# Easter Island: map, what to do and when to go

A Polynesian volcanic island belonging to Chile, 3,700 km from the mainland, where the Rapa Nui community preserves the Rano Raraku quarry, the fifteen moai of Ahu Tongariki and the ceremonial village of Orongo.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Easter Island: how many days should I allow?** I'd set aside four days for Easter Island, counting the day of arrival: it is the minimum to make up for the more than five hours of flying from Santiago without rushing through the sites or missing the sunrise if it rains one morning.
- **Easter Island: how do I get there and what do I show when boarding in Santiago?** The only regular commercial air link to Rapa Nui leaves from Santiago, Chile (SCL), operated by LATAM on wide-body aircraft (Boeing 787), on a flight of about 5h30 outbound against the wind and about 4h45 on the return.
- **Easter Island: can I visit the moai with a rental car, or do I need a guide at every site?** There is no public bus system on Rapa Nui.

## Arrival in Hanga Roa, the Hanga Piko waterfront and sunset at Tahai
Land at Mataveri Airport and, if you did not buy the Rapa Nui National Park ticket online with your arrival date, buy it at the airport counter; then check in at your guesthouse in Hanga Roa and confirm with the accredited guide the departure time for the next two days.
- Tahai Ceremonial Complex
- Caleta Hanga Piko

## Sunrise at Ahu Tongariki, the Rano Raraku quarry and Anakena beach
Set out before dawn with your accredited guide along the south road (take extra care with horses on the dark road) to watch the sun rise behind the fifteen aligned moai of Ahu Tongariki.
- Rano Raraku
- Ahu Tongariki
- Playa de Anakena
- Ahu Nau Nau
- Ahu Te Pito Kura

## The Rano Kau crater, the village of Orongo and the Ahu Akivi circuit
In the morning, accompanied by the guide, visit the fitted basalt walls of Ahu Vinapu, beside the head of the runway, and drive up the southwestern volcano road to the open viewpoint over the Rano Kau caldera, with its 1.6 km lagoon covered in totora.
- Orongo
- Rano Kau
- Ahu Akivi
- Puna Pau
- Ahu Vinapu

## The climb up Maunga Terevaka, the church of Hanga Roa and diving or the beach
Start early at the Ahu Akivi parking area for the climb of about 3.5 km to the summit of Maunga Terevaka (507 m), the island's highest point, from which you see the ocean in 360 degrees all around Rapa Nui; go with a local guide or confirm beforehand with Ma'u Henua whether the trail can be done without one.
- Maunga Terevaka
- Iglesia de la Santa Cruz de Hanga Roa

## Rano Raraku
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-rano-raraku
Ilha de Páscoa · Half a day or more
This cone of consolidated volcanic tuff, about 18 km from Hanga Roa, was the central workshop where about 95% of the island's moai were carved directly into the bedrock between the 12th and 16th centuries. Nearly four hundred statues remain on the inner and outer slopes of the crater, at different stages of carving: some still attached to the wall by the keel on their backs, like the giant Te Tokanga (more than 21 m long), others standing chest-deep in the slope's sediment, like the kneeling moai Tukuturi. The Rapa Nui National Park ticket allows entry to Rano Raraku only once during its 10 days of validity and requires the company of an accredited guide or a Rapa Nui host; after the October 2022 fire, leaving the trails marked off with ropes is strictly forbidden.
Check access

