Easter Island Things to Do

 
by pure1942
 
  •   Things to Do
    by pure1942
  •   Things to Do
    by pure1942
  •   Things to Do
    by pure1942
  •   Things to Do
    by pure1942
  •   Things to Do
    by pure1942
 
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Orongo Village Ruins

by kiwigal_1

When you enter Orongo to visit you will be stopped by a CONAF ranger who will ask you to sign a visitor book. Our tour guide had to pay for us the entry fee to the National Park which is charged at this point and covers entry to all the archeaological sites on Easter Island. The entry fee is CLP 5,000 or US$ 10.Orongo is one of the most important sites due to its ceremonial significance for the Rapa Nui people. The ruins have been partially restored so you will be able to see the stone houses. There is also an area with more stone carvings or petroglyphs of birdmen.Christian was most interested in looking at the little island just off the coastline which is where it is said that the young men of Rapa Nui would race to get the birds egg and bring it back to the village. I was interested to see a birthing rock in front of the restored houses. As I was pregnant at the time of our visit it...

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Rano Kau

by kiwigal_1

Rano Kau is the volcano closest to Hanga Roa township. On our last day in Easter Island we had a 1/2 day tour to Rano Kau and the Orongo Village ruins. Being a volcano enthusiast I was eager to see the crater of Rano Kau and wasn´t disappointed. It is a very large crater filled with fresh water and floating totori reeds inside it. At the lookout we stopped at there is also a stone that has been carved with the image of the bird man which is an important Rapa Nui symbol.The view from the lookout takes in the volcano crater that is 1600m in diametre and 200m deep. You can also see Hanga Roa, the airport landing strip and the coastline.

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Hanga Roa Iglesia / Church

by kiwigal_1

While walking around Hanga Roa on an afternoon where we didn´t have any tours booked we came across the Hanga Roa Catholic Church. It is interesting to visit due to its ethnic architecture and wooden carvings in the interior.

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Anakena Beach

by kiwigal_1

The white sand beach of Anakena is what one would expect to see on a tropical island however surprisingly it and Ovahe are the only beaches on the island. Anakena is the larger and most popular of the two.Anakena is a little far away from Hanga Roa (where all the accommodation options are) to walk so you would either need to hire a car or take one of the tours that includes a visit to Anakena Beach (like we did).We stopped here for a couple of hours to enjoy the palm tree surroundings and have a swim.There is Ahu Nau Nau which can be visited on the sandy hill behind the beach which was restored in 1979 and Ahu Ature Huki which is a lone Moai that was re-erected by Thor Heyerdahl.

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Ahu Te Pito Kura

by kiwigal_1

Ahu Te Pito Kura is the location of the largest Moai that was ever moved from Rano Raraku quarry. The Moai now though is face down but it still has its topknot nearby. The other thing to see at this site is a stone which is known as the navel of light. The stone apparently has magnetic properties.Our guide had us all sit and touch the stone.

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Ahu Tongariki

by kiwigal_1

On our tour we visited the Ahu Tongariki which is one of the Ahu that has been restored. It contains 15 Moai all standing, facing inland. One of the Moai still has his topknot/hat too.Our first view of this Ahu was from the Rano Raraku Quarry across the bay. It was quite an awesome site.The Ahu Tongariki was restored by a group of Japanese between 1992 and 1995.

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Ahu Akahanga

by kiwigal_1

Akahanga is an Ahu (platform on which Moai were placed). The Moai here are mostly fallen over. There are also remnants of a Rapa Nui village on the hill in front of the Ahu. The houses that the Rapa Nui people built were shaped like boats and were very low to the ground with small entrances. Our guide told us about this history as we visited the ruins.

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Rano Raraku Quarry

by kiwigal_1

Christian and I found the tour to Rano Raraku quarry one of the most interesting of our trip to Easter Island. The quarry is the location where all the Moai on the island were carved out of the volcanic rock in the hillside. Many of the Moai located here have their large bodies buried with just their heads sticking out although can find Moai here in various stages of construction.There is one part of the quarry where you can see three Moai lying on their backs in the rock which is the typical way that the people of Rapa Nui carved them. They would carve out a big trench around each Moai and then lift them up. The Moai that are scattered nearby upright were probably at the "finishing touches" stage where they carved their ear lobes and other details. During our visit to Rano Raraku volcano we walked around and into the crater which contains a crater lake of fresh water. The lake is full...

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Tour Package - Aku Aku Turismo

by kiwigal_1

As we already had flights organised through airpoints all we needed to book was a hotel and then the tours that we wanted to do. We decided to get a tour & accommodation package with Aku Aku Turismo for a 4 day/3 night programme which included the following:* Receiving us at the airport with a flower necklace* Transfers between airport and hotel* Accommodation with continental breakfast at Hotel Iorana* 1/2 day excursion to Tahai arqueological complex, Rano Kau volcano, Orongo ceremonial town and entrance fees to the Rapa Nui National Park* 1 full day excursion with picnic lunch to see the Vaihu temples, Akahanga, Tongariki, Te Pito Kura, Nau Nau, Rano Raraku quarry and Anakena beach* 1/2 day excursion to see Ahu Vinapu, Ahu Akivi, Te Pahu caves and Puna Pau quarry.All of the tours were bilingual Spanish and English with a tour guide.The total cost was 420 USD each person (based on a...

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Ask for the guide sheet at the Bird Culture site

by melosh

If you arrive at the mountain top Bird Culture area without a guide, and the park ranger selling the tickets realizes it, he will lend you a set of laminated sheets with Spanish on one side and English on the other explaining the different numbered viewing points. I never overheard the guides who arrived with groups say anything that was not on the sheets.

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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... 

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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... 

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