eSIM for Réunion

Viasimo's Réunion eSIM starts at $1.29 for 500 MB over 7 days, running on Orange with 5G where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Works everywhere in Réunion

Reunion

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Duration

Quantity

Unlimited data · 3 Days$6.99

Unlimited data · 3 Days ×1

$6.99

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Dial *#06# on your phone. If you see an EID number, your phone takes an eSIM. Most phones sold since 2019 do.

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Network

Which networks does the Réunion eSIM use?

Host networks: Orange

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

Data: 500 MB – 20 GB or unlimited
Validity: 1–180 days
Speed: 4G LTE / 5G
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
Unused validity: 180 days before it must be installed

Setting up Buy, scan the QR code we email you, and switch on the travel line when you land. How it works

Choosing a plan

How much data do you need?

The allowances below are our sizing recommendations, not measurements. The plan beside each one is the cheapest option on this page that covers it.

Recommended data allowances matched to the plans sold for this destination
You are	Plan for	Cheapest plan that covers it
LightMaps, messaging and the occasional lookup	About 1 GB a week	$1.591 GB, 7 days
TypicalMaps, social, photos and some browsing	About 3 to 7 GB a week	$4.595 GB, 30 days
HeavyVideo streaming, video calls and uploads	10 GB a week or more	$8.0010 GB, 30 days
Working or sharingTethering a laptop, calls and cloud sync	20 GB a week or more	$13.99Unlimited, 7 days

Work it out from your own habits

What a week abroad costs

eSIM, local SIM or roaming?

Charged per day

Your carrier roaming

Queue and plastic

A SIM at the airport

$1.29

Viasimo, one bundle

Only the Viasimo figure is a price: it comes from today’s live catalog. The other two rows are directional, not quoted rates.

About this eSIM

Réunion is a volcanic island in the Indian Ocean that happens to be a French department, and its network follows the same logic as its roads: a strong ring around the coast, decent links inland where cars can go, and nothing much once you drop into the cirques on foot. If your trip is mostly hiking, that gap is the entire story. Set your line up before you fly and you land in Saint Denis connected, then choose deliberately when to walk out of range.

Getting online when you land

Add the profile to your phone at home while you have wifi, keep it dormant, and enable it once you are on the ground at Roland Garros in Sainte Marie. Most arrivals are long haul from Paris or short hops from Mauritius, and either way the line will attach while you wait for bags.

Nearly everyone rents a car at the airport, so the practical priority is having navigation running before you pull out. Réunion's road network is scenic and unforgiving in equal measure, with the coastal route hugging cliffs and the inland roads to Cilaos and Salazie folding through switchbacks. Knowing which turning you want in advance is better than discovering it at the hairpin.

The networks you'll be on

Data here goes through Orange, which runs 3G, 4G/LTE and 5G. Around the main towns you will find LTE and 5G that feel like anywhere in metropolitan France, and 3G is the fallback in the interior valleys. Speed is not the constraint on this island; line of sight is. A mast on the coast does not help you at the bottom of a canyon, and no amount of bars elsewhere changes that.

Where coverage holds, and where it thins

The coastal ring is solid. Saint Denis, Saint Paul, Saint Gilles les Bains and the lagoon beaches at Hermitage, Saint Leu, Saint Pierre and Saint Benoît are all well covered, as is the fast road connecting them. The tunnels on the coastal route between Saint Denis and La Possession will interrupt you briefly, which is a tunnel problem rather than a coverage one.

Inland it becomes uneven in the way mountains make things uneven. The roads up to Cilaos and to Hell Bourg in Salazie have signal at the villages and lose it repeatedly on the climbs. The Plaine des Cafres and the Plaine des Palmistes along the cross island route are reasonable. The Bébour Bélouve forest and the road toward the Trou de Fer viewpoint drop off quickly.

Mafate is the real one. The third cirque has no road access at all, is reached only on foot or by helicopter, and coverage across it is unreliable to absent depending on which îlet you are standing in. Treat a Mafate trek as offline and plan your gîte bookings, route and water stops accordingly. The volcano is similar: you will typically have something around the Pas de Bellecombe car park and much less once you are down on the lava field walking to the crater. The Piton des Neiges ascent, the Cap Noir ridges and most of the higher trails are the same.

What you'll actually use data for here

Booking beds. The gîtes in the cirques are reserved in advance, often through a central booking service, and the confirmation is what gets you a mattress and a meal at the end of a long day of descent. Sort those while you have signal, then save them.