## Ahu Tongariki
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-ahu-tongariki
Ilha de Páscoa · One to two hours
Set in the cove of Hotu Iti, about 20 km from Hanga Roa and five minutes by car from Rano Raraku, it is the largest ceremonial platform in Polynesia, about 200 m long, with fifteen moai raised side by side between 1992 and 1996, after being swept away by the tsunami of May 1960. The second moai from the right carries a pukao (a cylinder of red scoria on top of the head), and on the esplanade in front of the platform stands a lone moai that traveled to Japan for an exhibition before the restoration. It is the classic spot to watch the sunrise behind the fifteen moai; it requires the park ticket and a local guide or host.
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## Orongo
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-orongo
Ilha de Páscoa · One to two hours
On top of the southwestern rim of the Rano Kau crater, 300 m up a vertical cliff that drops into the Pacific, this ceremonial village of 53 elliptical houses built from overlapping basalt slabs without mortar was occupied only during the weeks of the austral spring for the Birdman (Tangata Manu) competition. From the tip of the site you can see the three sea islets of Motu Nui, Motu Iti and Motu Kao Kao, where the competitors sought the egg of the manutara bird; to protect the petroglyphs carved into the rocks of the rim, part of the far end remains fenced off. Like Rano Raraku, Orongo allows a single entry per park ticket and requires an accredited guide.
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## Rano Kau
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-rano-kau
Ilha de Páscoa · Up to half an hour
About 5 km from the center of Hanga Roa, before the Orongo gate, a viewpoint on the rim of the caldera opens onto the immense volcanic crater, 1.6 km across, whose floor holds a freshwater lagoon covered by a floating mosaic of totora and a wind-sheltered microclimate where fig trees, banana trees and ferns grow. On the opposite wall, a breach opened by marine erosion lets you see the open ocean through the edge of the volcano. The viewpoint lies in the part of the park visited with the ticket and the guide of the Orongo day; if you want to go up on your own, confirm the current rule with Ma'u Henua.
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## Playa de Anakena
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-playa-de-anakena
Ilha de Páscoa · Half a day or more
Located 18 km northeast of Hanga Roa along the asphalt road that crosses the middle of the island, Anakena (Hanga Rau o Te Ariki) is the cove where tradition places the landing of the founding king Hotu Matu'a. It is Rapa Nui's main swimming beach, with white sand of coral origin, turquoise water calmer than the rest of the rocky coast and a grove of coconut palms introduced from Tahiti in the 1960s. At the entrance to the grove, kiosks run by local families sell empanadas, grilled fish and drinks; the strip of sand for swimming, which can be visited without a guide, lies beside the archaeological platforms of Ahu Nau Nau and Ahu Ature Huki, where a guide is required again.
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## Ahu Nau Nau
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-ahu-nau-nau
Ilha de Páscoa · Up to half an hour
Built directly on the dune of Anakena beach and restored in 1978 by the team of the Rapa Nui archaeologist Sergio Rapu, this platform supports seven moai (five whole and two fragmentary), four of them crowned with their red pukao. Because they spent centuries buried in the pale sand of the beach, the moai of Ahu Nau Nau kept the sharpest carved reliefs on the island on their backs and ears. It was there, in the sand, that archaeologists found the original eye of white coral and red scoria that belongs to the collection of the Padre Sebastián Englert Anthropological Museum, closed to the public since July 2024. To enter the fenced perimeter of the ahu you must present the park ticket, with a guide.
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## Tahai Ceremonial Complex
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-complejo-ceremonial-de-tahai
Ilha de Páscoa · One to two hours
A ten-minute walk north from the center of Hanga Roa, Tahai brings together three platforms restored by the American archaeologist William Mulloy between 1968 and 1974 on a wide open lawn above the sea: Ahu Vai Uri, with five moai of different sizes; Ahu Tahai, with a single eroded statue; and Ahu Ko Te Riku, whose moai received replicas of the eyes, white coral with a dark rock pupil, along with the red pukao. Around them you can still see the stone canoe ramp, foundations of boat-shaped houses (hare paenga) and Mulloy's tomb. Because it lies on the urban edge of Hanga Roa, the sunset-viewing lawn is freely accessible without using up the single entry to the closed sites; respect the cordons and do not climb on the stones.
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## Ahu Akivi
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-ahu-akivi
Ilha de Páscoa · Up to half an hour
Located inland, about 10 km north of Hanga Roa on the gentle slopes of Terevaka, this ahu, restored in 1960 by William Mulloy and Gonzalo Figueroa, holds seven moai of very similar size, about 4.5 m tall. Because the platform lies more than 2 km inland, the seven moai look toward the old village that once stood in front of them and, as a geographic consequence, face the direction of the ocean and line up with the sunset at the spring and autumn equinoxes. It requires the park ticket and the company of a guide or host.
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## Puna Pau
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-puna-pau
Ilha de Páscoa · Up to half an hour
A small secondary cone about 7 km east of Hanga Roa whose interior is made of porous volcanic scoria of intense red color (hani-hani). It was the exclusive quarry where the pukao were carved, large cylinders of up to 10 tons that represented the topknot of hair tied on top of the moai's heads in the final phase of the ahu. Around twenty to thirty unfinished cylinders remain scattered along the inner trail and the rim, which also offers an open view over Hanga Roa. It requires the park ticket and a guide.
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## Padre Sebastián Englert Anthropological Museum
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-museo-antropologico-padre
Ilha de Páscoa · One to two hours
In the Tahai area, a few minutes' walk from the north coast of Hanga Roa, the island's museum was founded in 1973 from the collection assembled by the Capuchin missionary and Bavarian linguist Sebastián Englert, and holds pieces that do not appear at the open sites, such as the original moai eye found in the Anakena excavations in 1978, of white coral with a red scoria pupil, and a female moai. It has been closed to the public for reasons of force majeure since July 19, 2024, and the notice on the official website (consulted on October 17, 2026) says only that reopening is being prepared, with no date. Before planning a visit, check the museum's website; while it is closed, the eye of Ahu Ko Te Riku, in Tahai, is a replica that can be seen outdoors.
Check access

