Quick Facts About Mayotte
General Information
- • Status: French overseas department and region; an EU outermost region since 1 January 2014
- • Currency: Euro (EUR)
- • Languages: French is official; Shimaore and Kibushi are widely spoken
- • Population: 323,153 at 1 January 2026 (INSEE exhaustive census)
- • Area: 374 km², across Grande-Terre, Petite-Terre and the islets
- • Lagoon: about 1,100 km², ringed by a 160 km barrier reef
- • Time zone: UTC+3, no daylight saving
Travel Information
- • Airport: Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi (DZA), on Petite-Terre
- • Getting there: normally via Paris or Réunion
- • Calling code: +262
- • Power plug: Type E, 230 V, as in mainland France
- • Emergency: 112, or 15 medical / 17 police / 18 fire / 196 at sea
- • Visa: Mayotte is outside Schengen. A Schengen visa only works here if it is endorsed “Valid for Mayotte”
- • Cyclone season: roughly November to April
Population from the INSEE exhaustive census of Mayotte published in 2026. Lagoon figures from France.fr, which ranks Mayotte’s as the third largest enclosed lagoon in the world, after New Caledonia and Rangiroa — not the largest, as this page previously claimed.
What a Mayotte eSIM Actually Connects To
One network: Orange.
We went through every Mayotte coverage row in our own catalogue on 15 September 2026. Across all three live plan families, the operator declared for Mayotte is the same one every time: Orange, on 4G/LTE. There is no second network for an eSIM to fall back to here.
The operator, per plan family
| Plan family | Network in Mayotte | Works outside Mayotte? |
|---|---|---|
| Mayotte country plans (1–20 GB, 7–30 days) | Orange, 4G | No. Mayotte only. |
| Europe multi-country plans that list Mayotte | Orange, 4G | Yes, across the plan’s European coverage list |
| Global plans (Discover, Discover+, Vodafone Travel) | Orange, 4G | Yes, across the plan’s worldwide coverage list |
⚠️ The manual-selection trap
Mayotte has more than one operator. Alongside Orange Mayotte there is SFR Mayotte, Only (run by Telco OI) and the 4G-only newcomer Maore Mobile. None of them is authorised for the eSIMs we sell. If you switch your phone to manual network selection and pick one of those, you will register, you will see full bars, and you will get no data. Leave network selection on automatic; if you must choose, choose Orange.
Orange Mayotte
The one network our plans use. Full 2G/3G/4G operator; Arcep awarded it 3.4–3.8 GHz spectrum in April 2025.
SFR Mayotte
A full local operator and a real option for a local prepaid SIM. Not reachable by the eSIMs we sell.
Only & Maore Mobile
Only is Telco OI’s brand; Maore Mobile is a 4G-only entrant. Again, local SIM options, not eSIM roaming partners for us.
We do not publish a speed figure or a coverage percentage for Mayotte. No source we can cite measures real throughput on the network our plans use, and one of our suppliers labels its Mayotte rows 5G while our own coverage data says 4G — so we publish 4G/LTE and leave it there.
“It’s the EU” — What That Does and Does Not Buy You
Mayotte became a French overseas department in 2011 and an EU outermost region on 1 January 2014, with the same standing as the Canary Islands have for Spain or Madeira for Portugal. That is a genuinely useful fact, but it is routinely stretched into a promise it does not make. Here is the split.
✅ What EU status does give you
- • The euro, French consumer law and French network regulation (Arcep) apply.
- • The EU roam-like-at-home rules cover Mayotte, so an EU or EEA operator’s own SIM should roam here on home allowances. Some carriers have historically treated the French overseas departments differently, so check your contract rather than assume.
- • Emergency calling works the European way: 112 reaches the services, alongside the French 15, 17 and 18.
❌ What it does not give you
- • It does not make a Mayotte country eSIM work in Europe. Those plans are Mayotte-only.
- • It does not put Mayotte inside Schengen. A Schengen visa is invalid here unless it is endorsed “Valid for Mayotte”.