Trail conditions and volcano status are the second, and they are not optional. Piton de la Fournaise erupts regularly and the access road and trails close when it does; the same authorities post trail closures after heavy rain, which happens often. Checking before you drive up saves a wasted morning. Cyclone season brings its own alerts, worth watching if you are visiting in the southern summer. Beyond that: hiking maps and downloaded route files, tide and swell information if you are swimming inside the lagoon, and everyday navigation between towns whose names all begin with Saint and blur together fast.

Before you fly

Install the eSIM at home, make it your data line, and keep your usual SIM active for bank verification. Confirm the roaming switch is enabled on the travel line rather than assuming a global setting covers it.

Download offline maps of the whole island, since it is small enough that a full download is trivial and interior signal is not. Save your route files, gîte confirmations and car hire details to the device itself. Take a power bank on any multi day trek, because there is nowhere to charge in the cirques and your phone is doing navigation duty. And leave your intended route with someone before you walk into Mafate; that is basic mountain practice here, connected or not.

Unlimited runs at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continues slower.

Before you buy

Important to know

This is a data-only eSIM. It carries no calls or SMS on its own number.
Your existing number stays on your primary SIM, so calls and verification texts keep working.
Your phone must support eSIM, and some carrier-locked phones cannot install one.
Signal varies with location, terrain, congestion and your handset. Dense urban areas are consistently better served than remote ones.
5G only works where the host network has deployed it and your phone supports it. Everywhere else it falls back to 4G LTE.
The eSIM selects a host network automatically. You cannot pick or switch between them.
Unlimited plans run at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continue at a reduced speed. Read the fair usage policy

Looking for more information?

Frequently asked questions

Does an eSIM work in Réunion?

Yes. Your Réunion 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 Orange. Coverage runs on 4G LTE and 5G where the network has rolled it out, and falls back to 4G elsewhere.

Do I get 5G in Réunion?

Yes, where it has been deployed. 5G runs on Orange in Réunion, and your eSIM uses it automatically on a 5G-capable phone, dropping back to 4G LTE outside covered areas. No country is covered everywhere, so 5G availability varies by location.

What happens during a purple cyclone alert in Réunion?

A purple alert is the highest level, and it brings a curfew for everyone; even emergency services need special authorisation to travel. It has been used only twice in Réunion's history, most recently for Cyclone Garance on 28 February 2025. Stay indoors, keep your phone and power banks charged, and follow the prefecture and Météo-France.

Can you swim in the sea in Réunion?

In some places. After 23 shark attacks between 2010 and 2017, nine of them fatal, the prefect banned swimming, surfing and bodyboarding along more than half the coast in 2013. Most visitors swim inside the protected lagoon areas on the west coast or at supervised spots. Check local signage and ask locally before going in.

When is cyclone season in Réunion?

Cyclone season normally runs from December to April. The UK Foreign Office advises monitoring local news and Météo-France and following local authority advice. Storms can cause long power cuts, as when about 42% of customers lost power during Cyclone Garance in 2025, so carry a power bank.

Can I visit Piton de la Fournaise during an eruption?

Often not up close. The volcano has erupted more than 100 times since 1640, most recently in February 2026, and authorities can close the access road and crater trails when activity starts. Check the prefecture's announcements and the observatory's updates on the morning of your visit, and download offline maps, as signal drops beyond the car park.

How much data do I need for 7 days in Réunion?

For 7 days in Réunion, Viasimo sells 500 MB for $1.29, 1 GB for $1.59, and unlimited data for $13.99. 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.

Installing, keeping your number, topping up and hotspot work the same everywhere: see how it works →

Know before you go

Réunion: what to know before you land

Réunion is a French overseas department and an EU outermost region that uses the euro. Our eSIM connects to Orange, including 5G where it is available. The most important things to check on your phone here are official alerts: cyclone warnings, which reached the rare purple level during Cyclone Garance in 2025, eruption notices for Piton de la Fournaise, and local guidance on where swimming is allowed.

Emergency: 112 or 15 ambulance, 17 police, 18 fire
Plugs: CE 230V
Currency: Euro (EUR)

Main airports

RUN Roland Garros Airport (Saint-Denis)
ZSE Pierrefonds Airport (Saint-Pierre)

Apps worth having WhatsAppMétéo-FranceGoogle Maps (offline)

Cyclone alerts: Garance and the purple level

Réunion's cyclone season normally runs from December to April. The UK Foreign Office advises monitoring local news and the French weather service, Météo-France, and following the advice of local authorities.

