Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
SOUTH AMERICA · SIESTA SIDE
One of the most remote inhabited islands on Earth, with 887 moai standing over its grass and craters. A long, costly flight, and worth every peso of it.
The plan
Rano Raraku
The quarry where 95% of the moai were carved, hundreds still half-buried on the slope. Your ticket allows one visit, so make it count.
📍 Map & photos · €€€ · Website ↗
Ahu Tongariki
Fifteen moai on the island's largest platform, backs to the sea, the heaviest weighing 86 tonnes. Come at sunrise for the silhouettes.
📍 Map & photos · €€€
Orongo and Rano Kau
A stone ceremonial village on the rim of a huge flooded crater, where the birdman contest was decided. Also a single entry per ticket.
📍 Map & photos · €€€
Anakena beach
White coral sand and palms on the north coast, with restored moai standing right behind the beach. The best swimming on the island.
📍 Map & photos · €
Tahai at sunset
The platforms just north of Hanga Roa, and the standard place to watch the sun drop behind a line of moai. Arrive early for a spot.
📍 Map & photos · €
Getting there
Fly from Santiago
LATAM runs the only scheduled service into Mataveri airport. Seats are limited and expensive, so book months rather than weeks ahead.
Buy the park ticket
Rapa Nui National Park entry is CLP 95,000 for foreign adults, valid 10 days from first use. Buy at mauhenua.com; prices do change.
Get around
Hire a car, quad or bike in Hanga Roa. The island is small but the sites are spread out and there is no public transport.
When to go
Best time to go
October-December and March-May: warm, drier and outside peak season
Cheapest months
May-September, cooler and wetter, with the lowest airfares of the year
Priciest & busiest
January-February and Tapati week, when flights and beds simply vanish
If you've got one day
Morning
Sunrise at Ahu Tongariki, fifteen moai emerging from the dark against the Pacific. Worth the alarm clock.
Late morning
Rano Raraku quarry a kilometre away, where hundreds of unfinished moai lie scattered across the crater slope.
Lunch
Tuna or ceviche back in Hanga Roa, or a picnic under the palms at Anakena on the north coast.
Afternoon
Swim at Anakena, then drive the coast road past toppled ahu left exactly as they fell.
Evening
Sunset at Tahai, then dinner in Hanga Roa. Book a table, because there are not many of them.
Nearby & day trips
Rano Kau crater
A vast flooded crater on the southwest tip, walkable uphill from Hanga Roa and best seen in clear morning light before cloud rolls in.
Ana Kakenga lava caves
Lava tubes on the west coast that open onto two windows above the ocean. Bring a torch and decent shoes; a guide is usually required.
The full episode drops on our socials — follow along: