Oh, the costs. And the time. And the detour. And haven’t I already seen all there is via documentaries and photos? … These were my thoughts when I planned my trip to Chile and had to make up my mind if I wanted to go to the Easter Island.

But I kept looking at the whs map and this spot in the middle of the Pacific Ocean just kept on smiling at me. With some additional nudging from our community in the forum (thanks Els!), I went ahead and booked the flights. And, boy, am I glad I did, because without a doubt this is one of the great sites of mankind.

It’s not just the Moai that seem to be fallen out of time. The Moais are embedded into stunning scenery that I got to take in mostly by myself. So, if you happen to be in Santiago, hop on a plane and go.

How long?

A key question for me was to figure out how long I wanted to stay. If you go, you want to hit the main sites and not miss out. Who knows if you ever make it back ;)

I think you need at least 2,5 days (two nights, two full days) to fully appreciate the island. My itinerary looked like this:

• Arrival afternoon: Hike to Orongo.
• 1 Day – Small circle: Hike / Cycle North of Hanga Roa to Ahu Tepeu and then hike up Maunga Terevaka.
• 1 Day – Big circle: Tour / Rental Car / Cycle to the East part of the island, Anakena, Ahu Tongariki and Rano Raraku.

But this itinerary hinges on the weather being okay. In my case the very second I came back from the big circle on my last day on the island, all hell broke loose rainwise.

Obviously, you can stay longer to enjoy the scenery, the beach, do some other hikes or go diving. But as much as I was enthralled by the island, I was wondering what I would have done had I stayed a full week, let alone lived there.

Getting To

There are multiple daily flights from Santiago. And a weekly one from Tahiti. In high season there may be even more. In any case, competition on the route is limited and prices rather high. I flew in from Santiago and paid 450€ and that was at the lower end of the price range. Some considerations to save a bit:

• It seems going over the weekend is more expensive than during the week.
• Also, the afternoon flight back to Santiago may be more expensive than the midnight, red eyes included one.

Getting Around

I think cycling and hiking are the best way to experience the island. It’s not that big and you get to take in more of the nature this way. However, be warned that the big circle is really big (45km), contains several steep climbs and the wind is constant. Personally, I wouldn’t have done this by bicycle and was already about to book a tour. But then I found a place near the harbor that rented ebikes (easybici.cl) for 20-25k Pesos and that was a perfect solution for me.

Random Notes

• Food is pricey compared to the mainland. I paid around 40€ to 50€ for dinner. And the quality was rather varied. Te Moanu near the harbor comes highly recommended and has a nice view. Kanahau does not: The quality was not in line with the price.
• If you take the midnight flight back, you can head to Valparaiso in the morning and then catch the next flight out of Santiago in the evening. I wish I would have, instead I stayed another night in Santiago which I found rather dull.
• The default sunset picture can be taken at Ahu Tahai. You will have plenty of company.
• You need to buy a park ticket which is valid for 5 days. Pick it up when you arrive. You need 30k Pesos or 60 USD in cash. Pesos was cheaper.
• There are very few shops or cafes on the island as soon as you leave Hanga Rau. So pack everything you need before you head out of town.
• The limited travel options to the island imply that there are rarely more than 2.000 tourists on the island (4 planes * 500 people in/out per day) and you have great parts often to yourself. However, it also means that the tourist infrastructure is not very mature. E.g. no Irish Pub.
• Internet is terrible, probably because the connection is made via satellite. Many guest houses and restaurants don’t even offer it.
• If you get a SIM in Chile, pick Entel as they offer coverage on the island. Movistar may, too.
• You can get a stamp for your passport at the post office while you buy stamps for those very exotic postcards (600).