Holafly eSim Review: A South American Digital Odyssey

Holafly offers eSIM global access with over 200 destinations and plans to suit everyone. Whether you’re travelling for work, holidays or a digital nomad, Holafly has you covered,

Easy installation, a top notch website and responsive tech assistance means less stress and instant connection from the moment you arrive. True to their motto, Holafly is with you wherever you go!

Breaking News! 

Holafly has dropped a massive new Global Unlimited Plan. Yes, that’s right – everywhere for one price! From just $100.08 AUD per month ($3.34 per day) for unlimited data almost anywhere in the world.  There’s also a Lighter tier capped at 25gb per month to meet traveller’s differing needs.   You’ll also be happy to know Holafly Unlimited and Light plans also come with a free perk – the Always On for use between active plans.  This means when the user’s primary subscription is cancelled, the eSIM automatically switches over the the Always On plan, giving you ongoing connectivity and 1GB per month for use in over 70 countries.

Holafly Unlimited Plan is all about simplicity. Travellers only need to install the eSIM once, removing the need to swap out physical SIM cards for different regions or trips. The plan gives users one permanent eSIM with coverage in 160+ countries, unlimited data and a simple month-to-month subscription that can be paused or cancelled at any time between trips.

Relying on public Wi-Fi while travelling can become a serious security concern, while using local SIM providers can often involve lengthy registration processes, language barriers and compatibility issues. Holafly’s one-time digital eSIM solves both problems, giving travellers reliable data access and putting security and control firmly back in their hands.

 

TL;DR

The Bottom Line: Holafly is the gold standard for stress-free international roaming. It offers seamless, automatic connectivity across 160+ countries on a single eSIM, outperforming competitors in even the most remote parts of South America.

• The Big News: Holafly launched a Global Unlimited Plan ($100.08 AUD/month) and a Lighter 25GB tier. Both include “Always On” connectivity, giving you 1GB of backup data if your main plan expires.
• Performance: Tested across Chile, Peru, Argentina, and the Bolivian Altiplano. While other providers failed, Holafly maintained reliable 5G/4G/3G data for maps, Google Translate, and safety.
• Ease of Use: One-time installation. No swapping physical SIM cards or dealing with local vendors. It automatically switches to the best local provider as you cross borders.
• Best For: Travelers, digital nomads, and families who prioritise security, reliability, and “landing connected” over hunting for local SIM shops.

 

Back to it then

It seems eons ago, but in reality a mere five weeks have elapsed since I last used Holafly in South America. And I’ll be honest, I’ve struggled with how to best formulate the review.

I wanted to just write:  HOLAFLY WORKS EVERYWHERE – JUST BUY IT   but Dear Leader Kevin said no. Honestly Kevin, where’s your sense of adventure?! [Kevin: I believe it may have been lost in the cloud when I drove over Crown Range at dusk with about 3 metres visibilty. If anyone finds it on Crown Range Road, please reach out on the DRN contact address.]

 

Time to let you in on a little secret

If you hark back a couple of months, I discussed how I’d be travelling with my 23 year old son around South America and down to Antarctica. But what you, and I, didn’t realise is we’d be trialling two different Holafly plans on our travels.

I gave the Holafly eSIM 5G trial provided by PR to my son – he’s always on his phone and if anyone was going to run out of 5g of data quickly, it was him!

I used another company’s eSIM which initially worked. But due to lack of coverage in early days of our trip,  decided to purchase the Holafly Global Unlimited Plan (but more about that later).  And I’m so glad I did.

 

Holafly 5G Latin America Plan

Having downloaded and set up his Holafly eSIM back in Sydney, Mr 23 was straight onto his data from the moment we touched down in Santiago, Chile. This was quickly followed by another flight to Lima, Peru where we’d be for a few days.

I checked in with him every other hour initially “Is it working?” How’s your reception?”, and so on.

The general consensus was data, texting and apps functioned seamlessly, with no drop outs or hiccups.  Excellent!  He had no need to contact tech support either.

And so we continued on our adventure… both connected to our respective eSIM’s, both happy and doing all the things.

I stopped pestering him, because as we all know, as soon as there’s any issue with the wifi, you’ll know about it. But I heard not a peep about phone or data issues for the rest of the 5.5 weeks we were away.

Holafly 1 V  The Other Provider 0

It was around Cusco onwards I started having issues with The Other Provider.

No data. Some data. No connectivity. Weird data. Frustration levels mounting, I got in touch with their help desk who were helpful but couldn’t solve the issue.

