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How did the Holafly eSim perform in Ecuador? Scott gives a simple rundown on how it performed in both Quito and on the East Slope of the Andes. His experience can help you make an informed decision about using Holafly on your next trip.

Why is data connectivity important for independent travelers?

While a lack of constant connection may not be a big deal for people on group tours, independent travelers like ourselves need seamless connectivity for planning, arranging, and enjoying our trips. We rely on WhatsApp, mapping apps, and ride-share apps to make our trips a success. Without access, our travels would be more difficult and stressful. However, most cell plans don’t include roaming when you head overseas, instead charging steep fees for access.

What if you could get great connectivity at a reasonable price? That’s where the eSIM from Holafly enters the picture.

What’s an e-SIM?

I’m glad you asked. The short answer: it’s an embedded SIM (eSIM) card for your cellphone. It can be programmed to use different networks without ever needing to insert a physical card into your phone. Here’s a nice explainer for more detailed information. If your phone is newer than 2018, it likely has eSim capability. For people like us who travel abroad, an eSim makes staying connected (and avoiding big roaming charges) so much simpler.

The Background on Holafly

The idea for Holafly started back in 2017 when Pedro and Lidia (the founders) couldn’t get an internet connection during a trip to Thailand. Since starting the business in Spain, they have expanded to provide eSim data plans in over 250 destinations around the world. They have a great customer service record as well with a 4.5/5 rating from over 55,800 reviews on Trustpilot.

We didn’t know any of this before we stopped at the Holafly booth at TravelCon 2025. After spending a bit of time learning about the service, we decided an eSim would be a great option for travelers to South America. A key element was the eSim’s ability to connect immediately upon landing without the hassle and delay of swapping out traditional SIM cards. But to be sure, we asked the Holafly affiliate team for an eSim I could test out during our next trip to Ecuador. They agreed and away we went.

How did I test the Holafly e-Sim?

During our Spring 2025 trip to visit the Napo River, the Rio Quijos Valley, and Quito for Holy Week, we would experience both rural and urban areas. Therefore, I decided to use our 5-day e-Sim during our time at Rio Quijos Ecolodge as well as at the Boutique Hotel Cultura Manor in Quito.

To check service, Angie would keep using T-Mobile roaming to see if there was any difference in coverage. I’d also keep an eye on our local guide’s phone in the Quijos Valley to see if he lost coverage when or if I did. I believed those comparisons would give me a useful idea of how extensive Holafly coverage and speed were in Ecuador.

Pre-trip steps

Part of the utility of the eSim is the ability to immediately swap from one cell phone service to another, like when landing in a foreign country. Since I’ve never used an eSim, I have to admit to feeling a little trepidation about the whole process. Would it work? How would it work? Can my phone use one? Will having an eSim impact my normal service? I went through all those worries before I visited the Holafly website to download the e-Sim. I was shocked at what I saw on the website.

It was super easy!

I visited Holafly (https://esim.holafly.com/), clicked on destinations, selected Ecuador, and landed on this page. The daily price was right there ($9.90), alongside buttons to select how many days of service and how many eSims I wanted. I could also check to see if my phone was compatible. All this information was  “above the fold” on the Ecuador page. Really nice page design.

Scrolling further down, Holafly described how to install and activate your eSim alongside a pretty extensive FAQ section. When I couldn’t find the answer to a question about the e-Sim, I used the chat function. Within a couple of minutes, I was messaging with a real person who answered my question without delay. FYI: Does turning it off stop the use timer? Nope. Once you start using it, the timer runs.

This level of customer service is available 24/7/365. I was quite impressed.

After choosing five days and one e-Sim, I clicked the big green button. I was taken to a standard e-commerce page. I entered my contact data, the code from Holafly for affiliates, and that was that. Maybe five minutes from opening the webpage to a completed purchase.

Nearly immediately, I received a confirmation email. A moment later, I had the “your eSim is ready” email with a QR code and manual instructions on how to install the eSim. There were also links to offline instructions for specific Android and Apple phones. I opted for the manual installation so I could see how their instructions were written. Again, super easy. I was done in moments and ready for our trip to Ecuador.

So, how did Holafly perform in Ecuador?

As I mentioned above, I planned to check how well Holafly kept me connected in both rural and urban locations. So I waited until we arrived at the Rio Quijos EcoLodge to activate my 5-day trial. On the east slope of the Andes, the Rio Quijos Valley lies in a transition zone between the fairly comprehensive cell coverage of the Quito metro area to the spottier coverage of the Amazon.
As I had pre-loaded the e-Sim in the U.S., activating it was a 20-second process.

When activating, be sure to make Holafly your “primary” eSIM since your US-based SIM card will still be in your phone. If you don’t do this, your phone will continue to look for your U.S. carrier network for connectivity. After about 30 minutes of trying to identify the network, my coverage was equal to Angie’s. This makes sense as Holafly uses the Claro network, which is the same one T-Mobile uses in Ecuador. One key thing to remember when activating the e-Sim, turn on “roaming” for the e-Sim or it won’t download data. You’ll be connected but nothing will happen. And yes, I unfortunately know that from experience.

Rural Coverage

We were in the Rio Quijos area to visit some of the birding hotspots that have developed over the last ten years or so. To do that, we pretty much drove the length of the valley. I was able to get a good feel for how Holafly performed in an area with good to no cell coverage. I found it did about average. Our host and guide had the best coverage on his phone using the Movistar network. Driving between locations, the ping of his phone told me when we were losing or gaining coverage. About half the time, Angie would pick up the new signal before I would and every time she would have more “bars” of coverage than me. I also found I needed to restart my phone if we transited in and out of coverage more than twice. I found if I didn’t, I could not re-establish a data connection. I don’t know for certain Holafly caused this, but it’s never happened before.

Urban Coverage

After the Quijos Valley, we moved to downtown Quito to enjoy the various events of Holy Week. I experienced a great connection in Quito. Overall, the coverage and connectivity in Quito worked well for sending and receiving texts and photos via WhatsApp, internet searches, and using Google Maps for directions in the city. It often performed better than Angie’s.

One thing I did not try and wish I had was using Holafly to create a hotspot with my phone. That would have been a great way to more fully test download and upload speeds on my laptop. I was especially curious to see if Claro would throttle the speeds after heavy use.

Bottomline for the Holafly eSIM: Recommended

The Holafly eSIM is a great solution for trips to areas with good cell coverage, like Quito. I didn’t notice much of a coverage or speed difference between Angie’s use of T-Mobile roaming and Holafly during our time in the city, though Angie thinks Holafly did a better job with Google Maps.

So if your travels take you to both rural and urban areas, I suggest focusing your purchase of Holafly “days” on your time in urban areas. For me, the Holafly service wasn’t worth the cost in areas where cell coverage was spotty. Of course, if the rural area you are traveling in has good cell coverage, the Holafly may very well be worth it.