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Easter Island is famous for its mysterious background and the Moai statues that accompany it.

Many theories surround the origins and construction of these giant, monolithic stone statues. Still, the truth is that they are the legacy left behind by the Rapa Nui civilization that once inhabited the island.

While the moai statues are the most popular attractions on Easter Island, the truth is that there is much more to do on this tiny remote island in the middle of the Pacific.

Though, I’d have to say that many of these other things to do on Easter Island may be somewhat related to Moais still.

Hey, with 887 of these statues, the moai are all over the island!

But first, let’s answer two common questions.

Where is Easter Island?

Even though Easter Island is part of Chile, it is located deep in the Pacific Ocean, about 3,500 km west of the Chilean coast.

The nearest inhabited island is Pitcairn Island, which is 2,075km away. But, even though Easter Island is one of the remotest islands in the world, thankfully, it is not as hard to reach.

Easter Island Location

How do you get to Easter Island?

Currently, LATAM is the only airline that flies to Easter Island from Santiago, Chile, or Tahiti. So your best (and cheapest option) would be to fly to Santiago and from there jump to Easter Island.

Depending on when you go, expect to pay anything from $300 to $1,200 for a round trip flight between Santiago and Easter Island.

That flight takes around five and a half hours each way.

In this other post, I share a lot more tips on how to travel to Easter Island on a budget.

Now, without further ado, let’s dig into the best things to do in Easter Island!

1. See The Moais at Rano Raraku National Park

This is the main attraction on Easter Island and the one place you shouldn’t miss.

This was the main moai quarry and the place where you’ll see them in all their glory and all stages of production. In fact, about half of the moai of Easter Island are located in this national park.

The Moai are monolithic human statues carved between 1,250 and 1500 AD and are considered to be the “living faces” of deified ancestors. They look inland towards the clan that created them as a sign of protection.

Rano Raraku, Easter Island

Here in Rano Raraku, you’ll see all shapes, expressions, and even some evolution of the carving craft between the early and latest Moais produced.

If you’re not planning on driving there, then I recommend going to Rano Raraku with this highly-reviewed full-day tour.

2. Watch The Sunrise From Tongariki

Seriously, do not miss this! Tongariki is one of the most iconic sights on Easter Island, so I’m sure you must have seen it by now in countless pictures and tv shows.

Here you’ll see its 15 moai statues stand next to each other on an Ahu (ceremonial platform) facing inland as you see the orange sun rise right behind them, creating a shadowy silhouette out of the statues.

Interesting enough is that the sunrise on Easter Island is quite late. When I was there in April, sunrise happened around 8:30 am!

If you can’t get there on your own, then I recommend doing this quick tour that takes you to Tongariki to see the Sunrise. It’s worth it!

As you’ll see soon, sunrises and sunsets are among the best things to do on Easter Island.

Tongariki, Easter Island

3. Relax at Anakena Beach

Ah, something that is not moai driven! Well, while it is not, it still has Moais in it! Ha! According to oral tradition, Anakena served as the first settlement on the island.

Anyway, Anakena is one of the best beaches on the island, and it is easily accessible. It is a small beach, but that doesn’t matter since there aren’t many people on Easter Island.

You’re your time to relax on its white sandy shore and swim in its crystalline waters. While slightly colder than I like, it was still a relaxing and enjoyable swim.

This full-day tour to Anakena (and other spots) is worth checking out to experience the beautiful, dramatic scenery of a few of the highlights of Easter Island.

4. Bike Around The Island

This was probably my favorite activity there. Easter Island is small, and I mean, really small! You can bike the entire island in a day and still have time to stop and enjoy many of its sights.

While there are some slight uphills here and there, I believe it is more of a leisure bike than an intense workout.

You can bike from Hanga Roa (the town) to Anakena, Tongariki, Rano Raraku, and pretty much every place accessible by road and trails. Bike rentals go around $13 per day.

Biking in Easter Island

5. See The Ancient Petroglyphs At Papa Vaka

Remember I mentioned there was an ancient Rapa Nui civilization on Easter Island? In addition to creating the impressive Moai statues, they left a legacy of written history in the form of pictorial petroglyphs.

While not a vast legacy, there are still traces of Rapa Nui petroglyphs all around the island, with some of the most important ones found in Papa Vaka, Ana Kai Tangata, and Orongo.

These petroglyphs often depict several marine scenes that include fishing, the use of canoes, and various marine animals. Part of the daily life of the Rapa Nui.

Petroglyphs at Rapa Nui

6. Hike To The Top Of Terevaka

Here’s the thing, Easter Island doesn’t have mountains; they are more like pronounced volcanic hills. Still, it is fun to hike these volcanoes, even if the highest one, Terevaka Volcano, is only 507 meters above sea level.

