Things to do in Easter Island
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Easter Island
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Peak summer and Tapati, with the warmest sea around 24 to 25 degrees and the longest days.
Best overall window. Tapati crowds gone, sea still warm, golden light and shoulder pricing.
Wettest month with September. Rain, wind and cancelled boats, but the island at its emptiest and cheapest.
Austral winter, coolest and wet, with cold sea and disruptive swell, but quiet, green and contemplative.
Shoulder with a caveat. Fiestas Patrias brings a mainland surge, while spring flowers begin and the island greens up.
Second best window. Warming and drying, sea swimmable again and pre-summer availability still findable.
Summer ramp. Early December is a smart shoulder play, the final week is full price and full island.
What's on
- Tapati Rapa Nui late January to early February
Two weeks of dance, music, ancestral sports and haka pei banana-trunk sledding, led by queen candidates and allied teams.
- Winter solstice around 21 June
Celebrated in Rapa Nui tradition with community events in some years, in the quiet winter season.
- Fiestas Patrias mid-September
Chilean national holidays bring a mainland visitor surge and full flights despite wet-month billing.
Best things to do in Easter Island
Ahu Tongariki
Fifteen moai on the largest ahu in Polynesia catch fire-orange light at sunrise with the Pacific behind them.
Rano Raraku
Nearly 400 moai in every stage of carving lie around this crater, the abandoned workshop behind the finished ahu.
Orongo
Stone houses of the Birdman village sit on the crater rim between the Rano Kau lake and the sea cliff.
Rano Kau
A 1.5 km crater holding a reed-covered lake on the southwest tip, an easy half-day pairing with Orongo village.
Anakena Beach
The island's one true swimming beach, with white sand, palms and calm turquoise water for a post-tour swim.
Ahu Nau Nau
Seven well-preserved moai behind Anakena sand, four with red topknots restored, at the legendary landing place.
Ahu Tahai
A restored complex a short walk from town where three ahu and an eye-restored moai face the island's best sunset.
Ahu Akivi
Seven moai that face out to sea rather than inland, linked to the legend of the seven explorers sent ahead.
Where to stay in Easter Island
Central Hanga Roa
first trip, all-round base
The only town, with restaurants, agencies, rentals and the market within a 10 minute walk and Tahai 15 minutes on foot.
Hanga Roa waterfront and Tahai road
views, quiet, still walkable
Coast-road properties trade a few extra minutes walk for ocean frontage, sunset from the garden and dark skies.
Just outside town on the Anakena and airport-side roads
space, pools and resort-style stays
Larger eco-lodges sit in grassland with guiding, spa and silence, but every town dinner means driving or being driven.
Think twice about
- Far east, Poike and Anakena side as a base
No walkable restaurants or shops and unlit roads, so every dinner and supply run becomes a 25 to 40 minute drive.
- Any non SERNATUR-registered accommodation
Registered lodging is checked with your return ticket and entry form before boarding in Santiago, and travellers have been denied boarding.
- Immediately around Mataveri Airport runway
No walkability advantage and the island's only real noise from the daily LATAM arrival and departure.
Best restaurants in Easter Island
Neptuno Sunset
Waterfront dining north of the centre timed for sunset, strongest for tuna as sashimi, seared or ceviche.
Haka Honu
Barefoot-smart seafood on the Pea beach strip by the caleta, singled out for octopus salad and the daily catch.
La Kaleta
The fishermen's quarter table at Hanga Piko harbour for ceviche and grilled fish, with slow service as the format.
Te Moai Sunset
A polished coast-road restaurant north of town with a moai in view and a sunset terrace for special occasions.
Kanahau Restaurant
A warm family-run dining room near the centre doing generous seafood, including tuna sashimi and tuna risotto.
Makona Restaurant
A modest local restaurant away from the waterfront strip that trip reports keep naming as their best island meal.
Au Bout du Monde
The island's French-Belgian table, applying European technique to island fish including memorable seared tuna.
Pea Restobar
Bar-restaurant on the town beach for fish empanadas, ceviche, cold beer and the social centre of an evening.
