Are you traveling to Honduras and looking for the best way to stay connected? Don't get stuck with high roaming charges, I figured out what is the best prepaid sim card for tourists in Honduras. In this guide you can read everything about buying a sim card for Honduras.
Recently I was traveling in Honduras for 3 weeks and enjoyed the most beautiful places on an epic road trip across the country. At the end of this blog I will talk about my experience using and buying a Honduras sim card, but first I will show you where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per July 2022, the best 4G/5G network in Honduras, my recommendation and info about international and e-sim cards for Honduras.
Honduras is a developing country and their mobile internet is NOT the best. Don’t have high expectations when it comes to fast 4G internet. 5G in Honduras? May be in 2023!
Related: 24 Best Places to Visit in Honduras!
Traveling in Central America is one big adventure and I can only recommend you going. Also traveling to Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico? Click on the links for a complete sim card review for these countries.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends a Tigo sim card for Honduras based on the prepaid sim card deals and the 4G network strength.
Another great alternative is a global sim card with data. These traveler sim cards have many benefits, but are however a little more expensive. Check out my comparison about the best prepaid international sim cards with data in 2022 and pick the one that suits your trip to Central America.
However, the easiest way to get connected when traveling to Honduras in 2022 is an e-sim card.
E-sim cards for Honduras
For getting an e-sim card you don't need to visit a store or swap a physical sim card. You can arrange everything online within just a couple minutes. Choose your e-sim card, order one, get an email with instructions, apply the settings and you are all set. Have a look at the following Honduras e-sim card deal:
- 1 GB data for 1 week = $9 USD
Click here to order an e-sim card for Honduras directly online or get more info in the link.
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Mobile internet operators in Honduras
Just like in Guatemala there are only 2 mobile internet providers in Honduras: Tigo and Claro.
In my Guatemala sim card article I explained that Claro Guatemala offers a prepaid sim card that is valid from Canada to Argentina, all over the Americas.
Where to buy Honduras sim card
You can buy a Tigo and Claro sim card in the bigger convenience stores as well as in bigger gas stations. However I would not recommend you doing so as they don’t offer any service.
If you go to one of the official Tigo or Claro stores they will activate your Honduras sim card on the spot and you will be connected as soon as you walk out of the store.
Sim card Tegucigalpa Airport
Unfortunately there is NO Tigo or Claro shop at Tegucigalpa Airport to buy a Honduras sim card on arrival. There is a convenience store that sells sim cards though. They offer a Claro sim card for 150 Lempira ($6). You will have to top up yourself, they don't offer any service and English was not spoken well.
Sim card San Pedro Sula Airport
When flying to San Pedro Sula Airport I have to disappoint you when it comes to buying a Honduras sim card. I went to the airport to check it out for you, but unfortunately there were no resellers, nor a Claro or Tigo kiosk. This could have been caused because of the Corona pandemic.
When buying a Honduras prepaid sim card bring your passport as you need it for the registration.
Prices prepaid Honduras sim cards in 2022
Tigo Honduras
A Tigo sim card costs 50 Lempira ($2) and comes with nothing, but you can top up with the following ‘super recarga packages’:
- 25 Lempira ($1) = 1.2 GB for 1 day
- 50 Lempira ($2) = 4.5 GB for 3 day
- 100 Lempira ($4) = 8.5 GB for 7 day
Some Tigo stores would sell the following data packages as well, but those were very rare:
- 150 Lempira ($6) = 13 GB for 7 day
- 220 Lempira ($9) = 20 GB for 7 day
Calling and texting to Tigo numbers in Honduras is included, unlimited WhatsApp.
Also for 30 days you can buy the very expensive package of 6GB + unlimited callas/text to USA/Canada for 650 Lempira ($27). For more info have a look at the Tigo Honduras website.
Claro Honduras
A Claro sim card cost 50 Lempira ($2) and comes with 200 MB data and 75 minutes/sms, valid for 30 days.
You can easily top-up with the following package:
- 100 Lempira ($4) = 10 GB data for 7 days.
- 150 Lempira ($6) = Unlimited data + calling (to Claro) for 5 days.
On the Claro Honduras website they offer a couple more different packages that include unlimited social media. See below.
Best mobile network in Honduras
If you are wondering if there is 5G in Honduras I have to disappoint you. Traveling in Honduras and staying connected to the internet is a pain and I experienced it first hand. As soon as you go off the main road signal becomes scares and internet speed drops.
Let me show you the Honduras 4G/5G network coverage maps and you will understand.
Claro 4G/5G network coverage map
Tigo 4G/5G network coverage map
You can clearly see that the Claro Honduras network is very weak, actually so is the Tigo Honduras network! But at least it is much stronger than Claro.
However when visiting the most famous tourist destination in Honduras: the islands of Roatan and Utilla, a Claro Honduras sim card is a better idea. Looking for more cool things to do in Honduras? Read my Best Places to Visit in Honduras article with 24 epic tourist attractions.
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Best prepaid sim card for Honduras in 2022
As prices for prepaid sim cards in Honduras are more or less the same. Claro and Tigo offer both very affordable data sim cards. Therefore the 4G network strength defines the best prepaid sim card for Honduras and in 2022 that is Tigo.
The best sim card for Central America? Check my article about the best global sim cards in 2022 for travelers.
Buying a sim card for Honduras online
I personally would not recommend the following sim card as the value for money is not good. But an international sim card is pre-activated and will be shipped to your home address before your trip to Honduras. So it is a convenient way to arrive prepared in Honduras. Check out the following Honduras sim card deal:
Orange Holiday World with 5 GB data valid for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here to order the above sim card for Honduras directly online or get more info and offers. Also another reminder that you can order an e-sim card for Honduras directly online.
My experience buying a sim card in Honduras
With special permission from the Ministery of Tourism in Honduras I was the first tourist traveling to Honduras after the lockdown. The border were still officially closed but through my contacts I managed to cross the border from Guatemala into Copan Ruins.
In Copan Ruins I bought a Tigo sim card for Honduras, simply because I already did the research and knew that Tigo has by far the best mobile internet network in Honduras.
I paid as stated above 150 Lempira in the official Tigo store: 50 for the sim card and 100 for the 8.5 GB for 7 days. Within 3 minutes I was connected to the internet. Easy!
In total in 3 weeks I drove more than 3.000 kilometers across the country on one epic road trip and the worst thing about Honduras is their mobile network coverage. Unless you are traveling on one of the 2 major highways service is VERY unreliable!
It was often a pain in the ass to find a phone signal. Also often my phone would say I was connected to 4G, but it hardly responded. Honduras is a beautiful country, but mobile internet in Honduras is sadly one of the worst in the world I have experienced!
Curious what it looks like trying to visit every country in the world? Go check out my Instagram account @traveltomtom and follow along. As of July 2022 I have visited more than 135 countries, so still a long way to go.
Enjoy your trip to Honduras!