The island uses a graded alert system run by the prefecture, and Cyclone Garance showed how far it can go. The prefect raised the alert to red on 27 February 2025 and, early on 28 February, to purple, only the second time in Réunion's history. Under the purple alert a curfew applied to everyone; even emergency services needed special authorisation to move. Garance made landfall on the north coast that morning, killing at least four people, and about 42% of the island's electricity customers lost power.

What that means for your phone:

Follow the prefecture and Météo-France so alert changes reach you as soon as they are issued.
When an alert is raised, charge your phone and power banks immediately, as long power cuts are possible.
Save your accommodation's address, car hire details and flight bookings offline.
Expect airline schedules to change, and keep your airline's app notifications on.

If a red or purple alert is in force, stay indoors and do not drive. Our eSIM is data only, so emergency calls to 112 need your home SIM.

Sharks and the coastal swimming restrictions

Réunion's beaches look inviting, but its waters have a history of serious shark attacks. Between 2010 and 2017 there were 23 attacks, nine of them fatal. In July 2013 the prefect banned swimming, surfing and bodyboarding along more than half of the coastline, and restrictions have shaped where people go in the water ever since.

The UK Foreign Office confirms there have been shark attacks in Réunion and advises following the guidance of local authorities and tour operators on which beaches are safe. In practice, most visitors swim inside the protected lagoon areas on the west coast and at supervised spots. Before you go in:

Check local signage and the commune's beach information, which can change.
Ask your accommodation or a local surf school, which will know current rules.
Do not swim at dawn, dusk or in murky water after rain.

Your phone is useful here mainly for looking up current local guidance rather than relying on an old guidebook or a beach that looked busy in someone's photo. If you plan to surf, bodyboard or dive, go through a local club or operator that knows which spots are permitted and supervised.

Piton de la Fournaise: eruption notices and closures

Piton de la Fournaise has erupted more than 100 times since 1640. It is under constant monitoring, and it was erupting again as recently as February 2026. The UK Foreign Office lists it among Réunion's active volcanoes.

Eruptions are part of normal life on the island, but they affect your plans. When activity starts or is expected, the authorities can close the access road to the Pas de Bellecombe viewpoint and the trails into the Enclos crater. Check the prefecture's announcements and the volcano observatory's updates on the morning of your visit, not the day before, and again before you start walking.

Practical points for a volcano day:

Download an offline map of the route, as signal falls away once you leave the car park.
Take warm layers and a power bank; the plateau is high, cold and exposed.

Réunion has two international airports: Roland Garros (RUN) near Saint-Denis, the main airport, and Pierrefonds (ZSE) near Saint-Pierre in the south, opened in 1998. If you are staying in the south for volcano trips, Pierrefonds can save you a long drive.

Researched October 2026 · 6 sources

gov.uk Réunion travel advice - GOV.UK
gov.uk Réunion travel advice: safety and security - GOV.UK
gov.uk Réunion travel advice: getting help - GOV.UK
en.wikipedia.org Réunion - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org Cyclone Garance - Wikipedia
royalbrinkman.com Voltage, frequency and plug type per country - Royal Brinkman

7-day itinerary

Seven days in Réunion: Saint-Denis, the cirques, the west-coast lagoon and Piton de la Fournaise

A driving week round a steep volcanic island for walkers and drivers: Saint-Denis, the green cirque of Salazie, the lagoon at L'Hermitage, the Maïdo lookout over Mafate, Cilaos, an early start on Piton de la Fournaise, and the lava-scarred wild south.

Length: 7 days
Bases: 5

When to go May to November is the cooler, drier season and the best for hiking, with clearer mornings; December to April is hot, humid cyclone season, when trails and mountain roads can close after heavy rain.

Day 1 Saint-Denis

Saint-Denis: Le Barachois and the Creole villas

Roland Garros (RUN) is about 15 minutes from central Saint-Denis by car.

Pick up a hire car at Roland Garros airport and drive into Saint-Denis. Walk the seafront at Le Barachois with its old cannons, then head up Rue de Paris to see the Creole villas with their wrought-iron verandas. Spend the afternoon in the Jardin de l'État, the botanic garden at the top of town, and visit the Natural History Museum inside it.

Signal Orange 5G is available in central Saint-Denis, with strong 4G elsewhere around the city. Follow the prefecture and Météo-France now so any alerts reach you during the week.
Day 2 Hell-Bourg

Cirque de Salazie and Hell-Bourg

Saint-Denis to Hell-Bourg, about 1–1.25 hours by car.

