Easter Island Favorites

 
by Erikaperez
 
  •   Favorites
    by Erikaperez
  •   Favorites
    by Erikaperez
  • A romantic sunset
      A romantic sunset
    by melosh
  •   Favorites
    by riocopa
  •   Favorites
    by riocopa
 
Great Prices, Great Rooms
hotels.com We Know Hotels Inside And Out. Click or call now: 1-800-914-6835
Save up to 50% off Hotels Everyday
Expedia.com Photos, Reviews and the Guaranteed Lowest Prices

Sponsored Links

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Sunrises and Sunsets

by sswagner

No visit to Easter Island would be complete without either watching a sunrise or a sunset somewhere on the coast. For sunrises, Tongariki seems to be the favorite spot. There, one can watch the sun rise behind 15 moai. I was not an early riser here, so my prefered way to watch the sun was to see it set behind Tahai. Tahai is likely the most popular sunset location. It is ideal for the same reason Tongariki is for the sunrise. There will be moai in the photos, which proves that this is indeed an Easter Island experience. Bring lots of memory card space, sit back, and enjoy the show. I visited Tahai for several sunsets and enjoyed it every time.

Tip Photo
Watching the sea

by sswagner

Everyone knows about the archeaology aspect of the island, however I was amazed at the appearance of the ocean here. Easter Island has no coral reefs to help protect it against the force of the sea. This means that some very large waves will pound against the coast. The island generally has a rocky coast with the exception of a few spots. Not only does it make wave watching fascinating, there are also tide pools in many locations. At low tide, it is worthwhile to look at the tidepools and glimpse a little bit of the sealife here. The coral can be really colorful. The island is very photogenic, particularly at the shore. Any place is good just to sit down, take a break, and watch the ocean.

Tip Photo
Mountain biking the island

by sswagner

I rented a mountain bike for the entire week in order to explore the island in this fashion. Rental was $20 a day. I must warn that this is not for everyone. In fact, I did not encounter any other bicycles at places like Anakena, Rano Raraku, and similar outlying areas. Bicycles were more common close to Hanga Roa. Nevertheless, it was a great adventure as well as a workout. Easter Island is hilly, so there will be a lot of ups and downs. In addition, wind can sometimes be a factor. Of course, taking the saddle road between Hanga Roa and Anakena will be a major challenge in addition to going up to Rano Kau. Many roads are not paved. This means they will be dusty. I had very dirty clothes upon returning back to the hotel. When cycling, be sure to bring plenty of food and water for a day's outing. Outside of Hanga Roa, there is not likely to be a place to get food or drinks. Motorists are...

Tip Photo
Just one bank

by vtveen

Rapa Nui has just one bank 'Banco del Estado de Chile', which is located on Tu'u Maheke Street (close to the Information Centre) and is open from 8.00 am - 1.00 pm on weekdays.It is possible to change cash and travellers checks, but rates are poor and the commission on checks is high. We could get our (Chilean) money from the ATM at the bank, using our 'Cirrus' debit bank card. It accepts also 'MasterCard', but NOT 'Plus'.The ATM operates 24 hours per day.

AO Tour

by balint01

I'm usually not the person to advertise companies and services, but I was really delighted by the one day tour around the island by AO Tour. It was organized by Martin, the owner of my accomodation ("Martin & Anita"), just the evening when I arrived. The tour came to pick us up (we were 4 people from my place taking part), stopped to get food and water for the day and headed out East right away. We visited most of the famous sights around the island: Vinapu, Akahanga, Rano Raraku, Ahu Tongariki, Te Pito Te Henua and Anakena, so went all around. You could take this tour by yourself as well, but it gives a very nice plus to get a first impression of these places on an organized tour. I did it on my first day at Rapa Nui. Our guide, Patricio knew the island, the history and the local customs very well, he left enough time for us to explore each site and showed us some of the not so-well...

Tip Photo
Rapa Nui's feral animals

by TheWanderingCamel

Horses were introduced to Easter Island in the 19th century and quickly became an indispensable part of island life. Now, horses roam all over the island, and seen from a distance, as this small herd was by the crater lake at Rano Raraku, they add a picturesque touch to the landscape. If only that was all there was to it.Whilst the numbers are officially said to be about 1000, the reality is that there are far more, and the island cannot sustain them. Nominally, 90% of the animals are "owned", in practice almost all are feral, left to roam at will. Living like this, any animal will become malnourished, dehydrated and diseased. So it was with Rapa Nui's horses, and then, some 20 years ago, a new hazard to their well being was inadvertently introduced. The deforestation of the island combined with the reduction of good grazing caused by overstocking by horses and cattle has made the island...