## Ahu Vinapu
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-ahu-vinapu
Ilha de Páscoa · Up to half an hour
Located at the eastern end of the head of the Mataveri airport runway, beside the cliffs of the south coast, the Vinapu site has two main ahu with toppled moai. The highlight is the rear wall of Ahu Tahiri (Vinapu I), built of large cushioned basalt blocks fitted dry with millimeter precision, without mortar, a technique that led the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl in the 1950s to suggest pre-Hispanic contact with the Inca empire, although modern archaeology recognizes it as an independent evolution of Polynesian stonework. It requires the park ticket and a guide.
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## Ahu Te Pito Kura
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-ahu-te-pito-kura
Ilha de Páscoa · Up to half an hour
On the north coast, about 2 km before the beach of Anakena, this platform held Paro, the largest moai ever moved from Rano Raraku and raised on an ahu, nearly 10 m tall and about 80 tons, now fallen face down and broken in half, beside its immense pukao. A few meters ahead, ringed by four smaller stones, lies Te Pito o Te Henua, a smooth spherical stone of iron-rich basalt brought by the sea that oral tradition associates with Hotu Matu'a; a low protective wall keeps visitors from touching or sitting on the rock. It requires the park ticket and a guide.
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## Maunga Terevaka
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-maunga-terevaka
Ilha de Páscoa · Half a day or more
At 507 m above sea level, the top of the shield volcano at the northern vertex is the highest point on Rapa Nui and the only place on the island from which you can see the full 360-degree circular horizon surrounded only by the Pacific Ocean, with no land in sight. Motor vehicles do not climb the slope: the most used trail starts from Ahu Akivi and is about 3.5 km of steady climbing through open pasture, and there is also a departure from the Vaitea area and horseback tours with local guides. The guide exemptions the park publishes cover Tahai, Hanga Roa and the beach of Anakena, and do not mention Terevaka; because the trail starts from a controlled site, book the guided hike or confirm with Ma'u Henua before climbing alone. Bring water, a cap and a windbreaker, since there is no shade on the way.
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## Iglesia de la Santa Cruz de Hanga Roa
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-iglesia-de-la-santa-cruz-de
Hanga Roa · Up to half an hour
At the top of Te Pito o Te Henua street, in the center of Hanga Roa, the island's Catholic church combines Christian liturgy with Rapa Nui iconography and language: the facade shows motifs of the Tangata Manu and the ceremonial paddles (ao), and inside the wooden images of Christ, of Our Lady of Rapa Nui (crowned with shells and a manutara bird) and of the baptismal font were carved by local artisans. At Sunday morning Mass, residents sing hymns in the Rapa Nui language; if you want to attend, arrive early, wear modest clothing and do not walk the aisles with a camera during the service.
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## Caleta Hanga Piko
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/ilha-de-pascoa/#g-lugar-caleta-hanga-piko
Ilha de Páscoa · Up to half an hour
A small fishing harbor and cargo-barge port south of the center of Hanga Roa, from which boats also leave to see the cliffs of the islets of Motu Nui and Motu Iti from below; the dive centers that list a street address are in neighboring Caleta Hanga Roa Otai, a few minutes' walk along the waterfront. At the water's edge in Hanga Piko stands Ahu Riata, with a lone moai, and on the rocky spur strong waves break that local surfers seek out. Green sea turtles (honu) often come up to the rocks of the cove to eat algae; they are sacred to the islanders, and touching them is frowned upon.
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**Easter Island: how many days should I allow?**
I'd set aside four days for Easter Island, counting the day of arrival: it is the minimum to make up for the more than five hours of flying from Santiago without rushing through the sites or missing the sunrise if it rains one morning. On the first day, after landing at Mataveri, I'd walk the Hanga Roa waterfront, from Hanga Piko to Tahai, to watch the sunset. I'd devote the second and third days in full to covering the National Park with an accredited local guide: one day for the sunrise at Ahu Tongariki, the Rano Raraku quarry, Ahu Te Pito Kura and a swim at Anakena; the other for Ahu Vinapu, the Rano Kau crater, the village of Orongo, Puna Pau and Ahu Akivi. On the fourth day, I'd climb to the summit of Maunga Terevaka in the morning, with a guide if the park requires one, and keep the afternoon for the church of Hanga Roa, a dive from Caleta Hanga Roa Otai or an easy return to Anakena. Anyone who can stay five days gains a valuable cushion against showers and wind.

