I snagged a cheap flight to Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and this is my multi-part guide to everything I did and how I did it.
Part 1: Getting to Rapa Nui & Where to stay
Part 2: Beyond the Moai: Exploring Rapa Nui, Its National Park & Statutes 📍 you are here
Part 3: Food, Entertainment, Getting a Tattoo in Rapa Nui
Part 4: My Solo Easter Island itinerary & Budget
How to get around Easter Island
Rapa Nui is not huge, and there is one main town – Hanga Roa.
You can easily rent scooters, rental cars, or 4 wheelers to travel around the island freely, but if you are looking to explore historical or archeological sites you will need an approved guide and have purchased a national park pass. If you are simply exploring in town when not on a tour, you can easily get around on foot.
Others in my hostel rented scooters to travel around the island, take in some non national park the sites, go to beaches, or just have independence. Since I only had a few days, I stuck to town and guided sightseeing at the national park sites.
What Tours to take in Rapa Nui
The population of Rapa Nui is under 8,000 with less than half of those people being ethnically native to Rapa Nui. To become a guide on Rapa Nui you must be indigenous and be accredited by Ma’u Henua.
Most, but not all, of the iconic easter island statues and cultural sites you see in pictures are in protected Natural Park sites. These sites require escort from a licensed guide to enter and all of these guides. I was told, must be indigenous to Rapa Nui. Tours are possible in English as well as Spanish and some guides may also be available for other languages. It is strictly forbidden to climb, touch, walk on, scratch, move or remove any element of the sites.
In addition to hiring a guide to enter the National Park locations with a guide, you must also purchase a National Park pass which you buy independently online. I had no issues using my Canadian credit card to buy this the night before my tour began.
I booked a tour off Viator before my arrival which was a 2 day tour but you can also purchase single day tours from the same company and people in my group were on both 1 and 2 day tours.
I did not see ANY large bus tours / coach tours on Easter Island. All tours are done on a smaller scale – a large bus or van. My tour had 8-10 people. Some of the people on my tour were doing a single day tour and some of us were doing a 2 day tour with each day offering different locations. If you had limited time, the 1 day tour covered a lot and would make most people happy.
Tours:
- 1 day small group tour in English
- PRIVATE 1 day tour in English
- 2 day small group tour in English
- 2 day small group tour PLUS Sunrise Tour in English
- Astronomy Tour with Night Photography in English.
In addition to the classic visiting tours, I also booked a nightime astronomy tour . Rapa Nui wis a very popular location for astronomers because it has an exceptionally dark and clear sky to reliably see a lot of Stars. I have been many places but this was probably the brightest I could see the night sky with my bare eyes. On my Night tour, there were at least 4 people who were professional or amateur astronomers that had been drawn to the island. the that visited a couple sites, included interpretation of the night sky both by bare eye and telescopes and a quick photo session for each person.
The tour was a bit chilly despite the temperate climate and highly recommend bundling up or brining warm clothes as the tour requires a lot of standing around and you are at locations on the water.
Hanga Roa also has a planetarium that you can visit if you aren’t up to staying up late and being in the dark.
In addition to tours, there are cultural experiences like museums and cultural shows.
Some museums and cultural centres:
- Sebastians Englert Museum – The Anthropological Easter Island Museum
- Tongariki Cultural Centre – Supports arts and culture on the island including running the island’s tv station and radio station.
- Rapa Nui Planetarium and Observatory – If you aren’t able to take in an astronomical tour, this is a great alternative to listen to a talk, watch a video or see the sky in the dome.
Sites on Rapa Nui that DON’T need a guide to visit
While most of the national park sites require a guide, there are a few places on the island that you can see some of the traditional Mo’ai indpendently. Here are some of the ones I discovered:
Mirador de las Olas -This is a cute viewpoint in Hanga Roa with one of the mo’ai. This is also a nice place to see sunset over the ocean if the time of year is right.
Ahu Mata Ote Vaikava – A solo Moai with torso along the walking path by the water in Hanga Roa.
Ahu Tahai – This the most comprehensive free entry site walkable from most places in Hanga Roa. This location also provides a wide and stunning shot from above as you walk up to the parking area.
AnaKena Beach – This is a destination beach with vendors, bathrooms and changing facilities, food, etc. It’s a white sand beach that many went to for a beach day, all under the watchful eyes butts of the Moai. Moai always face inward to watch over the villages or people on the island.
This was one of the busier places on the island I visited but there was still plenty of lawn and beach to enjoy and walk around.
Ahu Tongariki This site requires a guide to enter BUT you can see from a long view point beyond the walls the statues and people were also watching the sunrise independently from that viewpoint.
Before this:
Part 1: Getting to Rapa Nui & Where to stay
Still to come
Part 3: Food, Entertainment, Getting a Tattoo in Rapa Nui
Part 4: My Solo Easter Island itinerary & Budget