# eSIM for Angola

Viasimo's Angola eSIM starts at $10.99 for 500 MB over 1 day, running on UNITEL with 4G LTE where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Canonical page: https://viasimo.com/destinations/angola/

## Angola eSIM prices

| Plan | Data | Days | Price | Price per GB |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 500 MB, 1 day | 500 MB | 1 | $10.99 | $22.51 |
| 2 GB, 1 day | 2 GB | 1 | $29.99 | $15.00 |
| 10 GB, 1 day | 10 GB | 1 | $114.99 | $11.50 |
| Unlimited, 3 days | Unlimited | 3 | $84.00 | - |
| Unlimited, 5 days | Unlimited | 5 | $139.99 | - |
| 1 GB, 7 days | 1 GB | 7 | $16.00 | $16.00 |
| Unlimited, 7 days | Unlimited | 7 | $189.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 10 days | Unlimited | 10 | $264.99 | - |
| 3 GB, 15 days | 3 GB | 15 | $42.00 | $14.00 |
| Unlimited, 15 days | Unlimited | 15 | $394.99 | - |
| 3 GB, 30 days | 3 GB | 30 | $44.99 | $15.00 |
| 5 GB, 30 days | 5 GB | 30 | $69.99 | $14.00 |
| 10 GB, 30 days | 10 GB | 30 | $124.99 | $12.50 |
| Unlimited, 30 days | Unlimited | 30 | $719.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 60 days | Unlimited | 60 | $1,434.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 90 days | Unlimited | 90 | $2,144.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 180 days | Unlimited | 180 | $4,284.99 | - |

## Which networks does the Angola eSIM use?

- **UNITEL**: 4G LTE

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.

## eSIM Details

- **Data**: 500 MB – 10 GB or unlimited
- **Validity**: 1–180 days
- **Speed**: 4G LTE
- **Hotspot / tethering**: Supported on most devices
- **Activation**: Starts when you first connect in your destination
- **Speed management**: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
- **Top-ups**: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
- **Text messages (SMS)**: Data only: use an app for verification codes
- **Connects via**: United States
- **Unused validity**: 180 days before it must be installed

## Angola: what to know before you land

Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/angola/#destination-guide · Researched October 2026 by Viasimo

Most visitors to Angola now land at the new Dr António Agostinho Neto airport (NBJ) outside Luanda, and our eSIM connects to Unitel, the operator with by far the widest reach across the country's 21 provinces. Africell has overtaken it on measured speed in the cities, but outside the urban corridors Unitel is the network you want.

### Angola: quick facts

| Fact | Angola |
| --- | --- |
| Emergency number | 110 (police), 112 (ambulance), 118 (fire) |
| Main airports | Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport (NBJ) |
| Plug types | Type C, F (220V) |
| Currency | Angolan kwanza (AOA) |
| Apps worth having | WhatsApp, Yango, Heetch, Google Maps |

### Arriving at Dr António Agostinho Neto Airport (NBJ)

(Angola · https://viasimo.com/destinations/angola/#guide-arriving-at-dr-antonio-agostinho-neto-airport-nbj)

Since **19 October 2025** all of TAAG's international flights have used the new Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport, which carries the code **NBJ**. Other foreign airlines moved across in stages, so check which airport your ticket names: the old 4 de Fevereiro airport sits inside Luanda, while NBJ is out in Bom Jesus, in the Icolo e Bengo area east of the capital.

That location matters for your phone. The run into central Luanda is a proper road journey rather than a short hop, and arrangements with drivers and hotels tend to shift once you are on the ground. Having data running before you leave the terminal means you can confirm a pickup on WhatsApp, share your live location and follow the route yourself.

During the changeover TAAG has run a shuttle between the two airports for transit passengers whose onward airline had not yet moved. If you are connecting, keep your booking references and the airline's contact details saved offline, because the transfer is the moment you are most likely to need them and least likely to find a free wifi signal.

