Best eSIM for Reunion

Réunion is a French department in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and close to Mauritius, and it is essentially a mountain in the sea. Trips here are built around the three cirques – Mafate, Cilaos and Salazie – the active Piton de la Fournaise, and hiking routes where the only way into Mafate is on foot or by helicopter. Flights land at Roland Garros Airport (RUN) near Saint-Denis. Because a mainland France plan does not always extend here, a travel eSIM is the clean answer: install it on Wi-Fi before departure, keep your own number live, and let validity start at the first connection on the island.

Orange, SFR and Free operate on Réunion, and the coastal ring road connecting Saint-Denis, Saint-Paul, Saint-Pierre and Saint-Benoit is well covered with fast 4G. Inland is a different matter: the cirque floors, the trails into Mafate and the approach to the Piton de la Fournaise lose signal in the ravines and behind the ridges. Anyone walking the GR routes should download maps and leave a plan with someone.

If you already have a French mainland plan, check whether Réunion is included before buying anything – some plans cover it and some do not. Otherwise an eSIM beats queueing for a local SIM in Saint-Denis on your first morning, and it keeps your home number free for the hire car company. A Mauritius plan does not cover Réunion.