**Easter Island: how do I get there and what do I show when boarding in Santiago?**
The only regular commercial air link to Rapa Nui leaves from Santiago, Chile (SCL), operated by LATAM on wide-body aircraft (Boeing 787), on a flight of about 5h30 outbound against the wind and about 4h45 on the return. Before heading to the boarding gate in Santiago, every non-resident passenger goes through PDI control for Easter Island, where they must present an ID document or passport, a round-trip ticket with a maximum stay of 30 days (Law 21.070), a confirmed reservation at lodging registered with Sernatur (or an official invitation letter from the Provincial Presidential Delegation) and the completed Formulario Único de Ingreso (FUI). Mataveri International Airport (IPC) sits right against the southern edge of Hanga Roa, 5 minutes by car from the hotels; most guesthouses include the arrival transfer with a flower necklace.

**Easter Island: can I visit the moai with a rental car, or do I need a guide at every site?**
There is no public bus system on Rapa Nui. To tour the National Park sites outside the village, there are two main choices: book small-group excursions or a private guide with a vehicle included, or rent a car or jeep from the agencies on Atamu Tekena street and hire the accredited local guide separately to ride along in your vehicle. Renting a car on your own does not waive the mandatory presence of the accredited guide at the gate of Rano Raraku, Orongo, Tongariki, Akivi and the other controlled sites. You do not need a paid guide for every hour of the day: the park's exemptions cover the lawn of Tahai, the village of Hanga Roa with its church and coves, and the strip of sand at Anakena (not the ahu area). The climb up Terevaka starts at the controlled site of Ahu Akivi: ask Ma'u Henua whether the climb also requires a guide. There are only two gas stations on the island, both in Hanga Roa, and outside the village there is no reliable cell signal.

