Trip date: August 2019
Rapa Nui, or more commonly known as Easter Island (or Isla de Pascua in Spanish), has been on my bucket list for many years. A few years ago, there was a business class promo fare for just over US$1,000 return on LATAM, but I couldn’t go. A few weeks ago, I saw another deal from Santiago to Easter Island for US$333, and if you’re lucky, pay another US$100 and you’d get business class seats. This was unheard of! I finally decided to pull the trigger and go on a solo trip over Labor Day weekend.
Why Easter Island?
The history of Easter Island, especially that of the moais, is simply fascinating. No one really knows for sure as to why a thriving culture of moai carving suddenly came to an abrupt end, and then the moais were all toppled around the island. It wasn’t until the late 50s when the first moai was raised and restored onto the ahu, or ceremonial platform, and the rest of the restoration followed.
For those of you who are travel nerds, Mataveri Airport on Easter Island is the most remote airport in the world, with 2,603 km (1,617 mi) from the nearest other airport: Mangareva in the Gambier Islands, French Polynesia. It could also be the most remote place on Earth by distance to from another inhabited place, depending on your definition.
So, what can you do in 48 hours?
The reality is, 48 hours was too short to see all the important sights on the island. You really need 3 full days. I arrived around 3pm day 1 (my plane was delayed), and left 2:55pm day 3. It was on average 5 hours each-way. This really only gave me 1 full day and 2 half-days to see the sights.
I didn’t have any reservations except lodging, simply perhaps the “island time” on Easter Island is quite slow. No one responded to my emails nor Whatsapp messages. I ended up booking a full-day island tour and then a sunrise tour at Ahu Tongariki with Maururu Travel (TripAdvisor review), as it was Saturday afternoon when I arrived and all of the other tour companies were closed for the rest of the weekend.
In any case, hopefully my itinerary can provide some guidance to plan your own trip.
Sunset at Ahu Tahai
This place has one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever witnessed in my life, I had to go two nights in a row. The name “Ahu Tahai” only refers to one of the three platforms (ahu) that is at that location. Most people were standing in front of Ahu Vai Ure, largest with five moais, but I was more intrigued by the only moai with eyes, on the Ahu Ko Te Riku. Even on the second night I decided to stand much further out so I could see all three ahus at sunset. At one point it was sprinkling, and there was a full rainbow right behind us. I didn’t leave until dark… and it was dark.
Do bring a jacket, as it gets windy and cold on the island.
Full-day Island Tour: Akahanga, Rano Raraku, Anakena
The full-day tour consisted of the major sites on the island, starting with Ahu Akahanga, which features an unrestored ahu where you can see toppled moais in a sad state. It is said the first king was buried in this place. The area is surrounded by strong waves coming in from the Pacific; it’s as raw as it gets.
We then arrived at the largest platform on the island: Ahu Tongariki. The 15 moais on the platform were HUGE. It is said that the largest one weighed 88 tons. There is also a large moai further out in front of the platform that broke into two pieces, along with the “traveling moai” at the entrance of the site.
This magnificent ahu wasn’t restored until the 1990s, led by the Japanese company Tadano and the Chilean government. Tadano provided the crane to lift the moais, which had been devastated by a tsunami in 1960.
After viewing the magnificent Ahu Tongariki, it was time to visit Rano Raraku, the quarry where the moais were made. To give some perspective, there are approximately 1,000 moais scattered all over the island. The moais here are in different states of production, and it’s just very difficult to take it all in. I was on visual overload.
Before going to our final stop at Anakena Beach, we stopped at Te Pito Kura, which displays the largest moai ever to be moved from Rano Raraku to an ahu. The moai is about 10 meters tall and 70 tons in weight. Next to it is the Te Pito O Te Henua (Navel of the World) stone, that is said to have heavy mana, or spiritual power.
Our last top is also one of the most important sites on the island – Anakena Beach. It is where the Rapa Nui ancestors landed. In addition to the sandy beach itself, the two ahus here have some of the most well-preserved moais on the island. When the moais were toppled, the sand on the beach protected the moais from erosion.
Sunrise at Ahu Tongariki
This was the sunrise to see on the island. The site opened at 7am, and there was already a lot of tourists inside waiting. It wasn’t until 30 minutes later that we started to see more light, due to lower cloud cover we had that day.
While everyone was focused on taking photos from the front, I ended up behind the ahu and looked for detailed on the backside of the moais. Then a Eastern European couple came by… and they started to walk into restricted areas. I had to scream at them. I really don’t understand how disrespectful people could be at these places.
Hike to Rano Kau and Orongo
This was not supposed to be a difficult hike – but I made it difficult. Without doing much research I figured I’d hike up the paved road. It took me an hour and a half to get to the Rano Kau viewpoint. I then saw two people walk up from a different path, so I went and asked them. It took them only 45 minutes to climb straight up, whereas the paved road wrapped around.
Rano Kau is one of three extinct volcanos on the island, the other two being Poike in the east, and Terevaka to the north. The volcano is now a crater lake – the largest freshwater lake on the island – with its own ecosystem.
A short ten-minute walk along the paved road took me to Orongo, the ceremonial village famous for the birdman competition to determine would would rule the island for the next year.
Walk to the Airport
After coming down the mountain from my hike, I walked another 25 minutes into the airport. Where in the world can you actually go on a hike and then walk yourself to the airport?
Sadly, it was time to leave. I arrived at the airport just before 12:30pm for my 2:55pm flight back to Santiago. The airport is quite small, so once after checking in, I waited outside until it was time to deal with the formalities.
Maururu, Easter Island. There is definitely much more to see, and I’ll be back.
Practical Information
How to get here: Easter Island offers flights to two destinations – Santiago de Chile, and Pape’ete, Tahiti, with the latter only offering once-per-week connections.
Immigration procedures: Due to a new law that took effect February 2019, any visitor visiting solely for tourism may only stay for a maximum of 30 days on the island. In addition, all visitors must fill out a form prior to boarding and provide confirmed reservations at a Sernatur (National Tourism Service) approved hotel. At Santiago airport, you will need to go through a special boarding area where the PDI police will examine your form prior to boarding your flight.
Park ticket: You can buy your park ticket at the airport when you arrive on the island. Payment is cash only, 54.000 pesos or US$80 accepted. Alternatively you may buy it in Hanga Roa.
Where to stay: The island is really small, but there are many options. I stayed in a family-owned bed-and-breakfast just outside Hanga Roa town center.
Money: The island uses Chilean Pesos, but credit cards seem to be widely accepted. There are two banks on the island with ATMs. It’s an expensive place to be, so do work on a budget. For example, a 2L water bottle cost 680 pesos in Santiago, I paid 1.800 pesos for the same in a mini-mart on the island. Food was the same. My empanada was 1.600 in Santiago, and 4.000 on the island.
Internet/Data: Internet is very slow here. At my bed-and-breakfast, their satellite Internet was knocked out due to storms the week before, so I was left to use my Chilean SIM for data. Entel is the only company to offer 4G on the island, but it didn’t feel like 4G, and connections were spotty. Please note, in order to use your foreign mobile phone with a Chilean SIM for more than 30 days, or if this is the second time you’re doing so, you’ll need to register it with the Chilean Ministry of Telecommunications or your phone will be blocked. If you’re roaming you won’t need to register.
Maps: Download an offline map of the island using Google Maps. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.