Tip Photo
Parque Nacional Rapa Nui

by TheWanderingCamel

All the archaeological sites on Easter Island lie with in the area designated as the Parque Nacional Rapa Nui and are supervised (to a greater or lesser extent) by the parks' rangers. There is a single charge for the park, payable at the Orongo Ceremonial Village site, that covers you for your entire stay and allows access to all sites. Whilst most sites are unattended by rangers, they maintain information and assistance stations at Orongo, Rano Raraku (the quarry) and Anakena (the beach) and visit the other sites periodically.The map on the Park website shows the extent of the park's jurisdiction.

Tip Photo
Making pictures

by vtveen

Easter Island is a great destination for photographers. What about the moai and ahu, the scenery with the wild coastline, the volcano's and the people of Rapa Nui.Some tips to think about:- Off course you want to have a picture together with a moai; best place to make these kind of pictures is the 'moai factory' of Ranu Raraku. Here you can come as close as you want to the moai. Please don't do it on other ahu, because these are sacred places for the people of Rapa Nui and you shouldn't walk on these altars.- Everywhere on the island you will see horses; wild and also people riding on them. When you want to make a picture of Rapa Nui people riding their horses please ask permission to make a pic (some of them will ask you some money !!).- The best place to make a picture from a fantastic sunset is Tahai, just north of Hanga Roa.

Tip Photo
Locals

by CulturalCompetence

These are the best people on earth! We adored spending time with them and learning about their fascinating culture! We miss the people. We met so many wonderful people while we were there. Although Easter Island is well known for the magnificent moais, the Rapa Nui people make the island even more spectacular! :-)

Tip Photo
Many of the Moai have fallen

by wadekorzan

It is said that the original settlers who came with King Hotu Matua eventually split into two warring clans, the Long Ears and the Short Ears. There are many different theories about the arrival of the Long Ears and the Short Ears, but it is generally believed that they went to war. After the victory by the short ears, the different clans started to fight and it was during this time when many, if not all, of the Moai were toppled. Those Moai standing today actually had to be re-erected.If a moai looks a bit unstable, I wold not stand under it, as I am sure you would not want one of these huge statues to fall on you!

Tip Photo
Related Easter Island Favorites Tips

Top 3 Hotels in Easter Island

explora Rapa Nui - Posada de Mike Rapu  Easter Island

 49 Opinions

 Hotels in Easter Island

Manu Nui Inn  Easter Island

 11 Reviews and 46 Opinions  Breakfast was from 8.00 till 10.00 And breakfast was different every day. Every day there was a... 

 Hotels in Easter Island

Taha Tai Hotel  Easter Island

 2 Reviews and 67 Opinions  Taha Tai was a cozy accomodation about a block away from the ocean. Rooms can be rented facing the... 

 Hotels in Easter Island

7 Hotels in Easter Island
 
Explore the World
Travel Destinations
Travel Highlights

The Place

Reviews and photos of Easter Island attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Easter Island sightseeing.

Experience Easter Island
 

Questions and Answers

ANNE930 profile photo

Q:  Hi All, I live in Macau PRC and am thinking of visiting Easter Island which is always one of my dream places. But travelling to... 

langlanglangpelikan profile photo

A: Hi! Was on that amazing island a few years ago. And then the only flights from South America was from Santiago, Chile. But there were also possible to fly there from... 

Read 6 Replies

postQuestion_button

Click here for best deals for Easter Island

Great Rooms, Great Prices
Hotels.com Low Rates Guaranteed!  Click or Call an Expert at 1-800-45-HOTEL
Book Now - Pay Later!
Venere.com Best Prices & No Cancellation Fees! Hotels, Apartments, B&Bs and More!
Save up to 50% off Hotels Everyday
Expedia.com Photos, Reviews and the Guaranteed Lowest Prices
Quick, simple and secure booking process.
Pacarama.com The specialist for hotel reservations in South America

Sponsored Links