Things to do in

Hanga Roa

Begin your day with a private pick-up service from your hotel on Easter Island.  Explore the major Rapa Nui archaeological sites near the Rano Kau volcano crater and learn about the famous Birdman legend at the O'rongo ceremonial village. Continue your tour to Ahu Akivi, a site that was first scientifically restored in 1960 with a platform of 7 standing Moai. This platform is characterized as being one of the few located in the center of the island. These statues face the setting sun. Next, feast your eyes on the Ahu Tongariki, featuring 15 standing Moai. Later, learn about how the Moai were built at Rano Raraku site. To end the tour, visit the inspiring turquoise water of Anakena Beach. Timing is flexible and can be spent in any given location as long as you wish. Lunch is not included on this tour but there are places where you can buy a snack and bring it on the tour. When your tour is complete you will be transported back to your hotel.

From your hotel in Hanga Roa, your tour group heads toward the south-east and north-east of the island to visit the Ahu Vaihu, a temple composed of a well-worked stone platform where 8 moais with pukaos are scattered nearby - these are the giant stone statues of heads with hats that are part of what make this island world-famous. Here you can also find the Ahu Akahanga, formed by 4 platforms, 12 moais (head statues) and 8 pukaos (hat statues). From here you can see one of the best preserved villages of the island. The trip continues towards the Rano Raraku volcanic crater, formed of consolidated volcanic ash. Rano Raraku is a visual record of moai design vocabulary and technological innovation, where 397 moai remain. Ahu Tongariki is the most surprising ahu (shrine) on the island, with 15 giant moais. Ahu Te Pito Kura has the largest statue erected on an ahu, the Paro Moai (10 meters, weighing 85 tons) and a pukao with a weight of 11.5 tons. It is believed that the last statue was demolished by 1840. The ahu is located next to a large stone ball that is identified as the center of the world (Te Pito o Te Henua), which according to legend was brought by King Hotu Matua by boat. During excavations, an extraordinary eye pupil of white coral red slag was found, and nowadays it is exhibited at the Museum of the Island. Finish your tour at Anakena beach, known for its white sand beach, warm waters, and its own moais, before returning to your hotel.

Begin your three-hour tour with a drive from your hotel to Ahu Akivi, one of the few platforms on the island where the moai face the ocean. Legends say these structures represent the seven explorers sent by King Hotu Matu’a before his colonization voyage. Afterwards, continue to the site of Puna Pau, a small red scoria crater. It was here the pukao were made – the hats or topknots placed on some of the moais around the island. Finally, visit Ahu Huri a Urenga, home to a lone statue that appears to be orientated toward the winter solstice, marking the beginning of the season and regulating fishing activities on the island.

Depart from your hotel towards the Cave Ana Kai Tangata, where in one of its walls, birds are drawn in a stylized painting, representing Manutara (sea swallows) and whose precious egg was the center of the annual Birdman competition. The Bird Man was appointed by the king and would be the spiritual and political leader during a period of one year. The sacred character is represented as a human shrunken body with a large beak and is sculpted in many engraved stones. Later, you visit the Vinapu sector, an archaeological site that is characterized by its large balsato tiles made to fit carefully in a similar way to Inca constructions of Cuzco. You continue to Rano Kau, a place where you will find a lake with small islands of reeds, lush vegetation and micro fauna. After the tour you will return to your hotel on Easter Island.

Get picked up in your hotel on Easter Island and head to the Tera’ai Restaurant. Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted with live music. Enjoy an appetizer and welcome drink as you are invited to participate in the “Takona” art, a local custom that entails painting part of the face in the old ways of the island. Learn about the tradition of the Umu Pae cooking culture with an introductory lecture and then watch a meal being cooked in the style. Settle in for an authentic Rapa Nui show, consisting of an exciting mix of ancient and traditional dance. Learn about the performers’ garb as well as the history of the island.  If you choose the option that includes dinner, you’ll be taken into the buffet room where food is cooked in the traditional Umu Pae way. Enjoy a delicious and expansive selection of food including sausages, vegetables, chicken, yuca, potatoes, and much more.

