Easter Island (Rapa Nui) · With kids

The island's swimming beach, on the north coast, with palms, pale sand and an ahu of moai standing directly behind it — Chile's tourism board singles it out as the one beach worth the drive. Shade is limited to the palm strip and there is nothing between it and Hanga Roa, so carry everything you need.

MAPSE, the Padre Sebastian Englert anthropological museum at Tahai, has had its building shut and in-person service suspended since 19 July 2024, with no reopening announced. It was the wet-afternoon option for families, and there is now no indoor substitute on the island.

The ahu complex a short walk north of Hanga Roa sits on flat grass right on the water, which makes it the one major site you can reach with small children and no vehicle. Late afternoon is the time to go.

The lodge above the village runs more than thirty half- and full-day explorations at different fitness levels, in groups of no more than eight, with park fees, all meals and transfers in the rate. Expensive, and the one way to do Rapa Nui with children without spending the holiday arranging things.

There is almost no shade anywhere outside Hanga Roa, the sites are spread across a treeless island, and the guide requirement means you cannot easily cut a visit short halfway through. Plan the mornings properly and treat afternoons as beach or village time.