- • It does not mean every European travel plan covers it. We checked: no France country plan and no other Europe regional family in our catalogue lists Mayotte at all.
- • It does not extend to the Comoros next door. Different country, different networks.
So which plan should you buy?
If Mayotte is the whole trip, buy a Mayotte country plan: they are the cheapest per GB and they run on Orange. If you are routing through Paris, or combining Mayotte with Réunion and mainland France, take one of the multi-country plans whose coverage list actually includes Mayotte, and check the coverage list rather than the plan name. And see the France guide for the mainland leg.
Mayotte eSIM Pricing & Plans
Loading current Mayotte eSIM prices…
After Cyclone Chido: The Honest State of the Network
Any Mayotte connectivity guide that describes the island’s infrastructure as simply normal is working from before 14 December 2024. Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte directly that day and caused severe destruction, including to power and telecommunications. What follows is what has actually been reported, with dates. We are not going to invent a recovery timeline on top of it.
The immediate damage
Around 80% of the island’s mobile network went out of service, with more than 110 relay sites affected. Operator figures reported at the time: Orange had 51 of 54 sites inoperable, SFR had 9 of 55 working, Free had 3 of 54. Much of the problem was electricity supply rather than the masts themselves.
The first weeks
The reported coverage rate was 39% on 19 December 2024, five days after the cyclone. Operators flew in emergency kits and rotated reinforcement crews in from Réunion.
What operators and regulators say now
SFR Mayotte’s own network status page has stated 99.99% population coverage since a notice dated 12 February 2025, while noting that coverage “can vary depending on the area”. On 17 April 2025 Arcep awarded 3.4–3.8 GHz frequencies to Orange, SRR and Telco OI for fifteen years, explicitly to restore and strengthen Mayotte’s networks and open the way to 5G.
What governments tell travellers
UK Foreign Office advice for Mayotte, last updated 10 December 2025, says most services have now been restored following Cyclone Chido, but that some outages — including drinking water and electricity — may still occur.
What we will not claim
- • That Mayotte’s network is back to exactly what it was before Chido. Nobody we can cite says that.
- • A current coverage percentage for Orange specifically. The 99.99% figure above is SFR’s own statement about SFR.
- • 5G for travellers. Spectrum was awarded in 2025 and deployment is under way; our plans still run on 4G.
- • A date when everything will be finished.
What it means for you, practically: power cuts take cell sites with them. Travel with a charged power bank, save offline maps before you need them, and do not rely on the network as your only plan for getting hold of someone.
eSIM or Local SIM in Mayotte?
✅ Where the eSIM wins
- • You land connected at Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi, on a flight that often arrives outside shop hours
- • No shop visit in Mamoudzou and no French registration paperwork
- • Your home number stays on the phone for calls and bank codes
- • You can top up or switch plan from wherever you are
- • A multi-country plan can cover the Paris or Réunion leg on the same profile
📋 Where a local SIM still wins
- • Stays of several weeks or more, where a local tariff is simply cheaper
- • You need a French mobile number people can call
- • You want access to SFR, Only or Maore Mobile, which our eSIMs cannot use
- • Heavy data use over a long period
Honest benefits for a Mayotte trip
Connected where people actually are
Mamoudzou, Petite-Terre, the airport and the main coastal road are where the network is built.
Useful when the power goes
A second live line is worth having on an island where outages are still reported.
Set up before you fly
Installed on home Wi-Fi, so arrival is just a roaming toggle.
Coordinating boats and dives
Useful on shore and near inhabited coasts. Not a substitute for a float plan out on the lagoon.
French and local languages
Translation apps help: French is official, Shimaore and Kibushi are what you will hear.
One profile for a multi-stop route
Only if you buy a multi-country plan whose coverage list names Mayotte.
Installation Guide
Install before you fly, on Wi-Fi. A QR code needs a working internet connection to download the profile, and the one place you will not have one is the moment you step off the plane at Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi.
📱 iPhone Installation
- 1.Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM
- 2.Scan the QR code from your order email
- 3.Label the line “Mayotte” so you can tell it apart
- 4.Set it as your default data line, keeping your home line for calls
- 5.On arrival, turn on Data Roaming for that line
🤖 Android Installation
- 1.Settings → Network & Internet
- 2.Tap “+” next to Mobile Network / SIMs
- 3.Choose “Download a SIM instead?”
- 4.Scan the QR code and follow the prompts
- 5.Enable the profile, then turn on roaming when you land
Leave network selection on automatic. Mayotte has several operators and only Orange will carry your data.
Where Coverage Ends
Mayotte is Grande-Terre, Petite-Terre and a lagoon roughly three times the size of the land. Coverage follows the land, and specifically the inhabited parts of it. Treat the rest as offline and plan around it rather than hoping.
Where you can expect service
- • Mamoudzou and its surrounding communes
- • Petite-Terre: Dzaoudzi, Pamandzi and the airport
- • The main coastal road around Grande-Terre
- • The larger villages and the Mamoudzou–Dzaoudzi barge route
- • Popular beaches close to inhabited areas
Where you should expect nothing
- • The lagoon away from inhabited shores, and the outer barrier reef
- • The Mont Choungui climb and the summit
- • The forested interior and the crater ridges
- • Uninhabited islets, including on day-boat routes
- • Isolated southern beaches reached on foot
Before you leave Mamoudzou
- • Download offline maps of the whole island. It is 374 km²; it fits in a phone cache.
- • Save tide times, dive briefings and any booking confirmations as files, not as links.
- • Tell someone your route before a hike or a boat day, the way you would anywhere with no signal.
- • Charge the power bank. Outages are still being reported by travel advisories.
Travel Recommendations
Grouped by the real reason people fly to Mayotte rather than by invented travel personas. The sizes refer to our own catalogue: the Mayotte country plans run from 1 GB to 20 GB and work only in Mayotte, and every one of them registers on Orange.
Lagoon, diving and turtles
The main reason to come: the lagoon, the barrier reef, the S-Pass and the turtles that graze off N’Gouja
Data you will need
Moderate (5-10 GB)
Recommendation
A 5 or 10 GB Mayotte plan covers a week comfortably. Do the big uploads from your accommodation, not from the boat.
Worth doing:
- ✓Expect no signal once you are past the inhabited shoreline
- ✓Save dive briefings, tide times and boat contacts as files, not as links
- ✓Agree a return time with someone ashore before a day on the water
- ✓196 reaches sea rescue, but only where you have signal
- ✓Do not use lights or flash around nesting turtles
Hiking Grande-Terre
Mont Choungui, the crater ridges and the forested interior, which is where the island stops being a beach
Data you will need
Low (3-5 GB)
Recommendation
Navigation matters more than bandwidth here. Mayotte is 374 km²; the entire island fits in an offline map cache.
Worth doing:
- ✓Download the offline map before you leave Mamoudzou, not at the trailhead
- ✓There is no service on the Choungui climb. Plan for that, do not hope against it
- ✓Tell someone your route and your expected return time
- ✓Start early: the climb is steep and the heat is serious
- ✓Carry more water than you think. Shortages on the island are a real problem
Work, posting or contract
Public service, healthcare, construction and reconstruction work make up a large share of the people arriving on Mayotte flights
Data you will need
High (10-20 GB, or a local SIM)
Recommendation
For a few weeks, a 10 or 20 GB Mayotte plan is the simplest option. Past a month or two, a local SFR, Orange, Only or Maore Mobile SIM with a French number usually wins on price.
Worth doing:
- ✓Keep the eSIM installed as a second line even after you buy a local SIM
- ✓Power cuts are still reported: keep a charged power bank at your desk
- ✓Do large transfers on fixed connections where you can
- ✓Register with your consulate if you are staying for an extended period
- ✓Bank and admin apps expect a French number; plan for that if you need one
Mayotte plus Réunion or Paris
Mayotte is normally reached through Paris or Réunion, and many trips take in both ends
Data you will need
Depends on the route
Recommendation
This is the case where a Mayotte country plan is the wrong purchase. Take a multi-country plan whose coverage list actually includes Mayotte, and check the list rather than the plan name.
Worth doing:
- ✓No France country plan in our catalogue covers Mayotte. We checked
- ✓EU roam-like-at-home covers Mayotte for an EU operator’s own SIM, which is a different product from a travel eSIM
- ✓Keep one profile installed across the whole route instead of reinstalling
- ✓Réunion is a separate department with its own networks; check that leg too
- ✓Allow real time for the connection: the Indian Ocean legs are long
Photography and reporting
The lagoon, the reconstruction after Chido and the island’s social situation all draw people with cameras and deadlines
Data you will need
High (10-20 GB)
Recommendation
Budget more than you expect if you file daily. Uploading full-resolution material on 4G from a remote department is slow and expensive; use accommodation Wi-Fi for the bulk.
Worth doing:
- ✓Ask before photographing people, and do not photograph demonstrations or security operations
- ✓Back up to a laptop every evening; upload when you have a fixed connection
- ✓Carry the power bank. Outages still happen
- ✓Check your own government advisory before you travel, and again before you move around
- ✓Shimaore and Kibushi are what you will hear; French gets you most of the way
Visiting family
A large share of arrivals are people with family on the island rather than tourists
Data you will need
Moderate (5-10 GB)
Recommendation
A 5 or 10 GB Mayotte plan covers a normal stay. If you come often or stay for months, a local SIM is cheaper.
Worth doing:
- ✓WhatsApp is the normal way to stay in touch here
- ✓Village coverage is generally fine; the interior and the lagoon are not
- ✓Dress modestly away from the beach: Mayotte is overwhelmingly Muslim
- ✓Shops keep local hours and rarely match flight times
- ✓Keep 112 saved and reachable, alongside 15, 17 and 18
Connectivity, said plainly
- • One network for roaming: every Mayotte plan we sell registers on Orange, on 4G. SFR Mayotte, Only and Maore Mobile exist, but our eSIMs cannot use them.
- • Mayotte plans are Mayotte-only: EU status does not make a country plan work in France. That takes a multi-country plan that lists Mayotte.
- • Coverage follows the towns: Mamoudzou, Petite-Terre, the coastal road and the larger villages. The lagoon, the interior and Mont Choungui are offline.
- • No speed figures here: nobody we can cite measures real throughput on Mayotte, so we do not print a number.
- • Power matters: travel advisories still report electricity and water outages after Cyclone Chido, and a cell site without power stops.
Safety, Water and Civil Unrest: What Governments Actually Report
Mayotte is a genuinely difficult place to write about honestly, because the beach photography and the travel advisories describe the same island. Here is what two governments currently publish, attributed and dated, with no editorialising from us.
Government of Canada, travel advice updated 9 September 2026
- • Overall: exercise a high degree of caution, because of high levels of crimes of opportunity.
- • Petty theft and mugging occur, particularly around markets, the airport and crowded areas.
- • “Spontaneous demonstrations and civil unrest take place from time to time in the main cities due to socioeconomic tensions.” Clashes with security forces can disrupt services.
- • Regular water shortages caused by insufficient rainfall; travellers are told to plan for an adequate supply of water.
- • Cyclone season runs November to April and can cause serious disruption.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, updated 10 December 2025
- • Most services have now been restored following Cyclone Chido in 2024.
- • Some outages, including drinking water and electricity, may still occur.
- • Cyclone season December to April; monitor local weather services and follow local authority guidance.
The connectivity consequence
Water and power problems are connectivity problems. A cell site without mains power runs on battery and then stops. Demonstrations can close roads, which is when you most want a working data connection and a saved offline map. Keep 112 reachable, keep a power bank charged, and check the advisory for your own nationality before you fly, because these pages change.
