Wanderly vs Holafly for a Colombia eSIM
Colombia is the clearest case in this series for splitting the audience down the middle. Short visitors should buy gigabytes. Medellín remote workers should probably not — and we will explain why rather than pretend otherwise.
The verdict for Colombia
Our Colombia plans start at $4.99 with best value around $2.20 per gigabyte and a ceiling of 20 GB. For a two-week trip through Cartagena, the coffee region and Bogotá, using perhaps 4 to 6 GB, that is straightforward and cheaper than any daily unlimited rate would be.
The remote-work case is different and we are not going to spin it. Medellín has one of the densest concentrations of long-stay remote workers anywhere in Latin America. Tethering a laptop through working days can pass 20 GB inside a month, which is our entire ceiling for the country, and at $2.20 per gigabyte the cost of getting there is not trivial. Holafly's flat daily unlimited rate is a sound fit for that pattern and we would expect it to compare well.
So: if you are visiting, buy from us and buy small. If you are moving to Medellín for three months with a laptop, look at unlimited seriously. Our 20 GB ceiling is a real constraint and pretending it isn't would be the kind of thing that makes comparison pages worthless.
We don't publish Holafly's prices — we have no live feed for them, so anything we quoted would go stale. Check their site for current pricing; the figures above are our own.
Coverage in Colombia
Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena are well covered with widespread 4G and growing 5G. Medellín in particular is dense, which is part of why it absorbed so many remote workers. Coverage falls away in the coffee region's valleys, on the Caribbean coast east of Santa Marta, in Tayrona, and comprehensively across the Amazonian south and the Pacific coast.
Local networks: Claro, then Movistar and Tigo
How travellers actually use data here
Colombia is a two-population destination: short visitors doing cities and coffee farms on maps and messaging, and a large remote-worker contingent in Medellín tethering laptops all day.
Routing: Singapore breakout. Colombian banking apps are among the fussier ones about apparent location, so expect the occasional extra verification step.
When Wanderly is the better buy in Colombia
- ✓Two- and three-week Colombia trips with normal tourist usage
- ✓Coffee region, Cartagena and Bogotá itineraries where consumption stays modest
- ✓You want to buy a small plan and top up rather than commit up front
- ✓Trips where much of your time is in places with no coverage anyway
When Holafly is the better buy
- •Long Medellín remote-work stays with all-day tethering
- •Any month where you expect to exceed our 20 GB Colombia ceiling
- •You want predictable cost in a market that runs around $2.20 per gigabyte for us
Holafly took a different bet from most of the category: instead of selling gigabytes, it sells days of unlimited data. That removes the part of buying a travel eSIM that people most dislike — guessing how much data they will use — and it is a legitimately better experience for heavy users. The trade-off is that you pay for the certainty whether you need it or not.
Colombia vs Holafly — common questions
Is unlimited data worth it in Colombia?
For tourism, no. For a multi-month remote-work stay in Medellín with heavy tethering, quite possibly yes — Colombia is expensive per gigabyte for us and our plans cap at 20 GB.
What is Wanderly's largest Colombia plan?
20 GB, which is lower than our ceiling in most destinations. Plans are reloadable so you can extend, but very heavy monthly users should factor that in.
How much data does a two-week Colombia trip use?
Typically 4 to 6 GB — maps, ride-hailing, translation and photos. Colombian cafés and accommodation have widely available Wi-Fi that absorbs the rest.
Is Medellín good enough for video calls?
Yes. Medellín has strong urban coverage with growing 5G, and tethering is permitted on our plans. The constraint is allowance, not speed.
Do either provide a Colombian phone number?
No, both are data-only. Some Colombian delivery and banking services want a local number for SMS, which neither can supply.
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