### Unitel, Africell and Movicel: who covers what

(Angola · https://viasimo.com/destinations/angola/#guide-unitel-africell-and-movicel-who-covers-what)

Angola has three mobile operators, and they are very different in size. **Unitel** is the long-standing market leader; regulator INACOM's 2024 figures put it at more than 60% of the mobile broadband market, and it has the broadest geographic coverage. **Africell** only arrived in 2022 but grew fast, and in nPerf's speed-test rankings covering April 2025 to March 2026 it finished ahead of Unitel for mobile internet performance. The catch is footprint: Africell serves just six of the 21 provinces, concentrating on cities and the main economic corridors. **Movicel**, the third player, now has under 5% of the market.

Our eSIM connects to **Unitel** over 4G/LTE. In practice that trade-off favours most travellers: you may see a faster local SIM in central Luanda, but once you head to Malanje, Huíla, Namibe or the interior, Unitel is the operator most likely to have a mast within reach.

Coverage still thins badly between towns. Treat long inter-provincial drives as offline stretches, download maps and documents beforehand, and send your ETA while you still have a signal at the last town.

### Yango, Heetch and phone safety in Luanda

(Angola · https://viasimo.com/destinations/angola/#guide-yango-heetch-and-phone-safety-in-luanda)

App-based taxis have changed how people get around Luanda. **Heetch** set up in the city in 2020 and **Yango** followed in 2022, and local press has covered a price and commission war between the platforms ever since. Both need a live data connection to book, track the car and see the fare, which is one of the main reasons to have mobile data running from the airport onwards.

The UK Foreign Office warns that crime in Luanda is high and sometimes violent, and specifically advises against using a mobile phone in public places or while sitting in traffic. A practical way to work with that advice:

- Book your ride from inside the hotel, restaurant or shop, and wait there until the app shows the car has arrived.
- Check the plate against the app before getting in rather than standing on the kerb with your phone out.
- Avoid walking between bars on Ilha do Cabo at night, even for short distances.
- Use pre-arranged or hotel cars if you need to visit a bank or cash machine.

Keep a note of the emergency numbers offline: police **110**, ambulance **112**, fire **118**.

### Visa-free entry and road trips beyond Luanda

(Angola · https://viasimo.com/destinations/angola/#guide-visa-free-entry-and-road-trips-beyond-luanda)

Since October 2023, tourists from 98 countries, including Portugal, the UK, the US and most of the EU, can enter Angola without a visa. A visa-free stay is limited to **30 days per entry** and **90 days in a calendar year**, and the UK Foreign Office says your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from arrival with 2 blank pages; carry a yellow fever certificate too, as some onward destinations such as South Africa require one. With no visa application to slow things down, more visitors now head well beyond the capital.

If you are driving yourself, the Foreign Office advice shapes how you should use your phone:

- Police checkpoints are frequent. Carry your licence, International Driving Permit, insurance and ownership papers on paper, not just as photos on a phone that might be flat.
- Outside the main centres, travel in convoys of at least two vehicles and avoid driving at night.
- Landmines and unexploded ordnance remain a risk on verges, tracks and bridges, and heavy rains between November and April can move them. Do not leave established routes because an offline map shows a shortcut.

Share your route and expected arrival time with someone before each long leg, as the signal often disappears between towns.

### Sources for the Angola guide

- [TAAG announces definitive transfer of all international flights to the new airport Dr António Agostinho Neto (AFRAA)](https://www.afraa.org/taag-angola-airlines-announces-definitive-transfer-of-all-international-flights-to-the-new-airport-dr-antonio-agostinho-neto-effective-october-19/)
- [Africell bate Unitel e lidera desempenho de internet móvel em Angola (Expansão)](https://expansao.co.ao/empresas/detalhe/africell-bate-unitel-e-lidera-desempenho-de-internet-movel-em-angola-71457.html)
- [Angola travel advice: safety and security (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/angola/safety-and-security)
- [Angola travel advice: getting help (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/angola/getting-help)
- [Tourists from Portugal and 97 other countries no longer need a visa to enter Angola (Ver Angola)](https://www.verangola.net/va/en/102023/Tourism/37313/Tourists-from-Portugal-and-97-other-countries-no-longer-need-a-visa-to-enter-Angola.htm)
- [Yango arrives in Angola and is looking for drivers (Ver Angola)](https://www.verangola.net/va/en/042022/Transports/30623/Yango-arrives-in-Angola-and-is-looking-for-drivers.htm)
- [Heetch settles in Luanda (Ver Angola)](https://www.verangola.net/va/en/112020/Transports/22806/Heetch-settles-in-Luanda-and-promises-trips-at-any-time-and-autonomous-drivers.htm)

## Seven days in Angola: Luanda, Kalandula Falls, Lubango and Namibe

7-day itinerary · 7 days · Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/angola/#itinerary

A first-timer's week for travellers happy with long drives and one domestic flight: Luanda's waterfront and museums, the Kalandula Falls and Pungo Andongo rocks in Malanje, then the southern highlands around Lubango and the desert coast at Namibe.

