South America Circuit eSIM Guide (2026)

Bogota, Cartagena, Lima, Cusco, and Buenos Aires across 21 days. Flights connect the three countries. This circuit covers colonial cities, Andean highlands, and coastal culture.

Route connectivity analysis (4 legs, 21 days):

• Bogota to Cartagena: 1h30m by domestic flight (1h30m). Both Colombian cities have 4G LTE coverage. Cartagena's old walled city has WiFi at most restaurants. Use WiFi for heavy tasks and eSIM for street navigation.

• Cartagena to Lima: 3h30m by flight (3h30m). Colombia-Peru border crossing means switching eSIM profiles. Lima has reliable 4G LTE. Download Machu Picchu trail maps before leaving Lima, as Cusco's rural areas have limited coverage.

• Lima to Cusco: 1h20m to 20h by domestic flight (1h20m) or bus (20h). Cusco city has 4G coverage. The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu have weak to no cellular signal. Download offline maps for the entire Cusco region before departing Lima.

• Cusco to Buenos Aires: 6-8h by flight via Lima (6-8h with connection). Peru-Argentina crossing. Buenos Aires has strong 4G LTE coverage throughout the city. Your Argentina eSIM activates at Ezeiza Airport.

Total data budget: approximately 25GB across 21 days (1.2GB/day average). Days in cities use 1.5 to 2.0GB. Transit days use 0.3 to 0.5GB. Nature and rural days use under 0.5GB. The average accounts for the mix of city, transit, and outdoor time typical of this circuit.

Three countries across 21 days. Airalo's Americas regional bundle covers all three. At approximately 1.2GB/day average (lower in rural Peru, higher in Buenos Aires), budget about 25GB total. Single-country plans work if you want the cheapest per-GB rate, but you manage three profiles across two border crossings.