Algeria eSIM

It works in the oasis towns that have masts — Ghardaïa, Timimoun, Djanet, Tamanrasset — but once you leave them for the desert routes, service can disappear for hours or for the whole day. The safe approach is to download offline maps, save addresses and contact numbers to the device, and tell people at home when you realistically expect to be reachable again. Operators running desert trips normally carry their own communications equipment, so ask yours what they use before you set off.

Not necessarily an Algerian one, but apps such as Yassir and Heetch verify you with a code sent by SMS when you register. The easiest route is to install and verify them on your own home number before you travel, then simply use the eSIM's data to book rides once you arrive, because a data plan does not come with a local number. If a driver cannot reach you by phone, message them inside the app instead.

Main roads and major landmarks in the cities are reasonably complete, but small streets, house numbers and independent shops are still patchy, which is why locals give directions by landmark rather than by address. In practice, save the offline map for each town, pin your accommodation in advance, and ask the host to send a location pin by message — that solves most of the confusion when a driver does not recognise the street name.

Not very far. Shops, markets, taxis and small guesthouses still work mostly in cash, and foreign cards are accepted only at larger hotels and a limited set of city businesses. Plan to carry enough cash for the day and spend your data on the things it genuinely solves instead: navigation, translating what is in front of you, and staying in contact with hosts and drivers as the plan changes.

Most plans here start when the phone first connects to a network at the destination, so you can install in advance at home and switch it on after landing. Each plan page states its own rule.

No. The eSIM is a second line, so you keep your home number for SMS OTP. Turn off roaming data on the home line and set the eSIM as the data line.