People from all over the world visit Nepal every year, whether its to hike through the amazing Himalayas, visit the many national parks or just to enjoy their rich culture in the city! Staying connected in this stunning country an be tricky, however, buying a SIM card in Nepal is so easy and the best way to keep in touch with people back home!
Nepal, like many Asian countries, often has questionable wifi hotspots and you are certain to experience electricity blackouts that last for hours on end. Luckily their mobile internet is actually really good, especially in the cities and larger towns.
Setting up a SIM card in Nepal is extremely easy to do, very cheap and usually has excellent signal. Find out below the details and costs of the SIM cards available.
Don’t forget, to use international SIM cards, you will need an unlocked phone.
Choosing Which Network
The top three networks used in Nepal are NCell, Nepal Telecom and Smartcell SIM. All three are highly rated by locals in Nepal and are used by many. Depending on what your plans are for Nepal you can choose which SIM would suit you the most.
Generally NCell SIM’s are used for most travellers. They are easy to pick up, have cheap rates and have great coverage! You can find NCell SIM’s in almost every shop in Kathmandu.
If you are heading into the mountains for a long time, Nepal Telecom have more coverage in the mountain regions, however, it’s not always guaranteed.
Smartcell SIM, although being a good choice, has slightly higher rates and less coverage so we would recommend choosing one of the other two SIM’s.
Overall, we would recommend a NCell SIM card. You can find out where to buy it and their SIM card rates below.
Where To Get A SIM card?
NCell SIM cards are the easiest SIM to buy in Nepal. You can buy one straight away in the airport or wait until you get into the city/town you are staying in. (Sometimes rates are higher in the airport so unless you are desperate for it, we would recommend waiting to find a local shop)
Look out for the signs in small shops that say NCell provider, or SIM cards here! Especially in the cities there are lots of shops to choose from where you can get a SIM. If you are struggling to find a sign, most locals in busy tourist areas, such as Kathmandu, speak English and will be able to point you in the right direction.
You will need to take your passport, and a passport sized picture of yourself in order to get a SIM card. Sometimes they will accept a passport copy, but often will prefer the original. They will take all your details, photocopy your Visa and give you a form to fill out and sign too.
They will show you a piece of paper with the details of the plans you can buy and then they will set up your phone with the plan you’ve chosen.
How Much Will It Cost?
NCell now has SIM cards aimed at tourists only! There are three different plans depending on how much data or minutes you will need. SIM cards in Asian countries are very cheap compared to western countries and often have extras and add ons you can add later for even cheaper.
The prices for the tourist SIM’s range from NPR 100 – NPR 1000! (£0.61 – £6) You may get offered normal SIM card rates which are also very cheap and reliable, so just pick which one you feel is best for your needs. (If you need a lot of data, their max data SIM is 88GB which is currently only NPR 888 ! (£5.50)
You can visit the NCell website for any information on the tourist SIM cards here!
Once you have everything set up and your data is working, I would recommend downloading the FREE app on your phone. You can track your usage, see any deals for extra data and see information about your mobile number.
Due to the wifi being pretty unreliable in most places in Nepal, I would get a higher data package then you would normally use, just incase! If you decide you need extra data once you already have the SIM card, just take your phone back to a SIM provider and ask them to top it up for you. (If you have the app, you can also top up this way yourself)
Coverage
Coverage with NCell is very good and 4G coverage works well especially in the main cities and towns. Once out of the main cities, you should have good 3G coverage! Even up in the mountains we still managed to get 3G for the majority of our trip, it was only the extremely remote places where it wouldn’t work.
Hopefully this blog has helped you in how to get a SIM card in Nepal! If you are travelling to any other countries, you can see our blogs on getting their SIM cards too! Just search in the bar at the top.
-If you are hiking to Everest Base Camp, you can check out our complete guide to this once in a lifetime hike here!