**When to go:** The dry, cooler cacimbo season from June to September gives the easiest roads and clear highland views, though Kalandula Falls carries the most water late in the rains, around March to May.

### Day 1 in Angola: Luanda: Marginal, fortress and Ilha

- **Base:** Luanda
- **Getting there:** Road transfer from Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport (NBJ) into central Luanda; allow well over an hour depending on traffic.
- **Plan:** Allow the morning for the road in from the new NBJ airport at Bom Jesus. In the afternoon walk the rebuilt Marginal seafront promenade, then go up to the Fortaleza de São Miguel, the 16th-century Portuguese fort that now houses the armed forces museum and gives views over the bay. Finish on the Ilha do Cabo spit for the sunset along the beach strip, taking a pre-booked car back rather than walking between places after dark.
- **Mobile signal:** Unitel 4G is reliable along the Marginal and on the Ilha, but follow FCDO advice and keep your phone out of sight on the street; arrange pick-ups from indoors.

### Day 2 in Angola: Slavery museum and Miradouro da Lua

- **Base:** Luanda
- **Getting there:** Day trip by hired car and driver along the coastal road south of Luanda, about an hour each way.
- **Plan:** Drive south along the coast road to the Museu Nacional da Escravatura at Morro da Cruz, a small but sobering museum in a former chapel above the shore, roughly 25 km from the centre. Continue to the Miradouro da Lua, the eroded red and white cliffs about 40 km south of the city, best seen in late afternoon light. Return to Luanda before dark, as the FCDO advises avoiding night travel where possible because of poor road conditions.
- **Mobile signal:** 4G holds on the coast road towards the Miradouro da Lua, though it can thin to slower data at the viewpoint itself; enough for messages and maps.

### Day 3 in Angola: Road to Malanje and Kalandula Falls

- **Base:** Kalandula
- **Getting there:** About 360 km by road from Luanda; plan on six to seven hours with stops and checkpoints. Travel with a driver and, ideally, a second vehicle.
- **Plan:** Set off early on the long eastbound road through Bengo and Cuanza Norte towards Malanje province. Arrive at Kalandula Falls on the Lucala River in the afternoon: the falls drop around 105 metres over a broad horseshoe, and you can take in the main viewpoint from above before walking the path down towards the base if conditions are dry; stay on established paths, as the FCDO warns that mines and unexploded ordnance remain outside the main towns. Stay at the falls or nearby so you can see them again in the morning light.
- **Mobile signal:** Expect long gaps with no service between towns on the drive; Unitel picks up again around N'dalatando and Malanje. At the falls, data is weak and may drop entirely on the lower path.

### Day 4 in Angola: Pungo Andongo black rocks

- **Base:** Malanje
- **Getting there:** Kalandula to Pungo Andongo and on to Malanje by road; allow about two to three hours of driving in total.
- **Plan:** Revisit the falls early, then drive south to the Pedras Negras de Pungo Andongo, a cluster of huge dark rock towers rising from the savannah near Cacuso. Walk among the formations, look for the rock marks that local tradition links to Queen Njinga, and climb a short way for views across the plain. Continue to Malanje city for the night, ready for the return to Luanda.
- **Mobile signal:** Patchy at Pungo Andongo, where you may get a single bar or nothing among the rocks. Malanje city has steady 4G for evening messages and planning.

