Best eSIM for Peru (2026): Prices, Networks and Which Plan to Buy for Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu

The best eSIM for Peru is a close call between Wayfarro and Nomad, which are level on unlimited plans up to 10 days (7 days costs $25 at Wayfarro and $25 at Nomad, against $27 at Airalo) and level at 3GB, 5GB and 20GB. Nomad is 50 cents cheaper at 1GB ($4.50 against $5) and $1 cheaper at 10GB. For 15 and 30 days of unlimited data, Airalo is cheapest at $44 and $79. Wayfarro's prices come straight from its store; Nomad's and Airalo's were checked in October 2026.

Peru is a trip of extremes for your phone. Lima and Cusco are well covered and full of free Wi-Fi, and then you spend four days on the Inca Trail with no signal at all. The plan that makes sense is one sized for the city days, plus a habit of downloading everything (tickets, train times, offline maps) before you leave town. The altitude, the Machu Picchu ticket system and the four networks all have a bearing on which eSIM to buy.

Best eSIM for Peru: prices compared

These are the plans from each provider's own Peru page, confirmed in US dollars. Providers change prices and run sales often, so check before you buy.

Plan	Wayfarro	Nomad	Airalo
1GB · 7 days	$5	$4.50	—
2GB · 15 days	$9.50	—	—
3GB · 30 days	$11.50	$11.50	—
5GB · 30 days	$17	$17	—
10GB · 30 days	$26	$25	—
20GB · 30 days	$35	$35	—
50GB · 30 days	$90	—	—
Unlimited · 1 day	$6	—	—
Unlimited · 3 days	$11	$11	$16
Unlimited · 5 days	$18	$18	$19
Unlimited · 7 days	$25	$25	$27
Unlimited · 10 days	$33	$33	$33.50
Unlimited · 15 days	$53	—	$44
Unlimited · 30 days	$104	—	$79
Networks	Not named on the plan page	Movistar, Entel	Movistar

How to read this table: Wayfarro and Nomad are level at 3GB, 5GB and 20GB and on every unlimited length they both sell; Nomad is cheaper at 1GB and 10GB. Both are under Airalo on unlimited plans up to 10 days. At 15 and 30 days Airalo is cheaper than Wayfarro, and Nomad doesn't sell those lengths. Wayfarro is the only one of the three with a 1-day unlimited plan and 2GB, 50GB and 100GB plans. Airalo's Peru page showed only unlimited plans; it also sells fixed-data plans, so check its site for those. A dash means the provider doesn't sell that exact plan, or we couldn't confirm its US-dollar price.

Wayfarro's unlimited rows are its Unlimited Lite plans: 1GB a day at full speed, then 512 kbps until the next day. It also sells Unlimited Essential (1GB a day, then 1.25 Mbps) and Unlimited Plus (2GB a day, then 2 Mbps). Seven days costs $30 on Essential and $47 on Plus. Nomad and Airalo don't publish a daily high-speed allowance for their Peru unlimited plans. Nomad says its eSIMs support hotspot.

Which is the best eSIM for Peru for your trip?

Pick by how long you're staying and how many of those days are on a trail:

• Lima in a long weekend (2–3 days): 1GB covers maps, Uber and WhatsApp in Miraflores and Barranco; Nomad's is $4.50 and Wayfarro's is $5. If the weekend is ceviche by day and video by night, the 3-day unlimited at $11 is level with Nomad and well under Airalo's $16. A single day between flights gets the 1-day plan at $6.
• Five days, Cusco and the Sacred Valley: 3GB at $11.50, level with Nomad, covers Pisac, Ollantaytambo and the Machu Picchu day, with the train and the citadel using almost none of it.
• One week, normal use: 5GB at $17, level with Nomad.
• One week, heavy use (video, social, hotspot): 7-day unlimited at $25, level with Nomad and under Airalo. The Plus tier at $47 gives 2GB a day before the slowdown.
• Two weeks, Lima, Cusco, the Inca Trail and Arequipa: 10GB at $26 or Nomad's at $25. Four of those days are on the trail with no signal, so you won't get near the cap.
• A month, Peru top to bottom: 20GB at $35, level with Nomad. For 30 days unlimited, Airalo at $79 is cheaper than Wayfarro's $104.