Must-Visit Places in Mayotte
Lagoon & coast
- • N’Gouja beach: sea turtles graze the seagrass close to shore
- • Saziley: protected southern coastline, reached on foot or by boat
- • The lagoon: about 1,100 km² inside a 160 km barrier reef, and a marine nature park since 2010
- • Moya beach: on Petite-Terre, beneath the crater rim
- • The S-Pass: the best-known dive site in the reef
Expect no signal once you are past the inhabited shoreline.
🏛️ Land & culture
- • Mont Choungui: the steep volcanic cone in the south, and a genuine climb
- • Lac Dziani: the green crater lake on Petite-Terre
- • Mamoudzou market: the island’s commercial centre
- • Dzaoudzi: the old administrative quarter on Petite-Terre
- • Ylang-ylang: the perfume flower Mayotte is known for, distilled locally
Download maps before the Choungui trail. There is no service on the climb.
Troubleshooting
📵 No service after landing at Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi
- Turn Data Roaming on for the eSIM line. This is the single most common cause.
- Check the eSIM is set as the default data line.
- Toggle airplane mode for fifteen seconds.
- If your phone is on manual network selection, switch it back to automatic, or select Orange.
📶 Full bars, no data
Almost always manual network selection on the wrong operator. Your phone has registered on SFR Mayotte, Only or Maore Mobile, none of which our plans are authorised on, so the signal bars are real and the data is not. Settings → Mobile network → Network selection → Automatic, or pick Orange by hand.
🔌 Everything drops at once
Check whether the lights are out too. Travel advisories still report occasional electricity outages, and a cell site without power stops serving once its battery is gone. Wait, move toward Mamoudzou, and keep a power bank for your own phone.
🌊 Nothing on the boat
Expected. The lagoon is large and the network is built for the land. Download everything before you board, agree a return time with someone ashore, and remember that 196 reaches sea rescue when you do have signal.
Emergency Contacts
🚨 Emergency numbers
- • 112 — European emergency number, works from any phone
- • 15 — SAMU, medical emergencies
- • 17 — police / gendarmerie
- • 18 — fire brigade (sapeurs-pompiers)
- • 196 — CROSS, emergencies at sea
- • 114 — France-wide emergency line by SMS, for deaf and hard-of-hearing callers
Mayotte is French, so the French numbering applies alongside the European 112. Emergency calls connect even without an active data plan.
🏥 Medical
- • Centre Hospitalier de Mayotte, Mamoudzou: the island’s main hospital
- • Dispensaries operate in the larger communes
- • The UK Foreign Office notes the hospital is operational but that service restoration after Chido is incomplete
- • Make sure your travel insurance covers medical evacuation. Serious cases leave the island by air.
Cultural Guide & Etiquette
Do ✅
- • Greet people in French; a few words of Shimaore go a long way
- • Dress modestly away from the beach. Mayotte is overwhelmingly Muslim
- • Take your shoes off when entering a home
- • Try mataba and mabawa, and eat where local people eat
- • Ask before photographing people, and accept no for an answer
- • Carry water. Shortages are a real and current problem
Don’t ❌
- • Don’t wear beachwear into villages or the market
- • Don’t approach, light or disturb nesting turtles
- • Don’t stand on or touch coral
- • Don’t photograph demonstrations or security operations
- • Don’t treat Mayotte as an extension of the Comoros, or the reverse. It is a live political question here
- • Don’t count on shops keeping long hours
Frequently Asked Questions
Which network does a Mayotte eSIM actually connect to?
Orange, on 4G/LTE. We checked every coverage row in our own catalogue on 15 September 2026: the Mayotte country plans, the Europe regional plans that list Mayotte and the global Discover plans all declare exactly one Mayotte network, and it is Orange. SFR Mayotte, Only and Maore Mobile are real operators on the island, but no plan we sell is authorised on them. If your phone ever asks you to pick a network by hand in Mayotte, pick Orange.
Mayotte is in the EU. Does my Mayotte eSIM work in France and the rest of Europe?
