SIMs & mobile data¶
Open prep items: TODO → Gear & connectivity (travel phone with dual eSIM + South America eSIM deal).
Day-one shops in Bogotá (local eSIM / prepaid)¶
Reality check: walking into a shop for a true tourist eSIM is unreliable. Recent guides say Claro’s own eSIM is aimed at existing customers and usually wants a Colombian ID (cédula / cédula de extranjería), not a passport alone (Holafly summary, 2026). What shops do reliably sell with a passport is a physical prepaid chip (prepago). At a full CAV (Centro de Atención y Ventas) you can ask whether they will issue or convert that line to eSIM on the spot — expect “maybe”, and bring the travel phone unlocked + passport.
Best day-one strategy if you still need local data after landing:
- Prefer a pre-bought travel eSIM (see TODO) so you have maps/Uber from the airport.
- Same day or next morning: visit a Claro CAV near Usaquén for a cheap prepaid Claro line (widest coverage for coffee region later). Ask about eSIM; take the physical chip if not.
At El Dorado (same day you land)¶
| Place | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Claro CAV — Aeropuerto El Dorado | Official CAV, 2nd floor local 2306; listed ~06:00–22:00 daily; Selectra flags it as the bilingual traveler-oriented CAV (SIM / ask for eSIM). | Selectra Bogotá CAVs (Apr 2026) |
| Techport / arrivals kiosks | Often sell Claro physical SIMs in arrivals; convenient, usually much more expensive than a city CAV. Confirm what’s open after your flight. | Traveler guides 2025–26 |
Airport prices are a known premium — fine for emergency data, poor value for a 2-week plan.
Near Usaquén (base) — better prices, next morning¶
These are official Claro CAVs in/near Usaquén (addresses from Selectra’s Apr 2026 directory — confirm hours before going; mall CAVs usually open Sundays):
| Shop | Address (Maps) | Why useful |
|---|---|---|
| Claro CAV Unicentro | Cra. 15 # 124-30, Local 2-054, CC Unicentro | Flagship CAV; close to Usaquén; good first stop to ask for prepago + eSIM. |
| Claro CAV Hacienda Santa Bárbara | Cra. 7 # 115-60, CC Hacienda Santa Bárbara | Also Usaquén; mall hours. |
| Claro CAV Cedritos (Calle 140) | Calle 140 # 18-40 | Street CAV north of Usaquén (weekday-oriented hours). |
| Claro CAV Santafé | Calle 185 # 45-03, Local N1-022, CC Santafé | Further north; 7-day mall hours if Unicentro is slammed. |
Also check the same malls for Movistar and Tigo experience stores (passport prepago is the usual tourist product). Prefer Claro if the coffee-region leg needs rural coverage.
Bring: passport (physical), unlocked phone, card/cash for the plan. Avoid peak Saturday midday queues at Unicentro / Santafé if you can.
What a 2022 backpacking tip said¶
From a r/backpacking comment (Jul 2022) (~4 years old):
I backpacked SA recently and it was the cheapest to just get the local SIM cards in each country. You can get prepaid plans with lots of data. I did not have success getting SIM cards that would work across countries. Colombia is the most cumbersome as all the SIM cards have to be registered to your identity (ie passport) so be prepared to wait in line at one of the shops (Movistar, Claro are popular ones).
Still true in 2026?¶
Checked against recent travel guides (2025–2026):
| Claim (2022) | Status now |
|---|---|
| Cheapest = local prepaid SIM per country | Still largely true for stays of ~2+ weeks; local Claro/Tigo/Movistar prepaid is usually cheaper per GB than travel eSIMs. |
| No good multi-country physical SIMs | Partly outdated. Regional travel eSIMs (Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, etc.) now cover Colombia + wider South America on one plan — dearer, but match the South America eSIM TODO. |
| Colombia requires identity (passport) registration | Still true for local carrier SIMs. Bring the physical passport; expect a queue at a Claro / Movistar / Tigo shop. |
| Movistar & Claro are the main shops | Still true, plus Tigo. Consensus pick for this itinerary (cities + coffee region): Claro for widest coverage outside big cities. |
Other practical notes (unverified prices change often — check in-store):
- El Dorado (Bogotá): see day-one shops above.
- Local carrier eSIM vs travel eSIM: Claro’s own eSIM is a poor tourist path; passport-friendly options are usually international travel eSIMs (data-only, no Colombian number) or a physical prepaid chip registered with your passport (then ask the CAV about eSIM conversion).
- For this trip’s dual-SIM plan: keep a UK eSIM/line for WhatsApp/home number continuity, and a South America / Colombia data profile on the travel phone — see TODO.
See also: What to bring · TODO · Bogotá · Logistics overview