**Easter Island: how much is the park ticket and when should I buy it?**
The Rapa Nui National Park ticket, administered by Ma'u Henua, is mandatory to visit the archaeological sites, is named and is valid for 10 consecutive days from the date of issue. Under the fee schedule in force since October 1, 2025 (consulted in October 2026), it costs USD 100 for a foreign adult (USD 40 for foreign children aged 7 to 12) and CLP 40,000 for a Chilean adult or Chile resident (CLP 20,000 for national children aged 7 to 12); children under 7 are exempt. Because the Ma'u Henua notice counts validity from issue (and one local guide speaks of the "first check"), do not buy weeks ahead: if you use the official digital platform, confirm there whether you can choose the start date and set your arrival date; otherwise, buy on landing, at the counter in Mataveri airport or, for now, at the Ma'u Henua service office on Kiri Reva street in Hanga Roa (daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Keep the ticket printed or on your phone, since without it you cannot enter any controlled site. The ticket allows entry to Rano Raraku only once and to Orongo only once.

**Easter Island: do cards work, or is it better to bring cash?**
The official currency is the Chilean peso (CLP), but US dollar (USD) bills in good condition are widely accepted to pay guides, dives, car rentals and the park's international entry ticket itself. In Hanga Roa there are BancoEstado and Santander branches with ATMs on Atamu Tekena street, but card payment can fail when the satellite internet wavers, and card machines and ATMs can be unavailable for hours; outside the village there is no cell signal. I'd bring from the mainland enough cash, in Chilean pesos and dollars, to pay the guide, the kiosks at Anakena beach and any surprises. Supermarket and restaurant prices are higher than on the mainland, because almost everything arrives by plane or ship from Valparaíso.

**Easter Island: when is the best time to go?**
Rapa Nui can be visited all year thanks to its subtropical maritime climate with no harsh winter, but the best time runs from October to April. October, November, March and April combine pleasant temperatures between 22 °C and 25 °C, water already inviting for swimming at Anakena and for diving in the coves, good light for photographing the moai, and flight and lodging prices lower than at the summer peak. December to February is high season, with highs near 27 °C and a focus on the first half of February, when the Tapati Rapa Nui takes place: it is the liveliest time for local culture, but you must book flights and guesthouses many months ahead. From May to August (austral winter), highs are around 20 °C and lows near 14 °C, but the south wind gains strength and May usually records the largest monthly rainfall; even so, the showers are brief and the archaeological sites are almost empty.

**Easter Island: what precautions should I take on the road and in the sea?**
Rapa Nui is an extremely safe destination in terms of urban crime, where you can walk calmly around Hanga Roa and Tahai. The real hazards are on the road, in the sun and in the sea: outside Hanga Roa there is no street lighting, no cell phone signal, and horses and cattle cross or sleep on the asphalt, especially in the small hours on the way to the sunrise at Ahu Tongariki. On the cliffs of Rano Kau, Orongo and the north coast, the wind blows hard and there are no continuous railings at the edge of the drop. The island's coast is almost entirely sharp volcanic rock and open-sea waves with no coral barrier; only enter the water at the beach of Anakena or the small Pea cove in Hanga Roa, and on dive outings with local instructors in the coves. Hanga Roa Hospital handles medical emergencies on the island, but highly complex cases depend on air medical evacuation more than 3,700 km to the mainland, so it is essential to travel with travel insurance that covers air evacuation.

**Easter Island: is the Padre Sebastián Englert Anthropological Museum open?**
The museum, in the Tahai area, holds pieces that do not appear at the open sites, such as the original moai eye found in the Anakena excavations in 1978 and a female moai. It has been closed to the public for reasons of force majeure since July 19, 2024, and the notice on the official website (consulted on October 17, 2026) says only that reopening is being prepared, with no date. Before planning a visit, check the museum's website; while it is closed, the eye of Ahu Ko Te Riku, in Tahai, is a replica that can be seen outdoors.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 4 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/ilha-de-pascoa/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/ilha-de-pascoa/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/ilha-de-pascoa.md