Nepal · 6 providers compared · prices checked August 2026
Best eSIM for Nepal
Nepal is the country where this site most often tells you to buy a local SIM instead. Travel eSIM prices here are high, one provider is absurd, and four of the seven regional Asia plans leave Nepal out.
Most regional Asia plans skip Nepal check before you buy one
| Regional plan | Includes Nepal? |
|---|---|
| GigSky Asia Pacific | No |
| Airalo Asialink | No |
| Saily Asia & Oceania | No |
| Yesim Asia Pacific | No |
| Nomad Regional APAC (unlinked) | Yes |
| Ubigi ASIA (unlinked) | Yes |
| Jetpac APAC (unlinked) | Jetpac sells nothing in Nepal |
Checked country by country against each provider's own plan list, 2026-08-31. Nepal sits in South Asia, which most "Asia" regional products carve out. If you are flying Delhi to Kathmandu on one regional eSIM, this is the row that ruins the plan.
The picks for Nepal a short list, honestly
Airalo
The sane default for a city trip $24.00 10GB / 30 days, Patancell- Runs on Ncell, the better network in Kathmandu, Pokhara and the main valleys
- Sizes that fit a short visit: $5 for 1GB, $11 for 3GB
- Unlimited option with a published 3GB per day cap
Watch out: Nepal is expensive on every travel eSIM, and Airalo is no exception: this 10GB costs more than 20GB in Thailand.
Trustpilot 4.1/5 · 41,238 reviews
See Airalo Nepal plansYesim
Cheapest small plans $10.46 3GB / 30 days- $5.92 for 1GB and $10.46 for 3GB, the cheapest entry sizes we can link here
- Runs on Ncell
- $17.43 for 5GB if a few days need more
Watch out: 10GB jumps to $33.69, and Trustpilot suspended Yesim's score during a fake-review cleanup.
⚠ no reliable rating
See Yesim Nepal plansSaily
Only if you need one gigabyte $9.99 1GB / 7 days- Trustpilot 4.7 across 30,000 reviews, the best support record here
- Simple app, refunds that work
- Fine for a two-day stopover in Kathmandu
Watch out: Saily sells a single Nepal plan, 1GB for 7 days, and publishes no network. There is nothing here for a real trip.
Trustpilot 4.7/5 · 30,290 reviews
See Saily Nepal plansEvery Nepal plan we can verify including one to avoid
| Provider | 1GB | 3GB | 5GB | 10GB | 20GB | Unlimited (real cap) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesim | $5.92 /30d | $10.46 /30d | $17.43 /30d | $33.69 /30d | $57.51 /30d | not sold here |
| Airalo | $5 /3d | $11 /7d | $17 /30d | $24 /30d | $36 /30d | from $17 · 3GB/day |
| Nomad | $6 /7d | $12 /30d | $15 /30d | $24 /30d | $36 /45d | not sold here |
| Saily | $9.99 /7d | — | — | — | — | not sold here |
| GigSky | $19.99 /15d | $49.99 /30d | $79.99 /15d | $149.99 /30d | — | not sold here |
Ncell, NTC and the trekking routes where this really matters
Nepal has two networks that matter and they behave very differently once you leave the valleys.
Ncell is the better performer in Kathmandu, Pokhara and the main towns: faster, more reliable, and the network every travel eSIM here rides.
Nepal Telecom (NTC) is the state operator and the one with towers up the trekking corridors. On the Annapurna and Everest routes, NTC is routinely the only signal at altitude, which is why trekking guides carry it. Among travel eSIMs, only GigSky rides NTC, and its Nepal prices make that unusable.
| Provider | Nepali networks it may use |
|---|---|
| Airalo | Ncell |
| Yesim | Ncell |
| Nomad | Ncell + Nepal Telecom (NTC) |
| Ubigi | Ncell |
| GigSky | Nepal Telecom (NTC) |
| Saily | not published |
Permissions from each provider's published Nepal coverage record, 2026-08-31.
Our pick for Nepal is Airalo on Ncell, 10GB for $24 over 30 days.
See Airalo Nepal plans Back to the picksNepal Telecom (NTC)
The trekking networkAnnapurna Circuit, the Everest region, the mountain districts. If your trip is a long trek, this is the signal you want, and a local SIM is the only sensible way onto it.
Ncell
The city networkKathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, the main road corridors. Faster than NTC where both exist, and what every travel eSIM here uses.
A Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan trip is comfortable on any eSIM on this page. Two weeks above 3,000 metres is a different purchase, and it is a local one.
When to buy a local Nepali SIM we mean it here
Ncell and NTC both sell tourist SIMs at Kathmandu airport and in shops across Thamel, typically a few hundred rupees for the SIM and a data pack that costs a small fraction of any plan on this page. Registration takes a passport, a photo and a form, and it is done at the counter.
Two reasons to do it. First, price: Nepali domestic data is cheap and travel eSIM data here is not. Second, and more important, a local SIM is the only practical route onto NTC, which is the network that works where you are actually going if you came to Nepal to walk.
Two reasons not to. You land at 10pm and want a working map immediately, and the counter is a queue after a long flight. And for a three-day stopover, the difference is a few dollars and not worth the paperwork.
The honest split: eSIM for a short city visit, or for your first 48 hours; local NTC SIM for a trek. Nothing on this page pays us more for saying that.
Nepal questions the ones people actually search
Which eSIM is best for Nepal?
Airalo Patancell at $24 for 10GB on Ncell for a city trip, or Yesim at $10.46 for 3GB for a short one. For trekking, buy a local NTC SIM instead, because NTC is the network that works at altitude and no travel eSIM sells it at a sane price. Checked August 2026.
Do regional Asia eSIMs cover Nepal?
Mostly no. GigSky, Airalo, Saily and Yesim all exclude Nepal from their regional Asia plans. Only Nomad and Ubigi include it, and neither is sold through our partners. If you are combining Nepal with India or Thailand, plan for a separate Nepal purchase.
Will my eSIM work on the Annapurna Circuit or the Everest trek?
Patchily at best. The travel eSIMs here ride Ncell, which thins out fast above the valleys. NTC has the towers along the main trekking corridors, so trekkers carry an NTC SIM. Download offline maps and do not rely on any data plan above 3,000 metres.
Is a local Nepali SIM cheaper than an eSIM?
Substantially. Domestic data packs cost a fraction of travel eSIM prices in Nepal, and the SIM itself is a few hundred rupees with passport registration at the counter. For anything longer than a few days, the local SIM is the better buy, and this page says so despite earning nothing from it.
How much data do I need in Nepal?
Three to five gigabytes covers a week of maps, messaging and photos in the cities, since teahouse and hotel wifi is common though slow. On a trek you will use very little data and get very little signal, which is part of the point.
Nepal · 10GB · $24
On Ncell, 30 days, working when you land in Kathmandu. For a long trek, buy NTC locally instead.
Get Airalo for NepalSources & freshness: Nepal plan prices and validity from provider feeds via esimdb, 2026-08-31, in USD. Network permissions from each provider's published Nepal coverage record, same date. Regional plan exclusions verified against each provider's Nepal plan list. NTC's advantage at altitude is the consistent report of trekkers and guides rather than our own measurement, and we say so. Back to the Asia eSIM comparison.