### Day 5 in Angola: Fly south to Lubango: Cristo Rei and Tundavala

- **Base:** Lubango
- **Getting there:** Road back to Luanda (about five to six hours), then a domestic TAAG flight to Lubango of roughly 1 hour 30 minutes. If the timing is too tight, overnight in Luanda and fly the next morning.
- **Plan:** Drive back to Luanda and take a domestic flight to Lubango in the cooler southern highlands. In the late afternoon go up to the Cristo Rei statue on the hill above the city, then out to the Fenda da Tundavala, a sheer escarpment edge with a drop of around 1,000 metres to the lowlands. Go before sunset, as the viewpoint is exposed and the road back is unlit.
- **Mobile signal:** The drive back to Luanda repeats yesterday's dead zones. Lubango has reliable 4G in town; at Tundavala the signal is variable on the rim, so download offline maps before heading out.

### Day 6 in Angola: Serra da Leba pass to Namibe

- **Base:** Namibe
- **Getting there:** Lubango to Namibe by road over the Serra da Leba, roughly three hours with stops.
- **Plan:** Drive west from Lubango to the Serra da Leba, where the road drops off the plateau in a famous run of hairpin bends from around 1,845 metres. Stop at the lookout above the switchbacks for photographs, then descend into the dry lowlands and continue to the coastal town of Namibe. Spend the late afternoon on the seafront and at the fishing harbour.
- **Mobile signal:** Expect weak or no signal on the bends and through the empty lowland stretch before Namibe; send your ETA from the top. Namibe town has dependable 4G.

### Day 7 in Angola: Namibe desert and fly back

- **Base:** Namibe
- **Getting there:** Domestic flight from Namibe to Luanda, about 1 hour 45 minutes; check schedules, as services are not daily.
- **Plan:** Spend the morning on a guided trip into the Namib Desert edge inland from Namibe to see the strange Welwitschia mirabilis plants, which grow in the gravel plains and can live for many centuries. Visiting Iona National Park properly needs a multi-day 4x4 expedition, so keep today to the nearer desert. Return to town for an afternoon domestic flight back to Luanda for your international departure.
- **Mobile signal:** There is no coverage once you are out in the desert, so carry offline maps and go with a guide who has a satellite or local plan. Signal returns in Namibe town and at the airport.

### Staying connected on this Angola route

- Download offline maps of Malanje, Huíla and Namibe provinces before leaving Luanda; the inter-provincial roads have long stretches with no Unitel signal.
- The FCDO recommends against taxi apps where possible, so arrange a trusted driver by phone or message from indoors in Luanda and wait inside until the car arrives.
- Save booking references, flight times and your driver's number offline, as domestic flight changes are common and you may need them at the terminal without data.
- Send your route and expected arrival to someone each morning before a long drive, while you still have signal in town.

### Sources for the Angola itinerary

- [GOV.UK foreign travel advice: Angola](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/angola)
- [Kalandula Falls (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalandula_Falls)
- [Serra da Leba (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serra_da_Leba)
- [GOV.UK: Angola travel advice, safety and security](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/angola/safety-and-security)
- [Wikipedia: Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Ant%C3%B3nio_Agostinho_Neto_International_Airport)

## About this eSIM

Set your expectations correctly for Angola and you will have a fine time; set them wrong and you will spend the trip frustrated. The data available to a visiting eSIM here is 3G, which is enough for messages, maps, email and voice calls over the internet, and not enough for streaming or pushing large photo albums to the cloud. Knowing that in advance changes how you pack your phone, and it is a much better position than discovering it on your second day in Luanda.

### Getting online when you land

Get the profile onto the handset before you travel. Luanda's international airport handles the overwhelming majority of arrivals, and the sensible sequence is to keep the travel line off during the flight, then switch it on along with data roaming once you are through the terminal.

Registration typically takes a minute. If the line sits there without connecting, cycle it off and on before you try anything more drastic. Your usual SIM should stay in the phone with its own data disabled, so your regular number still takes calls and receives the verification codes your bank will almost certainly want when a card is used this far from home.

One thing worth doing on arrival: send a short message to whoever is meeting you the moment you have signal. Luanda traffic is legendary and pickup plans change, so a working line in the first ten minutes is genuinely useful.

### The networks you'll be on

Your connection here runs on Unitel, over 3G. There is no 4G or 5G layer for a visiting eSIM to fall back on, and that single fact shapes everything else about how you use the phone in Angola.