Drive east to Saint-André and up into the Cirque de Salazie, one of the island's three volcanic amphitheatres. Stop at the Voile de la Mariée, a series of waterfalls dropping off the cliffs beside the road. Continue to Hell-Bourg, a former spa village of Creole cottages and gardens, and walk to the ruins of the old thermal baths or take a short trail into the forest above the village.

Signal Orange 4G works in Salazie and Hell-Bourg, but drops on the winding gorge road and on forest trails. Download an offline map before leaving the coast.
Day 3 Saint-Gilles-les-Bains

West to the lagoon at L'Hermitage

Hell-Bourg to Saint-Gilles, about 2 hours by car via Saint-Denis and the coast road.

Drive down from Salazie and round to the west coast. Spend the afternoon at L'Hermitage, where the reef-protected lagoon gives some of the island's safest swimming and snorkelling inside the marine reserve. Follow local signage on where swimming is allowed. In the late afternoon walk along Boucan Canot beach, then eat in Saint-Gilles.

Signal Coverage is strong along the coastal motorway and around Saint-Gilles, where Orange 5G is often available. Signal is weak on the water, so leave your phone ashore.
Day 4 Cilaos

Maïdo at dawn, then up to Cilaos

Saint-Gilles to Maïdo about 1 hour; Maïdo to Cilaos roughly 2.5 hours, including the winding final climb.

Set off before dawn to the Maïdo lookout, about 2,200 metres up on the rim of the Cirque de Mafate, a cirque with no roads where villages are reached only on foot or by helicopter. Arrive early, before cloud fills the cirque. Drive back down, then south to Saint-Louis and up the famous road of hairpin bends to Cilaos, a mountain town in the third cirque.

Signal Signal is variable at Maïdo and there is none down in Mafate itself. The Cilaos road has long dead spots in the gorge, though Orange 4G works in Cilaos town.
Day 5 Bourg-Murat (Plaine des Cafres)

Cilaos, then the Plaine des Cafres

Cilaos to Bourg-Murat, roughly 2 hours by car via the south coast.

Walk one of the morning trails around Cilaos, such as the path to the Roche Merveilleuse viewpoint over the cirque. Drive back down to the coast and up to Bourg-Murat on the Plaine des Cafres, the gateway to the volcano. In the afternoon visit the Cité du Volcan, the interpretation centre for Piton de la Fournaise, and check the next morning's access status.

Signal Expect gaps on the descent from Cilaos, then reasonable Orange 4G on the plain and in Bourg-Murat. Check prefecture eruption notices tonight and again in the morning.
Day 6 Bourg-Murat (Plaine des Cafres)

Piton de la Fournaise

Bourg-Murat to Pas de Bellecombe, about 45 minutes by road.

Drive the forest road across the Plaine des Sables, a red and black lava desert, to the Pas de Bellecombe car park on the rim of the Enclos caldera. If the trails are open, walk down into the Enclos and across the lava to the summit crater of Piton de la Fournaise, a long return hike for most of the day. If access is closed for eruption risk, walk the rim paths instead.

Signal Signal is weak at Pas de Bellecombe and largely absent inside the Enclos. Carry an offline map, warm layers and a power bank, and tell someone your return time.
Day 7 Saint-Denis

The wild south and east coast back to Saint-Denis

Bourg-Murat to Saint-Philippe about 1 hour; Sainte-Rose to Saint-Denis about 1.5 hours.

Drive down to the south coast and east along the wild south. Stop at Cap Méchant for its black basalt cliffs, then cross the Grand Brûlé, where the road runs over recent lava flows that reached the sea. At Sainte-Rose, see Notre-Dame-des-Laves, the church where the 1977 lava flow stopped at the door. Continue up the east coast to Saint-Denis for your flight.

Signal Coverage gets patchy across the Grand Brûlé, though usually returns in the villages. Orange 4G and 5G are strong again around Saint-Denis and the airport.

Staying connected on this route

Check prefecture and observatory notices on the morning of your volcano day; the access road and crater trails close at short notice.
Download offline maps of the three cirques before driving in, as the gorge roads have long dead spots.
Follow Météo-France and the prefecture for cyclone alerts between December and April, and charge a power bank when an alert is raised.
Mafate has no road access and no reliable signal; leave your plans with someone if you hike in.

Itinerary sources · 3

en.reunion.fr Île de la Réunion Tourisme
whc.unesco.org UNESCO: Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island
gov.uk GOV.UK foreign travel advice: Réunion

Where this comes from

Information and verification

Each block below says what was checked and when. Anything we cannot date, we do not claim.

Prices and plans: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in.; Verified November 3, 2026
Host networks: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM.; Verified November 3, 2026