Networks and coverage in Peru

Peru has four national networks: Movistar, Claro, Entel and Bitel. Nomad names Movistar and Entel for its Peru eSIM, and Airalo names Movistar. Wayfarro's plan page doesn't name its partner network, so if a specific operator matters to you, buy the plan that names it.

What to expect on the ground:

• Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, Trujillo: Dense 4G and 5G in the centres. Lima's Metropolitano bus corridor and Line 1 of the metro are covered.
• The Sacred Valley: Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes have reliable signal. The road between them is intermittent.
• Machu Picchu: Signal at the citadel is limited on every network, enough for a photo upload now and then, not for a live video call. An operator that runs the Inca Trail reports Movistar does best there.
• The Inca Trail: Signal until about lunchtime on day one, a spotty connection at the Third Pass campsite on day three, usually some near camp on the last night, and back to normal at Machu Picchu. Treat the trail as offline.
• Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, the Amazon: Chivay, Puno and Puerto Maldonado have signal in town. The canyon trails, the islands and the jungle lodges mostly don't, beyond lodge Wi-Fi.

How to set up an eSIM for Peru

Install at home, turn it on when you land. It takes about two minutes:

1. Check your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM. iPhone XS and later, Google Pixel 3 and later, and most recent Samsung Galaxy phones do.
2. Install over Wi-Fi before you fly. Scan the QR code or use the one-tap install link. Step-by-step install guide.
3. Label it "Peru" so it's easy to pick in settings.
4. When you land, set the Peru eSIM as your mobile-data line and turn on Data Roaming for it. Travel eSIMs technically roam, so data won't connect without this setting.
5. Keep your home SIM on for calls and texts (turn its data roaming off to avoid charges) so you still get bank verification codes.

With Wayfarro, your plan's validity starts when the eSIM first connects in Peru, not when you install it. If you run low, you top up the same eSIM without reinstalling.

Peru-specific tips

Download before you climb. Machu Picchu entry is by timed ticket bought in advance, the trains from Ollantaytambo and Cusco are ticketed too, and none of it is reliably checkable on the mountain. Save the tickets to your phone, screenshot the train times, and download offline maps of Cusco and the Sacred Valley the night before. The same goes for any trek: Salkantay, Lares, Ausangate and Colca are all offline for most of the route.

Altitude first, data second. Cusco sits at about 3,400 metres and Puno higher still. Most people spend the first day moving slowly, drinking coca tea and not doing much, so a plan that starts counting down on first connection rather than on install suits a trip where day one is a write-off.

Lima's apps: Uber, Cabify and InDrive all work in Lima and are the safe way to get from Jorge Chávez airport into Miraflores. Street taxis have no meter; agree a price first or, better, book in the app.

Soles and small change: Peru uses the sol. Cards work in Lima, Cusco and the tourist towns, but markets, colectivos and the trail porters' tips are cash. Carry small notes, and if a terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and pay in soles.

Moving on: From Puno the bus crosses into Bolivia at Copacabana, and plenty of trips carry on to Chile or up to Ecuador. A Peru plan stops at the border. For a multi-country route the Latin America regional eSIM covers the whole trip on one install.

Bottom line

The best eSIM for Peru is a near tie: Wayfarro and Nomad are level on every unlimited plan they both sell and on 3GB, 5GB and 20GB, Nomad is a little cheaper at 1GB and 10GB, and Airalo is the cheaper buy for 15- and 30-day unlimited. Wayfarro's edges are the 1-day and 2GB plans, top-ups without reinstalling, and validity that only starts when you land. Whichever you choose, install it at home, turn on data roaming when you land, and download everything before the trail. See Wayfarro's Peru eSIM plans. Heading on to Bolivia or Chile? The Latin America guide covers the regional plan, or pair Peru with Bolivia in the Trip Builder.