Enjoy the convenience of being picked up at your hotel in Hanga Roa. Begin your journey near the village of Akahanga, which was a significant ceremonial center or ahu. See the stone heads of Easter Islands, which are known as moai. Learn about the tribal wars which took place on the island and the moai which were knocked down during the fighting. Visit the remains of hare paenga, the boat-shaped stone houses which were built by the island’s ancient inhabitants. Continue to the Ahu Tongariki, which is the largest ahu on the island and contains 15 moai. See the Rano Raraku and quarry which is the source of the volcanic rock used to carve the moai. Admire the 400 moai in various stages of carving. Follow the route to Ahu Te Pito Kura, where the highest statue on the island is located, as well as the Paro moai. Marvel at the spherical stone next to the ahu. This massive stone was said to be the navel of the world (Te Pito or Te Henua), which according to legend, was brought to the island on Hotu Matua’s boat. Head to the white sand beach of Anakena where Ariki Hotu Motua and his sister Avareipua arrived at the island. Visit the Ahu Nau Nau, an the archeological site of an ancient complex construction. At this site are 5 Moai with pukao which have Petroglyphs on the back of the statues. At the end of your tour, you’ll be dropped off back at your hotel in Hanga Roa.

After pickup from your hotel in Hanga Roa head to the dive center, where you will listen to a safety briefing. Put on your suit and board a boat to your first dive. Then, descend into the impressive waters surrounding Rapa Nui. The North Coast has numerous coral formations on a sandy sea bed and the beaches of Anakena and Ovahe are suitable for snorkeling. The East Coast, more exposed to winds and storm surges, offers an alternative area for diving when the north wind blows, and is where you will find lava fields and corals.  The West Coast is where the village of Hanga Roa is located. It is very popular for autonomous diving because it has a colossal underwater reef covered by numerous coral formations. You will be able to make as many dives as you want, in different places along the coast. As you explore the coastline of the island, you will see many caverns, arches, cliffs and lava platforms. At the end of the activity, you will receive a CD with a recorded a video, before being dropped back to your hotel.

Explore the site of the last great stage of Easter Island on this guided day tour from Hanga Roa. Depart from your hotel in a comfortable private vehicle to begin your adventure. Visit the sprawling ceremonial site of Ahu Vinapu to see some of the most advanced masonry in the world, then continue north to Puna Puna to see alternative representations of maoi sculptures, the famous "Easter Island heads". You'll see the distinctive red knots atop their heads, made from red scoria, an igneous rock with a vibrant red color. Next, see the colossal moai sculptures of Ahu A'kivi, a line of seven 16-foot (5-meter) effigies that gaze solemnly out to sea; the sea-facing direction of the sculptures has confounded archaeologists for years due to the fact all of the other sculpture faces inwards. Visit the amazing Rano Kau volcano crater and learn about the famous Birdman legend at the O'rongo ceremonial village, consisting of approximately 50 elliptically shaped, shale-wall homes with a small square entry overlooking the ocean. Before your journey back to the hotel visit Tahai, which comprises three principal sets of heads from north to south: Ko Te Riku (with restored eyes), Tahai and Vai Ure.

After being in the beautiful Easter Island, knowing its history, Moais, legends and myths, enjoying traditional food and seeing the unique landscape that the island has to offer to all its visitors, it will be time to return home or continue visiting other destinations in Chile.  Do not loose time looking for someone who can take you to the airport and arrange your transfer out of the island by booking this service that will give you security to arrive on time at the Mataveri Airport without any worries.  Directly from your hotel, the driver will be waiting to assist you with your luggage and take you comfortably back to the airport.

Start with pickup from your hotel and a transfer to Hanga Piko. Climb aboard a glass-bottom boat for a 2-hour tour along the coast, enjoying the incredible crystal clear waters of the Rapa Nui Sea and the rich marine life it contains. You'll explore the three motu (islets) located in front of the Rano Kau volcano. During the trip you will see the Ana Kai Tangata cave, coral reefs, seabirds and various varieties of fish. Finally, visit the submerged Moai, which is 22 meters deep and found in Pea Bay. As a final touch of the tour, you will have a few minutes to sunbathe and enjoy the sea before returning to the port. Then, return to the coast where you will be taken to your hotel.