eSIM and SIM cards in Nepal

Buying a SIM

• Two networks matter: Ncell and Nepal Telecom (NTC). Ncell is the easier buy and the better data network; NTC goes further into the hills.
• The counters are in the arrivals hall at Kathmandu and in every high street afterwards. Thamel is full of them.
• You need your passport and a passport photo. Registration is legally required and the shop does it on the spot; without the photo some sellers will take a phone snap, others will send you away.
• A SIM with a starter balance is about NPR 500, and the data pack is bought on top.
• Data packs are cheap: roughly NPR 500 to NPR 1,000 buys 5 to 10 GB for 28 to 30 days, which outlasts most trips.

Coverage, which is the part that matters

• Kathmandu, Pokhara and the highway towns have solid 4G.
• On the trails Ncell is the one that keeps working: the Everest route to about Namche Bazaar, Annapurna to about Manang, Langtang to Kyanjin Gompa.
• NTC is the better bet in the far west and in remote districts where Ncell never built.
• Above the last village there is nothing, and teahouses sell wi-fi by the day instead. Everest Link and AirLink cards are the usual ones and they are not cheap.
• Download offline maps and your permits before you leave the road.

eSIM

• Saily sells one Nepal plan: 1 GB over 7 days at USD 9.99. That is the honest picture - Nepal is one of the few countries where the eSIM is worse value than the shop.
• It is still the right choice for a two-day stopover, where the passport, photo and shop queue are not worth it.
• For anything longer, buy the local SIM. NPR 1,000 for 10 GB is a different order of price.
• Check your phone takes an eSIM before relying on one, and buy it before you fly.

Practical

• Keep your passport handy when you buy, not in the hotel safe.
• Roaming is expensive on most foreign plans and Nepal is rarely in a bundle.
• A working phone is how you pay for nothing here. It is how you book buses and call your guide; payment is still cash.