I needed connectivity because I was the holder of all tickets, flight updates and so on. Rather than spend another four hours worrying, I knew exactly where to go…

 

Holafly Unlimited Global Cover

What do you do when your eSIM doesn’t work? Research and buy one you know WILL work, of course.

Holafly’s Unlimited Global plan was one of the best choices I made the entire trip. Finally, reliable roaming data!  And lucky for me, Holafly had just launched their new Global Plan and I managed a little discount. Success! 

No matter the country or location (except for a couple of really out of the way places) I had connectivity.  I did a double take a few times at seeing some older style 3G pop up on my phone. This is reflective of the economic status of some areas, particularly Bolivia: tech infrastructure is not a priority in light of other more pressing social issues.

Bolivian Altiplano
Lis Petersen Photography

 

From Lima to Cusco and in between  (Ollaytaytambo, Sacred Valley as a whole and Agua , and Puno at Lake Titicaca), Holafly seamlessly provided reliable data, voice and texting.

Check out the lightning over Lake Titicaca… it was great to be able to share this picture moments after it happened with friends and family back home.

 

From the sketchy Bolivian border town of Desaguadero (hold onto everything!) to La Paz, Uyuni and the Bolivian altiplano, Holafly soldiered on. Using Google Translate to purchase a beautiful hand made hat in La Paz was made possible by my Holafly Global plan.  Check out the endless Salar de Uyuni behind me!

 

The Salvador Dali Desert in the far depths of Bolivia, and at around 4750m, did not have even a blade of grass, but the remoteness is too good not to share.

From Santiago, Chile, to San Pedro de Atacama, Holafly really came into its own as I used it to track my lost and fun loving son down at 3.30am to escort him back to our hotel.   Yes, that’s me and my shadow in the early hours of the morning, completely safe mind you as I talked to family at home whilst searching for the lost one. 😛

The Streets of San Pedro de Atacama…

The next day he slept in, and I climbed a mountain above the ancient Pukara de Quito Fort above San Pedro de Atacama.

Navigating Buenos Aires, Argentina, was a cinch as I had instant data access to maps and sight seeing courtesy of my Holafly connection. They really love their dogs too – dog walkers everywhere.  What a beautiful city!

And finding coffee shops and catching up with newly made friends in the quaint towns of Ushuaia and El Calafate was infinitely easier now I had my Holafly data and could drop a location pin. If you’ve been there to Ushuaia, you know it is so cold you need a coffee every 100m to warm up!

Antarctica was obviously not on the expected access list, but I was advised we may ping as we went past some research station towers. Not sure if we did, but here’s Port Lockroy, a historic British base on Goudier Island, off Antarctica’s Wienckce Island. Renowned for having the most southerly post office in the world, I’m eagerly awaiting my postcard to myself, arrival date unknown but hopefully some time in 2026.  The building below is a boat shed down by the ocean; behind me were multiple rookeries and the historic station and current huts occupied by research staff.  A stunning and beautiful environment.

 

SO WHY IS HOLAFLY SO DAMN GOOD

Simply, reliability.

In every country we visited, the eSIM would automatically connect to the preferred provider. No action on your part, just a seamless transition with you none the wiser.  That’s it.

Their Help Centre is great and their App is simple and helpful.

 

RECOMMENDATION

Holafly is the best Global eSIM provider hands down in my opinion.  Our Holafly eSIM’s were the difference between an average holiday and a wonderful adventure.

Airline updates? Received

ETickets? Received

Hotel directions? Sorted

Random traipsing around cities and towns? Level unlocked

Finding your travel companions… essential!

And most importantly, Google translate?  My Spanish improved a lot, and the locals understood me thanks to my Holafly eSiM.  Although this memorable phrase below didn’t quite make it through the translation, it’s good to know penguins and chip water are a thing. *grins

So far I’ve recommended it to friends and on social media for anyone querying the best eSIM.  Everyone single person was impressed because they also had the same experience – connectivity everywhere without dramas. I’ll definitely be using Holafly again for the UK and Norway later in 2026.

Holafly know consumers simply want to stay in touch,  share our adventures and use our devices the same way we do at work or home.  A simply solution to a complex problem, Holafly in my opinion have cornered the eSIM market.  Not bad going for what was once a little start up with dreams of the big time.  Holafly, you’ve made it!

PS.  Mr 23 never did run out of data!

Thank you Holafly for the review opportunity, DRN is kicking off their year with the Pulse Award. Congratulations Holafly!

Copyright Lis Petersen Photography 2026