The page the eSIM brands would rather not exist
Kölbi and the coverage gap
Kölbi reaches parts of Costa Rica that Claro and Liberty do not. Every travel eSIM sold for this country runs on Claro and Liberty. That gap is the most useful thing to understand before you book.
Why Kölbi matters more than the brand comparisons three networks, one map
Costa Rica has three national mobile operators. Understanding how they differ is worth more than any price comparison on this site, because a cheap plan on the wrong network is worth nothing at all.
Kölbi (ICE)
Widest coverage · no travel eSIM roams on itBuilt out alongside decades of state rural electrification, which is why it reaches valleys with no commercial case. Opensignal ranked it the leader in Coverage Experience for Costa Rica in April 2026. Available to travelers only as a physical prepaid chip bought inside the country.
Claro
Fastest averages · solid on the main roadsLed average 4G download speeds in SUTEL's 2025 road-based measurements, with 5G in larger towns. Every travel eSIM can land here. Reliable along the Interamericana, in the Central Valley and in the tourist centres.
Liberty (ex-Movistar)
Strong in cities and resorts · thin in the deep ruralThe default network for most travel eSIMs, and the reason so many Costa Rica eSIM complaints exist. Excellent in San José, Jacó, Tamarindo and Liberia. Frequently absent on the Pacific south, in Sarapiquí and toward Manzanillo.
The takeaway is not that travel eSIMs are bad. For most itineraries they are exactly right, and cheaper and easier than a shop visit. The takeaway is that a travel eSIM cannot buy you Kölbi, so if your route needs Kölbi, no amount of money spent on eSIMs will fix it.
Is there a Kölbi eSIM you can actually buy? the honest answer
Kölbi does publish eSIM pages, including an international product, so the technology exists on their side. What travelers keep running into is the purchase flow. Public forum threads through 2026 are full of people asking whether anyone has succeeded in buying a Kölbi eSIM online from outside Costa Rica, and the answers are consistently discouraging: payment forms that expect a Costa Rican card, verification that expects a cédula, or an activation step that assumes you are already in the country.
We have not completed that purchase ourselves and we are not going to claim we have. What we can say with confidence is what the reports consistently show: plan on a physical chip bought in a shop after you land, and treat any online Kölbi eSIM purchase as a bonus if it happens to work for you.
The practical consequence is that Kölbi is a second SIM, not a replacement for your travel eSIM. You land connected on the eSIM you installed at home, and you pick up the Kölbi chip when you reach a town with a shop, before you head into the areas that need it.
Where to actually buy a Kölbi SIM and where you cannot
Where you can buy one, ranked by how likely you are to walk out with a working phone.
| Where you are going | Network to prefer | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Near the airports | ||
| City Mall, Alajuela | 5 min from SJO | Kölbi, Claro and Liberty all have storefronts inside. The single most reliable stop for an SJO arrival. |
| Downtown Liberia | 10–15 min from LIR | Kölbi, Claro and Liberty shops in the town centre. Worth the detour if you are heading anywhere rural in Guanacaste. |
| Around the country | ||
| ICE offices | most larger towns | White, blue and yellow buildings, also where locals pay utility bills, so the queue can be long. Staff will set the SIM up for you. |
| La Fortuna (Arenal) | Kölbi storefront | Downtown, across from the Cruz Roja. Convenient if Arenal is your first stop before heading north. |
| Huacas, Guanacaste | Kölbi storefront | On the road toward Tamarindo, Flamingo and the northern beaches. |
| Limón | Kölbi storefront | Across from the Correos de Costa Rica office. The last easy stop before the southern Caribbean coast. |
| Last resort | ||
| Supermarkets (Más x Menos and similar) | chip only | They sell the physical chip at the checkout and will not help you set it up. Instructions are in Spanish. Fine if you know what you are doing, frustrating if not. |
Bring your passport: a prepaid (prepago) line needs it and nothing more. Postpaid (postpago) requires a cédula or DIMEX residency card, so it is not open to visitors. Shop locations verified against operator store locators and current traveler reports, August 2026.
What a Kölbi SIM costs colones and dollars
| Item | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Prepaid chip | ₡500–1,000 (≈$1–2) | The SIM itself, plus a Costa Rican +506 number |
| Kölbi tourist bundle | ₡12,095 (≈$24) | 5GB data, 5GB more for WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Waze, and 100 national minutes. Tax included. |
| Ad-hoc top-up | ₡5,000–10,000 (≈$10–20) | Pay-as-you-go balance. Lasts a long time on light use. |
| Where to top up | — | Almost any supermarket or mini-super. Ask for Kölbi at the register. Check your balance by dialling *888*1*1#. |
Colón prices from Kölbi's published tourist package, converted at the September 2026 rate. Exchange rates move; the colón figures are the ones that will still be right when the dollar ones are not.