Being the highest point on the island, from there, you can get a perfect 360-degree view of all of Easter Island.

Another great place for a panoramic view of the city is from the top of the Ranu Kau volcanic caldera in Orongo.

In addition to seeing the entire island from there, you’ll also see the remnants of the stone village and ceremonial center of the ancient Rapa Nui.

7. Watch The Sunset From Tahai

This is one of my favorite Easter Island sights.

Tahai is the “it” place to watch the sunset, and the best thing is that it is located right at the edge of Hanga Roa – the town.

Here, you’ll see five moai standing on an Ahu, with the sea located right behind it, giving it a perfect picture worthy setting when the sun sets on the horizon.

Beyond seeing the sunset, don’t miss the opportunity of stargazing on Easter Island. There’s virtually no pollution there, so the starry sky in the background with the impressing moais in the foreground looks mesmerizing!

Sunset at Tahai, Hanga Roa

8. Watch A Dancing Show At Vaitemiki

Even though common knowledge says the ancient Rapa Nui civilization is extinct, the truth is that Easter Island still conserves some of its ancient Rapa Nui traditions.

Locals still speak Rapa Nui and practice some of the traditional aspects of its culture, like dance (even if it doesn’t happen anymore outside of shows and special occasions.

To see a traditional Rapa Nui dancing show, you can head to Vaitemiki, located in Hanga Roa. They offer free shows on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (at the time of writing).

There are other shows that include dinner (for an entrance fee), but you should ask around for current locations and times.

9. Visit The Lesser-Known Caves In The Island

If you’re done with the moais and don’t know what to do on Easter Island, then I recommend going underground.

What most people don’t know is that Easter Island has a decent network of caves, and some of them can be visited on your own.

While some of them can be hard to find, others are easily accessible and excellent points to learn more about the island, its people, and nature.

Ana Kakenga is one cave from where you can watch the sunset since it is located right at the edge of the island and has an opening looking towards the sea.

10. Don’t forget to get your Easter Island stamp!

While Easter Island is a territory of Chile, meaning you don’t get stamped at the airport if you fly from Santiago, you can still get an Easter Island stamp if you visit the post office in town. Don’t miss having a cute Moai stamp on your passport!

The view of Easter Island

Such a small island, yet so much to do! Make sure you have enough days there not to miss any of these activities. I spent five days there, and I wish I had a few more.

Easter Island is often thought to be really expensive to visit, but it can be done quite cheap -as I found out- and I share here how I traveled there with less than $50 a day.

Lastly, there are also more activities not mentioned here that you can do with one of these recommended tours.

Essential Info: Logistical Tips and Tricks to Book your Trip

BOOK YOUR FLIGHT
Regarding cheap airfare, I highly recommend using Skyscanner and Expedia. These are two of the sites I use the most due to their exhaustive search on several websites and airlines around the world. They usually bring the cheapest fares.

Additionally, I recommend getting the WayAway Plus membership to save money on cheaper fares and earn cashback (sent straight to your PayPal) on your bookings.

BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION
For hotels, guesthouses, apartments, and other types of accommodation, I highly recommend Booking.com. They are my go-to booking site because they usually have the cheapest fares.

If you’re a registered Booking.com user (“Genius”), you can take advantage of their “Genius discount” to save even more money. I almost always book my accommodation with Booking, and I’ve saved thousands of dollars with their Genius discount.

And of course, as one of the largest travel booking sites in the world, Expedia is another excellent accommodation booking site with a free reward program and discounted member prices.

If you’re looking to save money by staying at a hostel, HostelWorld has the largest inventory of hostels with shared dorms and private rooms. On the other hand, Vrbo offers a wide variety of rooms and apartments at affordable prices.

DON’T FORGET YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE
Travel insurance with comprehensive coverage will protect you against unexpected events like theft, cancellations, injury, and illness.

I use HeyMondo to insure my trips and recommend them. Their affordable plans offer a 24/7 assistance platform for claims, medical coverage for every traveler, adventure sports and covid-19 coverage, and more. And better yet, GloboTreks readers get 5% off their plan! Get a quote.

Alternatively, if you’re a nomad and travel often or long-term, then SafetyWing could help you save a lot of money on long-term travel insurance.

FIND THE BEST TOURS AT THE BEST PRICES
If you’re looking for the best day tours and cheapest ticket entrances to local attractions, I recommend checking Viator, as they have the largest selection of attractions, passes, and activities all around the world.