Not if it is a Mayotte country plan. Those are Mayotte-only, whatever the island’s constitutional status. EU status matters for a different reason: Mayotte has been an EU outermost region since 1 January 2014, so the EU roam-like-at-home rules cover it for an EU or EEA operator’s own SIM, exactly as they cover the Canary Islands or Madeira — though carriers have been known to treat the French overseas departments differently, so check your own contract rather than assuming. If you want a single profile for Paris and Mayotte, buy one of the multi-country plans in our catalogue that actually lists Mayotte in its coverage, not a Mayotte country plan.
Will my eSIM work in the Comoros?
No. Mayotte is French and inside EU roaming; the Union of the Comoros is a separate country with its own networks. And we should be straight with you: we do not currently sell any plan that covers the Comoros — not a country plan, and no regional or global package in our catalogue lists it. We re-checked on 15 September 2026 and the count of packages covering country code KM is still zero. If you are island hopping to Anjouan, Moheli or Grande Comore you will need a local SIM on arrival.
Is the network back to normal after Cyclone Chido?
Mostly, but we are not going to promise you it is pre-cyclone normal. Chido struck Mayotte directly on 14 December 2024 and took out roughly 80% of the island’s mobile network, with more than 110 relay sites affected; five days later the reported coverage rate was 39%. SFR Mayotte’s own network status page has stated 99.99% population coverage since a notice dated 12 February 2025, while adding that coverage varies by area. The UK Foreign Office, in advice last updated 10 December 2025, says most services have now been restored but that some outages, including drinking water and electricity, may still occur. Power cuts take cell sites with them, so carry a power bank and keep offline maps.
Do I need a visa, and is my Schengen visa enough?
A Schengen visa is not enough. Mayotte is a French overseas department but it sits outside the Schengen area, and a Schengen visa only works there if the sticker is endorsed "Valid for Mayotte". Travellers who need no visa for mainland France can generally visit Mayotte visa-free for up to 90 days, and travellers who do need one must apply for the Mayotte-specific visa, which in turn does not let you into Schengen. Check your own nationality with a French consulate before booking, because the two visas are genuinely separate documents.
How much data do I need for a week in Mayotte?
Less than a European city trip, because there is less to navigate. Mayotte is 374 km2 across Grande-Terre, Petite-Terre and the islets, and most of what you will do is on the one main coastal road. Three to five GB comfortably covers a week of messaging, maps, email and a reasonable number of photos. Ten to twenty GB makes sense if you are working remotely, uploading video from the lagoon, or travelling with a family sharing a hotspot. Our Mayotte country plans run from 1 GB to 20 GB.
Is there signal on the lagoon and on Mont Choungui?
Assume not. Coverage in Mayotte follows where people live: Mamoudzou, Petite-Terre and the airport, the main coastal road and the larger villages. The lagoon away from inhabited shores, the outer reef, the forested interior and the Mont Choungui climb are effectively offline, and no eSIM changes that. Download your maps, tide tables and dive briefings before you leave Mamoudzou, and tell someone your plan before you head into the interior or out on a boat.
Should I just buy a local SIM instead?
For a stay of several weeks, a local prepaid SIM from an operator shop in Mamoudzou is reasonable and gives you a French number. For a normal visit it is a poor trade: shops are concentrated in and around the capital, they keep local business hours that rarely match flight times into Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi, and registration is a French administrative process. An eSIM installed at home means you land connected. If you do buy a local SIM, keep the eSIM installed as a second line.
Nearby guides
- • Réunion eSIM guide — the other French Indian Ocean department, and the usual connection for Mayotte.
- • Comoros eSIM guide — the neighbouring country. Read it before you assume anything: we sell no plan that covers the Comoros, and that guide says so too.
- • Madagascar eSIM guide — the other big regional neighbour.
- • France eSIM guide — for the Paris leg, which is a separate plan from your Mayotte one.
Land in Mayotte Already Connected
Orange coverage, live catalogue prices, and no shop queue in Mamoudzou.
Compare Mayotte eSIM Plans