So the full Kölbi route costs about $25 to $26 all in. That is roughly what Yesim charges for 10GB and less than Airalo's 10GB at $34.00. The cost is not money, it is a shop visit with your passport and, at an ICE office, possibly a queue.
The two-SIM setup most Costa Rica road trips want about $58 total
- Install a travel eSIM at home. Airalo 10GB at $34.00 or Yesim at $24.35. You land connected, order a ride, and reach your first hotel without a shop visit.
- Buy the Kölbi chip on day one or two, in Alajuela, Liberia, La Fortuna or wherever your route first passes a shop. Passport, about $25, ten minutes.
- Run both lines. The eSIM is your default because it is already paid for. The Kölbi chip is the one you switch to when the bars vanish.
- Switch by hand when it matters. Before the Osa, Sarapiquí, Tortuguero or the road past Manzanillo, make Kölbi the data line. The setup guide covers dual-line switching on iPhone and Android.
If that sounds like a lot of fuss for one country, it is worth being clear about who actually needs it. On a Guanacaste resort week, an Arenal-and-Manuel-Antonio loop, or any trip that stays on paved roads and in towns, a travel eSIM alone is genuinely fine and the Kölbi chip is a waste of an hour. The two-SIM setup is for self-drivers going south of Uvita, anyone staying in the Osa or Sarapiquí, and remote workers who cannot afford a dead afternoon.
Who needs Kölbi and who does not be honest with yourself
You want a Kölbi chip if
You are self-driving south of Uvita, to Ojochal, Drake Bay or the Osa Peninsula.
You are staying in Sarapiquí, Tortuguero or past Puerto Viejo toward Manzanillo.
You are working remotely from a rural rental and a lost afternoon has a cost.
You want a +506 number for local bookings and would rather not pay Airalo for one.
Skip it if
You are on a Guanacaste or Papagayo resort week with a shuttle and wifi.
Your route is San José, Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio and back, all on pavement.
You are here for under five days. The shop visit will eat more of your trip than the coverage is worth.
You are not renting a car. Tour buses stick to covered roads.
Kölbi questions answered straight
Can I buy a Kölbi eSIM online before my trip?
Probably not. Kölbi publishes eSIM products, but travelers consistently report that the online purchase expects a Costa Rican payment card or identity document, and forum threads asking whether anyone has managed it from abroad go largely unanswered. Plan on a physical chip bought in-country and treat online success as a bonus.
Which travel eSIM uses the Kölbi network?
None of the mainstream ones. Airalo, Saily, GigSky, Yesim and Holafly all ride Claro and Liberty. A couple of smaller brands advertise ICE and Kölbi access, but they are not in the affiliate programs we use, so we cannot vouch for their support or refunds and will not send you to them.
Is Kölbi really better than Claro and Liberty?
Better at coverage, not at speed. Opensignal ranked Kölbi first for Coverage Experience in Costa Rica in April 2026, while SUTEL's 2025 road tests put Claro ahead on average 4G download speed. In San José that makes Claro the nicer network. On the road to Drake Bay, coverage is the only metric that exists.
How much data does the Kölbi tourist package include?
5GB of general data plus 5GB reserved for WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Waze, and 100 minutes of national calls, for ₡12,095 including tax, about $24. The app-specific allowance is genuinely useful in Costa Rica because WhatsApp is how almost every booking and driver communicates.
Do I need a Kölbi SIM if I already have an eSIM?
Only if your route runs through Kölbi-only areas: the Osa, Sarapiquí, Tortuguero, the far southern Caribbean and some back roads on the Nicoya Peninsula. For the Central Valley, Guanacaste, Arenal, Monteverde town and Manuel Antonio, your eSIM is enough.
Can I keep the Kölbi number after my trip?
Prepaid lines stay active as long as there is balance and periodic use, so it may still work if you return within a few months. It is not something to rely on. If you come back annually, top it up before it lapses and you keep the number.
Land connected, then decide
Install a travel eSIM before you fly so the airport and the first night are covered, and pick up a Kölbi chip only if your route actually needs it. Airalo publishes its networks, which makes that decision checkable.
See Airalo's Costa Rica plansSources & freshness: Kölbi tourist package pricing from ICE and Kölbi published tariffs; shop locations from operator store locators, verified August 2026. Coverage ranking from Opensignal's Costa Rica Mobile Network Experience report, April 2026; speed ranking from SUTEL's 2025 road-based evaluation. Airport desk status and online-purchase reports from current traveler forums, August 2026. Travel eSIM network partners from each brand's own Costa Rica product page, September 2, 2026.