Outdoor things to do in Easter Island
Scuba diving the underwater moai
A modern moai at 20 to 25 metres off Hanga Piko, now coral-covered, in water with 30 to 60 metre visibility.
Motu Nui
Glass-bottom and snorkel boats circle the Birdman islets with a clear-water snorkel stop between Motu Iti and Motu Nui.
Maunga Terevaka
Ride grass slopes to the island's highest point at sunset, with the whole island and ocean in view from the summit.
North Coast hike
A guided 7 to 8 hour traverse of the roadless north coast past unrestored ahu, caves and petroglyphs to Anakena.
Rapa Nui Stargazing
Zero light pollution and Polynesian navigation stories combine with telescope viewing and night portraits at ahu.
Rano Kau Trail
Walk about an hour uphill from town to the crater viewpoint, the best free active morning on the island.
Cycling the island
Rent a bike or e-bike for the paved south-coast road or the 18 km interior road to Anakena in light traffic.
Kayak Rapa Nui
Guided sea-kayak outings along the town coast pass caves and cliffs, with turtles and sunset paddles in season.
Best hotels in Easter Island
Explora Rapa Nui
The definitive luxury lodge 5 km from town, with 30 ocean-view rooms and more than 30 included explorations.
Nayara Hangaroa
Luxury in town on the waterfront, with 75 boat-house style rooms, the biggest pool scene and walkable evenings.
Hotel Hare Uta
A small serene boutique inland from town, with nine rooms around gardens and a kitchen garden feeding its restaurant.
Hotel Ohana Rapa Nui
A Polynesian-styled small hotel on the town edge praised for cultural touches and personal hosting.
Hare Nua Hotel Boutique
A restored old Rapa Nui house on the main street turned small boutique hotel with pool and vintage Polynesian character.
Taura'a Hotel
Family-run and garden-set a few streets from the centre, with breakfast on the terrace and hosts who help plan tours.
Hotel Taha Tai
Waterfront-road hotel toward Tahai with sea-view rooms, bungalows, a pool and a 10 minute walk to the centre.
Hotel Puku Vai
A quiet garden hotel near the airport side of town with larger rooms, a pool and a calm, good-value reputation.
Is Easter Island expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CLP 76,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CLP 190,000 a person |
| Splurge | CLP 475,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Ahu Tongariki: weeks ahead
- Rano Raraku: weeks ahead
- Orongo: weeks ahead
- Ballet Kari Kari: a few days ahead
- Ana Te Pahu: a few days ahead
- Scuba diving the underwater moai: a few days ahead
- Motu Nui: a few days ahead
- Maunga Terevaka: a few days ahead
- Buy the national park ticket in advance and book an accredited guide, which is mandatory for managed archaeological sites.
- Book flights, lodging and guides 6 or more months ahead for Tapati in February, when the island sells out.
- Book diving for the middle of your stay with a backup date, and lock a sunrise slot at Tongariki early for weather fallback.
Is Easter Island safe?
- Never touch a moai or walk on an ahu, stay on marked paths, and note drones are banned in the park.
- Swim only at Anakena and the town caleta areas unless a local clears a spot that day.
- Sun is fierce with no shade at sites. Carry a hat, sunscreen and extra water, and wear real shoes on lava rock.
- Serious medical cases evacuate to Santiago, so insurance covering medical evacuation is essential.
Easter Island travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The one-day see-it-all blitz, which burns single-entry Raraku and Orongo in crowds and bad light.
- Pre-booking every tour from home at platform markups instead of booking direct with local operators.
- Believing the underwater moai is ancient. It is a modern placement that is still a great dive.
- Anakena beach restaurants charge captive-audience prices. Eat a ceviche there once and do serious eating in town.
Getting around Easter Island: public transport and more
- No public transport exists. Walk in town, agree taxi fares before riding, and keep cash for taxis.
- Rental cars run about US$60 to 100 a day. Drive slowly at night for free-roaming horses and cattle on unlit roads.
- Hanga Roa to Anakena is 25 to 35 minutes, to Tongariki 30 to 40 minutes, and to Orongo about 15 minutes.
Who Easter Island suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Easter Island your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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