BOOK YOUR LOCAL TRANSPORTATION AHEAD OF TIME
Bookaway
 offers the easiest and most accessible way to book overland transportation with local operators, be it by bus, train, ferry, plane, mini-van, or even private transfers.

If renting a car, then I highly recommend DiscoverCars to get the largest car selection at the best price.

OTHER TRAVEL AND MONEY-SAVING TIPS?
Lastly, check out my resources page for some of the best products and companies to use for your trip. If you like saving money (like I do!), then this page will help.

10 Things To Do On Easter Island
Adventure Awaits

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Plus, receive a short e-book with 15 Beginner Tips and Tricks to Save Money on Flights!โ€‹

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31 Comments

  1. It’s really expensive to get there from Poland.

    Is it really worth to visit Easter Island? What do you think?

    Great blog! I’m checking it regularly!

    Cheers
    Piotr

    1. Hi Piotr –

      In my opinion, it is worth it, especially if you’re a photographer and are interested in photographing the moais against nature and shots of the night sky (timelapses or just plain pictures of the milky way). Even if you’re not a photographer, it is worth it.

      Having said that, I would ONLY go there if you do it as part of a bigger trip around Chile or South America. Flying from Poland just to see Easter Island will feel like a waste of money, so I’d recommend to have at least a few weeks or a month to go to the south of Chile (Torres Del Paine, especially) and maybe even to the glaciers in Argentina, which are really close to Chile.

      The cheapest way to can get to Easter Island is by purchasing a separate round trip ticket from Santiago – instead of trying to have that ticket included in your overall flights from Poland (or wherever in the world).

      1. Thanks for your reply.

        The problem is that I run my business and I’m not able to go anywhere for a few weeks :(.

        So in the meantime I would enjoy your photos :-).

        1. I see. Totally understandable. Well, if you’re really inclined to visit, by all means, I’m sure it will be a great experience for you.

      2. I am planning an RV trip to South America and would love to check out Easter Island. Do the airports there have ample non-garage overnight parking? Or did you notice?

        1. Sorry, James… I didn’t notice that. The airport in Santiago might have, but not sure. You should check their official page as they might mention it.

          1. Im from Santiago. It has overnight covered parking but its sรบper expensive, probably over 20 USD a night for less than a week.

  2. Being from a travel background, author of this blog has captured the scenic beauty and transformed through his words. well done!

  3. Nice Post! Information is very helpful at the time of visiting Easter Island.
    Pictures are absolutely amazing!

    Thanks for sharing.

  4. Hey Norbert,
    Thanks for sharing your trip, you guide was really inspiring as well.
    I can’t believe you skipped scuba diving, I know there are more popular places than easter island but the clarity of water in there was absolutely breath taking, and wildlife diversity also shocked me. In how many places you can snorkel with a bunch of turtles by the town’s marina?

    PS: Did you edited your share buttons look yourself? I used the plugin you recommended and its looking awful.

  5. Nice tips and pictures. It was completely a great experience in Easter Island. I really fell in love with Easter Island after reading your post. Thanks for the informative post!

  6. Another amazing article! There is almost enough to do in Easter island that there is no time to see ancient monumental statues. Thanks a lot for sharing!

  7. Every year we look forward for our vacation time as this is the only time when we all friends unwind and do something different from our monotonous lives. Easter island seems a perfect place to explore on the next holidays. The photos are amazing, loved the sunset clicks.

  8. hmm…A secret island ..its great to visit with you that place..the pictures and the view of the sunrise is amazing.Thank u for sharing your experience ..yeah again i am here..and following you..don’t mind..its mah pleasure..

  9. I think this is one of those places that everyone should visit once in their lifetime. So very unique..and a little mysterious ๐Ÿ˜‰ I’ll get there one day.

  10. Great post, It really fantastic to read this article, All the places which is mentioned in this article, I never read and see it before. All the pictures is fantastic. and well captured.

  11. this place is awesome and have so much beauty. statue are looking awesome. sunset with view is looking awesome and you shared very good experience about this island.

  12. Island is awesome place visit with your love or family
    if i will get a chance to go Island then I will go Definitely with my Wife

  13. The Rano Kau is amazing for his creator and the cliff around it, but the most attractive part is the historic role it plays.

  14. Nice post!
    Just a months ago I were in Easter Island, this is a amazing place, was a dream was there and enjoy many things.
    I also add to you list “diving in ovahe beach”. total recommended!

  15. Hi Norbert,
    I have also been on a small island near Mumbai, India namely Alibaugh, which although being less in area, but is mesmerizing.
    As I finished reading your post, I can relate to the awesome time which I had over there as well.

  16. Very nice Easter Island guide! I am planning a trip there next year so this was good timing.
    Thanks for sharing!