Getting a Sim Card in Malabo
Ahhh internet in Africa. If you have every travelled to this marvellous continent you will surely know that a hotel with reliable Wi-Fi is one of life’s true luxuries. Now, internet in Africa certainly does exist and it can be absolutely fantastic! However, in our experience hotels tend to have terrible Wi-Fi connection with it being just too weak or too slow to access our emails.
Thankfully, mobile data tends to work quite well. Africans are becoming more and more connected to the internet and options are also increasing. It is not very common to have E-sims available (although often expensive for what they are) that can provide you with access to local providers. Once on the ground though prices for local sim cards with data are often quite cheap and the process is fairly easy.
Equatorial Guinea is still not on the radar for the E-sim market but have no fear, because you can easily obtain one in downtown Malabo.
Orange or Muni?
There are two main options available both with shops in downtown Malabo. We usually go with Muni as the registration process is very quick and easy.
How much does it cost?
For 7,500 XAF you can get 8gb of data from Muni. This is fast 4g internet that works very well in the populated centres of Malabo, Mongomo and Bata. There are also packages for less, however we found this one the best value. This is for a 1 week sim card.
For 1 day you can also get a data package of 1.5gb for 1250 XAF.
If you are staying longer, you can also buy monthly packages which go up to 35gb for 25,000 XAF for the month.
Day time vs. nighttime data
With each of the sim card packages you buy some of the data will be used during the day and then some will be allocated for the evening between the hours of 11pm to 5am. For example if you buy the 8gb package, 6gb will be available to you during the day and 2gb of your package will be usable at night time.
There are also options for a few days which are cheaper
How is the coverage?
Honestly not great for any provider. Equatorial Guinea is a very small country, however it is quite sparsely populated. You can expect very good coverage in the capital and also in Bata and Mongomo on the mainland. Outside of these areas, small villages will have some limited coverage, however outside when your driving through the thick jungle don’t expect any reception.
What do I have to bring?
The only thing you need to bring is cash to pay and your passport to register. The whole process should take about 10 minutes depending on the enthusiasm level of the person helping you.
Where is the shop located in Malabo?
The main shop for Muni is located on Av. De La Indepencia not far from the ventage mall. If you are walking down then avenue away from the mall the Muni shop will be on your lefthand side. The shop is quite big with a clear logo and quite easy to find. Staff speak minimal English so if you don’t speak Spanish, best to come with google translator ready.
The best way to get to know Equatorial Guinea of course is to join us on one of our group tours. To see what group tours we have coming up, check out our
Equatorial Guinea group tours
on our website. To secure your spot and join us send us an email to [email protected] .