eSIM and SIM cards in Ecuador

Which network

• Claro is the one to buy. The widest coverage by a distance, and the only one that reliably works on the mountain roads and in the smaller sierra towns.
• Movistar is fine in Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca and thins out fast beyond them.
• CNT, the state operator, is cheap and best treated as a backup.
• Prepaid data is inexpensive. A tourist bundle with plenty of data costs a few dollars, and Ecuador prices in US dollars so there is no conversion to work out.

Buying one

• Bring your passport. Every prepaid line must be registered against an identity document and the shop will scan or copy it.
• Go to an official Claro or Movistar shop, in a mall or on a main street, rather than a corner kiosk. The kiosk sells you the card and may not complete the registration, and the line dies a few days later.
• The airports have counters but the queues after an evening arrival are long and the prices are higher. If your hotel transfer is arranged, buying in town the next morning is calmer.
• eSIM is supported by Claro and Movistar and by travel brands. For a week or less, a travel eSIM is the easier choice and not much dearer.

Where the signal ends

• Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca and the Pan-American corridor are well covered, with 4G that works.
• The Amazon is a different country in this respect. Lodges on the Napo and the Cuyabeno have satellite internet at best and often nothing. This is usually presented as a feature.
• The Galapagos has limited and slow connectivity, expensive on the islands and absent at sea. Assume you are offline on a cruise.
• The high paramo and the volcano approaches drop out regularly.
• Download offline maps for every region before you leave a city, and the bus timetable with them.

Two practical habits

• WhatsApp is how Ecuador communicates. Hotels, guides, drivers, tour operators and restaurants all expect to be contacted on it, and many will not answer a phone call.
• Keep the phone out of sight in the street. Phone snatching is common in Quito and Guayaquil, and using one on the pavement is the invitation. See the safety section.