Rio de Janeiro
The city
Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf and the beaches between them. Both cable cars and the Corcovado train run timed tickets, and both sell out in high season.
Brazil eSIM
Land in Brazil already connected
Order before you fly and your eSIM is waiting in your inbox. Scan the QR code, step off the plane at Galeão, Guarulhos or Salvador, and your phone finds a Brazilian network on its own — no shop visit, no roaming bill when you get home.
Six countries on one eSIM
Brazil comes as part of a six-country South American bundle, which suits how people actually cross the continent — Rio and Iguaçu, then over to Buenos Aires, up to Peru for Machu Picchu, or across to Chile. One eSIM covers the lot, with no new SIM at each border.
BrazilArgentinaChileColombiaPeruFrench Guiana
Brazil plans
Pick the length of your trip
Every plan below covers Brazil. Choose the number of days you're away — the price is fixed, you pay once, and nothing renews afterwards.
Where to go
A country the size of a continent
Brazil is larger than the contiguous United States. Internal flights are not a luxury here.
São Paulo
The megacity
The best restaurants and museums in South America, and traffic to match. Rideshare apps are effectively compulsory, and they need a connection.
Northeast
Salvador & the coast
Afro-Brazilian culture at its densest, colonial Pelourinho, and beaches running hundreds of kilometres north and south. Carnival here is a serious undertaking.
Iguaçu
The falls
275 separate cascades on the Argentine border, and worth seeing from both sides. Park entry is timed and the shuttle system is best understood before you arrive.
Amazon
Manaus & the river
Meeting of the waters, riverboat trips and lodges upriver. Coverage disappears within an hour of the city, so download absolutely everything first.
Pantanal
The wetlands
The best wildlife watching in South America — jaguars, caiman, capybara — and far easier to see things here than in the Amazon. Remote, and largely off-grid.
On the ground
What you'll actually use it for
Getting around
Uber and 99 are the default in Brazilian cities and considerably safer than flagging a car down. Both need data to work at all.
Portuguese, not Spanish
Brazil speaks Portuguese, and less English than you might expect outside the tourist core. Camera and voice translation both earn their place here.
Staying in touch
WhatsApp, FaceTime and Signal all run over data, so calls home cost nothing beyond the plan you've already paid for.
Backing up photos
Let a fortnight of pictures sync as you travel rather than praying your phone survives the trip home. This is the one that eats data, so save it for the evening.
When plans go wrong
A cancelled train, a closed road or a hotel that can't find your booking. All of it is easier to fix with a working connection than without one.
How it works
Set it up before you leave home
The whole thing takes about as long as printing a boarding pass, and it's far easier done on your own Wi-Fi than in an airport queue.
1
Choose your dates
Pick the plan that matches how long you're in Brazil. The same eSIM also covers Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and French Guiana.
2
Scan the QR code
It arrives by email as soon as you pay. Open your phone's mobile settings, add an eSIM, scan — done in under a minute, over Wi-Fi at home.
3
Switch it on in Brazil
Your plan starts when the eSIM first finds a network in Brazil, not when you bought it. Turn roaming off on your UK line and you're set.
FAQs
Before you book
Which networks does a Brazil eSIM use?
Our Brazil plans roam onto Vivo, TIM and Claro. These are the three largest Brazilian networks, so you get the same coverage a local customer would across the cities and main highways.
Which other countries does it cover?
Five more: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and French Guiana. It's a six-country South American bundle, which suits a multi-stop trip across the continent. It does not cover Bolivia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay or Venezuela.
What does “unlimited” actually mean?
You get 1GB of full-speed data every day. After that the connection carries on at a reduced 384kbps for the rest of that day, then resets the next morning. There's no hard cut-off and no overage charge, so you can't run up a bill.
Why do some cards mention 1GB for the whole period?
A few older plans in this bundle — currently the 7, 15 and 30-day ones — carry 1GB in total rather than 1GB a day. The rest are per-day. The wording on each card is accurate, so read it before you choose: the per-day plans say “1GB high-speed data per day”.
Isn't roaming with my UK network easier?
Easier, sometimes. Cheaper, almost never. Brazil sits outside most UK networks' inclusive roaming zones, so you're usually looking at a daily charge or per-megabyte rates that add up fast. Check your provider's rate for Brazil before you travel and compare it with a fixed one-off price.
Can I keep my UK number?
Yes. The eSIM runs alongside your existing SIM, so calls and texts still arrive on your UK number while your data goes over the local networks. Turn data roaming off on your UK line so nothing lands on your normal bill.
Will it work in the Amazon or the Pantanal?
In Manaus and the larger river towns, yes. Beyond them, no — and that's true of local SIMs too. Both regions are genuinely off-grid once you leave the main settlements, so download maps, tickets and translations before you set off.
Do I get a Brazilian phone number?
No, these are data-only plans. That covers maps, email, messaging and calls through WhatsApp, FaceTime or Signal. If you need a number that takes ordinary calls and texts, keep your UK SIM active alongside the eSIM.
Will my phone take an eSIM?
Most handsets released since 2018 will, including iPhone XR/XS and newer, Google Pixel 3 and newer, and Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer — as long as it isn't network locked. Look for “Add eSIM” or “Add data plan” in your mobile settings to check.
More destinations
Where else are you going?
Other destinations travellers pair with this one.
Boa viagem
Sort your connection tonight and forget about it. One scan now, and Brazil is just somewhere your phone already works.