Highlights
Easter Island is one of my favorite destinations. It’s easy to rent a Jimney and cruise around the island at your own pace, and in mid-March we found few crowds. Besides the fascinating moai sites I particularly loved the wave action on the rocky coast and the super fresh ceviche.
Guidebook
To organize our independent tour of the island we used A Companion Guide to Easter Island which is a great resource for both archaeological information and photography tips, including best time of day to visit the sites. We did find that they are tightening restrictions on visiting the sites, e.g., enforced visiting hours and strict limitations on where you are allowed to walk within the sites, making some routes suggested in the guidebook inaccessible.
Posts
This was a 6 day trip to Easter Island, Chile in March of 2018. For this series I have divided the posts by area of the island and archaeological site rather than chronologically as we visited the top sites more than once. For our complete day by day itinerary see below.
Sleeping, Dining and Other Logistics
Ahu Tongariki
The island’s largest platform of standing moai and the top sunrise viewpoint.
Rano Raraku Quarry
My favorite site on the island, both for the setting and for the mystery of these abandoned moai.
Sites on the North Coast
This area includes petroglyphs and the well-restored Ahu Nau Nau
Sites of the Central Southern Coast
Maybe better than the ruins is this coast’s rocking wave action.
Center Island Sites, Easter Island, Chile
Includes Ahu Aviki which glows in the last rays of the sun.
Orongo Village and other Southwest Sites
Orongo Village has one of the most stunning settings on the island.
North Coast Walk
With beautiful coastal views this is a great walk to get away from it all.
Sights and Attractions in Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Chile
The sunset viewpoint at Tahai is a short walk from town.
Itinerary
How many days you should spend on Easter Island depends on your goals, interests and how much time and money you have. 6 days gave me plenty of time to revisit top sites in different light, rest during the mid-day heat and take a couple of long walks along the North Coast. Below I’ve listed our itinerary as a guide. Rather than a fixed itinerary I would suggest you have an idea of what you want to accomplish on the island and let the rest fall into place.
Day 1
Arrived at the guest house after 2PM.
Late lunch.
Late arrival at Ahu Akahanga on the central southern coast.
As it was after 5:30PM and Vaihu was closed so we explored the coast and watched the waves.
Late afternoon visit to Ahu Aviki, open until 8PM.
Sunset in town at Tahai.
Day 2
Sunrise visit to Ahu Tongariki
Morning visit to Rano Raraku Quarry
Lunch and siesta
Late afternoon visit to Vaihu.
As there was great wave action we spent some time on the coast before returning to town.
9PM Kari Kari Performance
Day 3
Sunrise along the southwestern coastal road.
9AM Mass
Late morning visit to Vinapú
Rano Kau Crater
Lunch, siesta and a thunder shower
Late afternoon visit to Orongo Village
Sunset at Hanga Kio’e
Day 4
Sunrise visit to Ahu Tongariki
North coast sites
Drove back towards town along the Anakena Beach Road (Camino Vaitea Anakena)
Late morning visit to Puna Pau Quarry
Noon visit to Ahu Huri A Urenga
Lunch and a quick visit to the cemetery
Siesta and afternoon showers
Sunset at Hanga Kio’e
Day 5
Early morning start to the north coast walk from Ahu Tepeu
Noon visit to Tahai and the cemetery in town.
Lunch and siesta
Aternoon visit to Ahu Tongariki and Rano Raraku Quarry
More wave action on the central southern coast.
Sunset visit to Ahu Aviki
Day 6
Sunrise visit to Ahu Tongariki
North coast walk starting from Anakena Beach
Noon visit to Ahu Nau Nau
Lunch and siesta
Museum
Sunset and Tahai
Day 7
Morning visit to Tahai before heading to the airport