Gorges National Park.

Or see the multicolored sand dunes in the Chamarel Seven Colored Earth Geopark.

Perhaps the Chamarel Waterfall will awe you.

As you can see, there is no reason to be bored in Mauritius.

But, you better have your wallet filled to the brim because this country is truly expensive.

So would international roaming be, so I do not recommend it.

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

You can get an eSIM for Mauritius for as little as 9.50 USD and up to 54 USD from Airalo (Mornecom) and Holafly.

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

Original publication: 3^rd of November 2022. Last updated: 5^th of April 2024.

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Table of Contents

Airalo Mornecom eSIM for Mauritius

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 Mauritius: Mornecom.

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 Mauritius, the Airalo Mornecom eSIM uses the Mauritius Telecom network up to 4G/LTE (no 5G NR yet).

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

1. Mauritius/Mornecom 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 7.50 USD
2. Mauritius/Mornecom 2 GB eSIM for 15 days, costing 14 USD
3. Mauritius/Mornecom 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 9.50 USD
4. Mauritius/Mornecom 5 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 30 USD

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 Mornecom eSIM through the Airalo website or apps.

So if you need 5 GB of data, you can purchase the Mornecom 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 Mauritius soon, as it did for many other countries it supports.

I can already tell you that Airalo has the cheapest eSIM options for Mauritius in this guide.

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 Mauritian 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).

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 4G/LTE connections with the Airalo Mauritius Mornecom eSIM, your speeds will most likely not be faster than someone using a local SIM card.

That is because you are roaming on the Mauritius Telecom 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 Mauritius Mornecom 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).

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Holafly eSIM for Mauritius

Holafly is one of the many travel eSIM resellers and is one of the popular ones.

In June, they started offering unlimited data plans for some its eSIMs, making Holafly unique.

And these unlimited data eSIMs can be used in various East– and Southeast Asian countries, almost all European Union member states (except for Liechtenstein) & a few other countries, like Canada and the United States.

Unfortunately, unlimited data eSIMs are not available in Mauritius… yet.

I say yet because Holafly's goal is to offer unlimited data plans for every country it covers: 150+ countries.

And I can tell you that I get positive emails multiple times a week from Phone Travel Wiz readers that have used the unlimited data plans in East- and Southeast Asia, Europe & North America; they love these eSIMs.

For now, you have three Holafly Mauritius eSIMs (which uses the Emtel network):

1. Mauritius Unlimited Data eSIM for 5 days, costing 27 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. Mauritius Unlimited Data eSIM for 7 days, costing 34 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
3. Mauritius Unlimited Data eSIM for 10 days, costing 37 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in December based on data up to the 30^th of December (2023 data only).

As expected, you cannot use 5G NR (yet) with the Holafly Mauritius eSIM, nor can you call and text (it is a data-only eSIM).

Moreover, you cannot top up or extend the validity with the Holafly Mauritius eSIM – so you need to buy another eSIM when you are out of data or the eSIM expires; you have to purchase a new one.

But you can get 5% off each and any Holafly purchase (so it does not have to be the Mauritius eSIM) when you use code PHONETRAVELWIZ 😏.

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Local Mauritian 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 three mobile operators in Mauritius: my.t by Mauritius Telecom, Emtel & CHiLi by MTML.

Currently, my.t by Mauritius Telecom, Emtel & CHiLi by MTML offer eSIMs to prepaid customers.

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

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International eSIM for Mauritius & More Countries

Okay, I went over the Mauritius travel eSIM options offered by Airalo and Holafly.

As expected, these eSIMs can only be used in Mauritius and not in neighboring Madagascar, Malawi or the Seychelles.

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 has regional, global & international eSIMs covering at least 80 countries; some include Mauritius too.

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

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Airalo Hello Africa eSIM

Airalo also has the Hello Africa eSIM covering 26 countries with two variants: 1 GB/7 days – very popular with PTW readers & 3 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers.

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.

As you can see, the Hello Africa eSIM cannot be used in Mauritius (yet).

However, as many who visit Mauritius do not just stay in Mauritius (they often go to Malawi or Madagascar as well), you can consider it.

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Overview of the Best eSIMs for Mauritius (Airalo vs. Holafly)

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

But I also informed you that you can get my.t by Mauritius Telecom, Emtel & CHiLi by MTML eSIMs as a prepaid customer.

However, you will have to deal with the Mauritian SIM card registration requirements (and internet censorship).

These are things you do not have to deal with the travel eSIMs offered by Airalo, Holafly & Nomad.

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

• Airalo Mauritius Mornecom eSIM (top pick)
• Holafly Mauritius eSIM

Remember to use code PHONETRAVELWIZ for Holafly eSIMs – a code is unnecessary for Airalo eSIM purchases.

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Buying a SIM Card in Mauritius

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

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