Senegal is certainly not the popular travel destination in (West) Africa.
But it still has a lot to offer.
So, what are your local or travel eSIM options for Senegal?
You can get an eSIM for Senegal for as little as 9.50 USD and up to 27 USD from Airalo (Ratba Mobile).
I will also introduce you to a few global eSIMs that be used in Senegal and 80+ other countries, including Senegal's neighbors, for competitive rates.
Original publication: 18th of December 2022. Last updated: 10th of September 2023.
Table of Contents
In a Hurry? A Quick Introduction
I will write about three eSIM options in Senegal (and explain why they are included).
But if you want to quickly check out what the best eSIMs are for Senegal without my analysis and explanations, here is an overview of the eSIMs covered in this guide:
- Airalo Senegal Ratba Mobile eSIM with two choices between 1 GB and 3 GB (top pick)
- Airalo Hello Africa eSIM with two choices between 1 GB and 3 GB
- Airalo Discover(+) eSIM (formerly Discover Global) with 12 choices between 1 GB and 20 GB (extensive global coverage (130+ countries) at attractive prices) + ability to make and receive calls & send and receive SMS (new) – read my ongoing Airalo Discover(+) (Global) eSIM review too!
The eSIM providers are in alphabetical order per grouping (Senegal-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 Senegal 😜).
Let's truly get started, shall we?
Airalo Retba Mobile eSIM for Senegal
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 Senegal: Retba Mobile.
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 Senegal, the Airalo Retba Mobile eSIM uses the Orange Senegal network up to 4G/LTE (no 5G NR yet).
Be aware: most travel eSIMs, including Airalo's Senegal Retba Mobile eSIM, are data-only eSIMs, so you cannot call or text with them (nor can you receive any calls or SMS).
- Senegal/Retba Mobile 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 9.50 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- Senegal/Retba Mobile 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 27 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in September based on data up to the 7th of September (2023 data only).
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 Senegalese 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)
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 Senegal Ratba Mobile eSIM, your speeds will most likely not be faster than someone using a local SIM card.
That is because you are roaming on the Orange Senegal 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 Senegal Ratba Mobile 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 to 3 GB + top-ups are available) & you will have a smooth network experience (in most cases).
- Check out my Airalo eSIM reviews
Local Senegalese 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 Senegal: Orange, Free & Expresso.
Currently, only Orange Senegal offer(s) eSIMs.
Of them, none offers eSIMs to prepaid customers.
For more information about the plans offered by Orange Senegal, check out my Senegal SIM card buying guide.
International eSIM for Senegal & More Countries
Okay, I went over the Senegal travel eSIM options offered by Airalo.
As expected, these eSIMs can only be used in Senegal and not in neighboring Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, or Mauritania.
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 Senegal too.
So let's see which multi-country eSIMs can be used in Senegal and other countries, including Senegal's neighbors.
Airalo Hello Africa eSIM
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 days – most popular with PTW readers.
Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in September based on data up to the 7th of September (2023 data only).
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
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:
- Africa/Hello Africa 1 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 27 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- 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 September based on data up to the 7th of September (2023 data only).
With the Hello Africa eSIM, you can save a lot of money by skipping the initial SIM card costs per country you visit.
Airalo Discover(+) eSIM (formerly Discover Global)
Airalo was probably the first eSIM provider to introduce a global eSIM – it was called Discover Global.
I have had decent to good experiences with that eSIM, but I felt it could improve.
Such as extending the validity of most plans (maximum used to be 180 days) and having 5G NR access in popular destinations (like many regional Airalo eSIMs do nowadays, even country-specific ones).
In August 2023, Airalo made a radical change to its global eSIM.
Until then, the eSIM could be used in about 85 countries – always up to 4G/LTE (with some networks on 3G only).
This eSIM was powered by FL1 Telecom Liechtenstein (network name can be Mobilkom (Liechtenstein) at times).
This mobile operator worked well in Europe and some Asian countries, but it was often one of the slowest performing (Airalo eSIMs).
Now, Airalo's global eSIM is called Discover(+).
It is powered by eSIM Go (which is basically Drei Austria).
The difference between the Airalo Discover and Airalo Discover+ eSIMs is that the latter has calling and texting functionalities (with an Austrian +43 phone number).
Because of this, Discover+ eSIMs can be up to 20 USD more expensive than regular Discover eSIMs.
For the previous Airalo Discover Global eSIMs, you paid the same prices as the Discover+ eSIMs for worse availability (85+ countries instead of 130+) and no calling or texting at all.
So… it is an upgrade 😎.
Not only that, but you (finally) get 5G NR access in quite some countries (55+)1 as well.
1 click here, press select the variant you want & click on network to see which network(s) allow for 5G NR access. You often have access to multiple local networks, but not all have 5G NR access (and some do not even give you 4G/LTE access)
Moreover, the most expensive option is now valid for a whole year (365 days) instead of 180 days.
