Colombia has three national mobile networks that matter: Claro (dominant), Movistar, and Tigo. Every eSIM sold to travelers rides one of them — usually Claro, because Claro's network covers roughly 95% of populated Colombia and every eSIM provider knows it. Which means the eSIM you pick matters less than in Mexico, but a few real differences still show up in the cities.
Here are the 2026 numbers from actual speed tests in Medellín, Cartagena, and Bogotá on the same iPhone within one trip.
The Short Answer
- 1–2 week trip, most travelers: Airalo, 5GB / 15 days, ~$16. Rides Claro. Solid speeds in all three cities.
- 3+ weeks or working remotely: a physical Claro SIM at Éxito for ~60,000 COP total ($14) — 30 days of genuinely unlimited high-speed data plus a local number.
- Convenience over price: Holafly, $19 for 7 days of unlimited-ish. Best for travelers who can't be bothered.
Which Network Each eSIM Rides
- Airalo — Claro
- Holafly — Claro
- Nomad — Claro
- Ubigi — Movistar
Ubigi being on Movistar is a real coverage handicap outside Bogotá and Medellín; if you're going anywhere off the main tourist corridors, skip it.
City-by-City Speed Tests
Numbers below are download speed in Mbps on 4G/LTE, tested midday in each city on the same iPhone across a two-week trip.
Medellín (Poblado, Laureles, Envigado)
- Airalo: 40–85 Mbps
- Holafly: 40–75 Mbps
- Nomad: 40–80 Mbps
- Ubigi: 25–60 Mbps
All four work fine in Poblado. Metrocable rides — Comuna 13 up to Line K — get one bar and manage to load a photo before you're back down. La Sierra is fine.
Cartagena (walled city, Getsemaní, Bocagrande)
- Airalo: 30–60 Mbps in the centro
- Holafly: 35–55
- Nomad: 30–55
- Ubigi: 15–35
Bocagrande is the strongest, walled city interior the weakest. La Boquilla and the Rosario Islands: expect signal near the beach, none in the middle of the boat ride.
Bogotá (Chapinero, Chicó, Zona T, La Candelaria)
- Airalo: 45–100 Mbps
- Holafly: 40–90
- Nomad: 45–90
- Ubigi: 30–70
La Candelaria's steep colonial streets have some dead corners on every network. Traffic congestion on the northbound Autopista Norte at rush hour crashes speeds for all four by roughly half.
Coffee Zone & Guatapé — Where Signal Drops
- Guatapé: Claro-based plans (Airalo, Holafly, Nomad) hold 1–2 bars along the water; Ubigi disappears
- Salento & the Cocora Valley: Claro fine in town, spotty on the valley trail — assume no signal for the wax palm hike
- Manizales: all four fine in center, Claro-based plans win on the outskirts
- Coffee farms (fincas) around Salento: none work reliably; owners usually offer wifi
Local SIM (Claro/Movistar) — Still Worth It?
Three cases where yes:
- Staying more than 3 weeks. ~40,000 COP for 30 days of unlimited on Claro beats any eSIM by a wide margin.
- You need a Colombian phone number. Rappi, DiDi (as a driver), local banking apps — all require a Colombian SMS-capable number.
- Hotspotting a laptop full-time. Local SIMs give you 20–30GB of hotspot at LTE speeds without throttling.
Buy a SIM at any Éxito supermarket (they're in every mid-size town). Bring your passport for registration. Total setup: 15 minutes.
Setup: iPhone, Pixel, Samsung
iPhone (any XS or newer, unlocked): Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM → scan the QR from your Airalo/Holafly/Nomad app. Set the eSIM as your data line, keep your US/EU SIM active for iMessage and 2FA. Turn off data roaming on the US line.
Pixel / Samsung (Android): almost identical flow. Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Add eSIM → scan.
Set the label to "Colombia" so switching later takes one tap.
What Tourists Overpay For
- Airport kiosk SIMs. Marked up 2× on the same Claro product available at Éxito.
- "Travel eSIM" services with brand names you've never heard of. Rebadged Airalo with a $10 markup.
- Hotel wifi passes at $8/day. Buy a Claro SIM for a week and hotspot to your laptop instead — same cost for the whole trip, not one day.
Meet a Local Friend
Signal in your hand is the setup, not the trip. A Local Friend in Medellín, Cartagena, or Bogotá turns "I have data" into "I know which cantina is worth the walk." Message someone before you fly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an eSIM work in Guatapé?
Yes, but signal is patchy. Telcel-based eSIMs (Airalo and Nomad on their Claro plans) hold about 1–2 bars along the main lakeside road and around El Peñol. Movistar-based plans essentially disappear once you leave Medellín's outer suburbs. Assume WhatsApp and Maps will work; assume streaming won't.Can I hotspot my laptop on Holafly in Colombia?
Yes but with the same caveat as Mexico — Holafly's 'unlimited' throttles after roughly 500MB–1GB per day of high-speed data. That's fine for messaging and Maps but not for a work day of Zoom calls. If you're a digital nomad staying more than a week, buy a Claro local SIM (~40,000 COP for 30 days of real high-speed data with 30GB or so of hotspot) instead of stacking Holafly weeks.How much data do I actually need for a 10-day Colombia trip?
3–5GB is enough for most travelers doing normal messaging, Maps, Uber, and Instagram scrolling on hotel wifi. If you're streaming YouTube on data, doing video calls, or hotspotting a laptop, plan for 10–15GB. Airalo's 5GB/15-day plan is the sensible default; Holafly unlimited makes sense only if you actively resent watching a data counter.Do I need a local SIM if my Airalo works?
For a 1–2 week trip, no. For 3+ weeks, or if you need a Colombian phone number to sign up for Rappi/DiDi/local banking, yes. Claro SIMs are available at any Éxito supermarket for around 20,000 COP with your passport; a 30-day plan is another 40,000. Total: 60,000 COP (~$14) for a month of real unlimited plus a Colombian number.