What works well on 3G: WhatsApp text and voice notes, email, mobile maps once the tiles are cached, banking apps, ride-hailing, and web pages that are not overloaded with media. What does not work well: video calls of any length, uploading a day's photographs, downloading a large file, or streaming anything. If you need to move a big file, do it on hotel wifi and leave the mobile line for the things that need to work anywhere.

### Where coverage holds, and where it thins

Luanda is the strongest and busiest part of the network by a long way, and coverage extends properly across the city and its expanding suburbs. Benguela and Lobito on the coast, Huambo in the highlands, Lubango in the south and Cabinda in the exclave are all served in their built-up areas. Provincial capitals generally have something.

Between them, expect very little. Angola is a big country with long distances between towns and a lot of empty ground in the interior, and the road journeys reflect that. The approaches to Kalandula Falls, the drive down the Serra da Leba escarpment, the Namibe desert toward Iona, and the tracks into Quicama are all places to plan around rather than count on. Coastal stretches away from the towns and anything involving a national park should be treated as offline by default.

### What you'll actually use data for here

Portuguese is the working language and English is not widely spoken outside international business circles, so translation gets a real workout. Download the offline Portuguese pack before you go rather than relying on fetching it later.

Ride-hailing apps operate in Luanda and are how many visitors move around the city, which requires a live connection to book and to follow the route. Beyond that: WhatsApp for coordinating with drivers, hosts and colleagues, since it is the default channel for almost everyone; maps for navigating a city where addresses are often described by landmark rather than street number; and keeping your itinerary, hotel confirmations and documents stored on the device where you can produce them without a connection.

If your trip is work related, which many are, assume that anything requiring a large upload needs to happen from an office or hotel connection rather than on the move.

### Before you fly

Download maps for Luanda and every other place you will spend a night, at a wide enough zoom to be useful. Save the addresses in Portuguese so you can show a driver the screen instead of attempting the pronunciation.

Carry cash and expect to use it. Card acceptance concentrates in hotels, larger restaurants and city supermarkets, and a good data connection is no help at a counter that does not take cards.

Bring a power bank and a car charger. Journeys here are long, power is not always available where you stop, and a 3G connection with a dead battery is no connection at all. Check your handset is unlocked and eSIM capable before you buy, and install the profile while you still have fast wifi at home.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does an eSIM work in Angola?

Yes. Your Angola eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are UNITEL. Coverage runs on 4G LTE. There is no 5G on our host network in Angola yet.

### Do I get 5G in Angola?

No. UNITEL do not yet offer 5G to visitors in Angola, so your eSIM connects over 4G LTE or slower. Anyone claiming 5G for this destination is quoting a spec sheet, not the network you will actually get.

### Which mobile network has the best coverage in Angola?

Unitel. It is the largest operator, with more than 60% of the mobile broadband market in INACOM's 2024 data, and the widest geographic reach. Africell recorded better speed-test results in nPerf's 2025–26 rankings, but it operates in only six of Angola's 21 provinces. Our eSIM connects to Unitel, which is the better bet once you leave the main cities.

### Which airport will I land at in Luanda?

Almost certainly the new Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport (NBJ) at Bom Jesus, east of the city. TAAG moved all its international flights there on 19 October 2025 and other airlines have followed. Because it is a long drive from central Luanda, have data working before you leave the terminal so you can contact your driver or book a car.

### Can I use ride-hailing apps in Luanda?

Yes. Heetch has operated in Luanda since 2020 and Yango since 2022, and both are widely used. You need a mobile data connection to request a car, follow it on the map and see the fare. For safety, book from indoors and wait inside until the app shows your car has arrived, rather than standing in the street with your phone out.

### Is it safe to use my phone in public in Luanda?

The UK Foreign Office advises against using a mobile in public places in Luanda and while stuck in traffic, because street crime is common and can be violent. Keep your phone out of sight on the street, make calls and bookings from inside buildings or vehicles, and avoid walking around alone after dark, including between bars on Ilha do Cabo.

### How much data do I need for 7 days in Angola?

For 7 days in Angola, Viasimo sells 1 GB for $16.00 and unlimited data for $189.99. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

## Information and verification

- **Prices and plans**: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in. Verified October 30, 2026.
- **Host networks**: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.