The Airalo Discover(+) eSIM can be used in the following 130+ countries:
- Åland Islands 3
- Albania
- Argentina
- Armenia (new)
- Australia 5
- Austria 3
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain (new) 3
- Bangladesh (new)
- Belarus 1
- Belgium 3
- Bolivia (new)
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Botswana (new) 2
- Brazil 5
- Brunei (new) 1
- Bulgaria 5
Cambodia- Canada 5
- Central African Republic (new) 1
- Chad (new)
- Chile
- China 3
- Colombia
- Congo, Democratic Republic of (new)
- Congo, Republic of (new)
- Costa Rica (new)
- Croatia 3
- Cyprus 5
- Czech Republic 3
- Denmark 5
Dominican Republic 1- Ecuador
- Egypt (new)
- El Salvador (new) 1
- Estonia 5
- Eswatini (new) 1
- Finland 5
- France 3
- French West Indies (new) 3
- Gabon (new)
- Georgia
- Germany 3
- Ghana (new)
- Gibraltar 1
- Greece 3
- Greenland (new) 1
- Guatemala (new) 1
- Guernsey (new)
- Guinea-Bissau (new) 1
- Honduras (new) 1
- Hong Kong 3
- Hungary 5
- Iceland 3
- India
- Indonesia 3
- Ireland 3
- Isle of Man (new)
Iraq 1- Israel 5
- Italy 5
- Ivory Coast
- Japan 3
- Jersey
- Jordan (new)
- Kazakhstan (new)
- Kenya (new)
- Kosovo
- Kuwait 3
- Kyrgyzstan (new)
- Latvia 3
- Liberia 1
- Liechtenstein 4
- Lithuania 5
- Luxembourg 3
- Macau
- Madagascar (new)
- Malawi (new)
- Malaysia
- Mali
- Malta 3
- Mexico 5
- Moldova
- Monaco (new)
- Montenegro 5
- Morocco (new)
- Netherlands 5
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua (new)
- Niger (new) 1
- Nigeria (new) 2
- North Macedonia
- Norway 5
- Oman (new)
- Pakistan (new)
- Panama
- Paraguay 1
- Peru
- Philippines 3
- Poland 3
- Portugal 3
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar 5
- Réunion (new)
- Romania 5
Russia- Saudi Arabia 5
- Senegal (new) 1
- Serbia
- Seychelles (new)
- Singapore
- Slovakia 3
- Slovenia 5
- South Africa
- South Korea 3
- Spain 5
- Sri Lanka
Sudan- Sweden 5
- Switzerland 3
- Taiwan 3
- Tanzania (new)
Tajikistan 1- Thailand 5
- Tunisia (new)
- Turkey 3
- Uganda (new)
- Ukraine (new)
- United Arab Emirates (new) 3
- United Kingdom 5
- United States 5
- Uruguay (new)
- Uzbekistan (new)
U.S. Virgin Islands- Vietnam
- Yemen (new) 1
- Zambia (new) 1
1 on 3G only
2 check the networks section on the Airalo website or app because at least one of the available networks is on 3G only (while the others are up to 4G/LTE)
3 5G NR access for all available networks
4 even if your phone does not support 5G NR, select FL1 Telecom/Telecom Liechtenstein for 4G/LTE access because Salt Liechtenstein is restricted to 3G only
5 check the networks section on the Airalo website or app because at least one of the available networks is up to 4G/LTE (while the others are up to 5G NR)
You have these 12 Airalo Discover Global eSIMs:
- Discover 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 9 USD
- Discover+ 1 GB (with 10 minutes and 10 SMS) eSIM for 7 days, costing 15 USD
- Discover 2 GB eSIM for 15 days, costing 17 USD
- Discover+ 2 GB (with 20 minutes and 20 SMS) eSIM for 15 days, costing 27 USD
- Discover 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 24 USD
- Discover+ 3 GB (with 30 minutes and 30 SMS) eSIM for 30 days, costing 36 USD
- Discover 5 GB eSIM for 60 days, costing 35 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- Discover+ 5 GB (with 50 minutes and 50 SMS) eSIM for 60 days, costing 50 USD
- Discover 10 GB eSIM for 180 days, costing 59 USD
- Discover+ 10 GB (with 100 minutes and 100 SMS) eSIM for 180 days, costing 79 USD
- Discover 20 GB eSIM for 365 days, costing 69 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- Discover+ 20 GB (with 200 minutes and 200 SMS) eSIM for 365 days, costing 89 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in September based on data up to the 7th of September (2023 data only).
Interested in using the Airalo Discover(+) eSIM in another country or countries? Read my Airalo Global eSIM review (tested in numerous countries and counting).
Before Airalo updated its global eSIM, I used the old version (Discover Global) in 15+ countries. From August 2023, I will only test the Discover+ eSIM. This is why some country-specific reviews (like Global in Japan) still refer to the Discover Global one and show the old eSIM image instead of Discover+.
Overview of the Best eSIMs for Senegal (Airalo)
I introduced you to various travel eSIMs that can be used in Senegal.
So, which eSIM do I recommend the most? Here is my recommendation order:
- Airalo Senegal Ratba Mobile eSIM (top pick)
- Airalo Hello Africa eSIM
- Airalo Discover(+) eSIM (
reasonableextensive global coverage (84+130+ countries) at attractive prices + calling and texting options (new))
Buying a SIM Card in Senegal
Want to just use a SIM card but not your current one because roaming will be criminally expensive?
Consider getting a Senegalese SIM card instead – local SIM cards are the cheapest way to stay connected abroad.
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