Tourist information Easter Island-Rapa Nui
WHAT TO DO ON EASTER ISLAND?
Visit the archaeological sites and the stone giants, the Moai, the icons of Easter Island, of course… but not only that!
Diving, boating, horseback riding, hiking, surfing, museum, fishing. Anakena’s white sand beach is a paradise place for swimming. Cultural shows and events, local and international gastronomy. Raw fish (ceviche) with coconut milk is delicious! Craft market, shopping. You have many options to choose from. Sweetness of life and Polynesian atmosphere.
You will find on our PRIVATE TOURS and PRIVATE HIKES pages a summary of all our visits and tours. Depending on your interests and availability, you can choose what suits you best by clicking on each excursion to see the sites visited, prices and details.
HOW TO GET TO EASTER ISLAND?
Rightly known as one of the most isolated inhabited places on the planet, Easter Island is a small land located in the South Pacific, in Polynesia, between Tahiti and the American continent: forget about the road!
To Easter Island (IPC) there are daily flights from Santiago de Chile (SCL).
It takes about 5 and a half hours of flight to get to Rapa Nui aboard a LATAM Boeing Dreamliner, the only company that operates these flights.
CURRENCY EXCHANGE
The Chilean pesos CLP is the currency used on Easter Island. You can pay in US dollars (USD) in most shops on the island, which also accept credit cards. Two banks and their ATMs are also present in Rapa Nui.
Important detail: USD and EUR bills are accepted only if they are ABSOLUTELY free of any stain, mark or other (otherwise, Chilean banks reject them…)
RAPA NUI NATIONAL PARK
Born in 1935, the Rapa Nui National Park was that same year a national historical monument of Chile and in 1966 it became the National Tourist Park of Easter Island. Ten years later, the adjacent islets were classified as Nature Sanctuaries by Chile.
Its current configuration and name were created in 1995, the year in which it was listed as a world heritage site (UNESCO).
Abandoned by the Chilean institution responsible since 1973, the Rapa Nui National Park was entrusted to the Ma’u Henua indigenous community in 2016, who then became co-administrators of their ancestral heritage for 2 years to fully manage today what always belonged to them.
It is necessary to be accompanied by a resident guide accredited by Ma’u Henua, or a Rapanui adult, for all visits to archaeological sites.
We strongly recommend checking that your guide is also registered with Chile’s National Tourism Service, Sernatur.
WHAT TO SEE ON EASTER ISLAND?
You will find on our PRIVATE TOURS and PRIVATE HIKES pages a summary of all our visits and tours. Depending on your interests and availability, you can choose what suits you best by clicking on each excursion to see the sites visited, prices and details.
Here is the main list:
• Oroƞo
• Vinapū
• Vaihū
• Akahaƞa
• Rano Raraku
• Toƞariki
• Haƞa Rau (Anakena)
• Te Pito Kura
• Puna Pau
• Ahu Akivi
• Ana Te Pahu
• Tahai.
WHEN TO GO TO EASTER ISLAND?
The climate is pleasant all year round but the summer period (December 21 – March 21) is undoubtedly the best season and even more widely from November to April.
During the first two weeks of February, the Easter Island arts and traditions festival, Tapati, takes place: the festival but also the number of tourists are at their peak.
VISA AND CUSTOMS
As a visitor, your stay on Easter Island cannot exceed 30 days.
Administrative procedures must be carried out “online”:
Complete the FUI form.
At the Santiago airport**, in addition to your passport, you will need your return ticket and your hotel reservation, which should preferably be made in an establishment approved by SERNATUR, the National Tourism Service of Chile. If this is not the case, you will need an invitation card from your host.
In order to protect the fragile environment of Easter Island and Chile, the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture has issued a list of specific regulations regarding the import and export of products of plant and animal origin. These products are listed here.
**If you board Easter Island from an airport other than Santiago (charters, etc.), the documents will be reviewed upon arrival.
TIME AND CLIMATE
At a latitudinal level, Easter Island is a Polynesian land further south of the equator, located in the Tropic of Capricorn, hence its subtropical climate: very pleasant! Judge for yourself: the average temperature in summer is 23.3°C compared to 18.8°C in winter. And Rapa Nui is constantly lulled by a light sea breeze that avoids the stifling summer heat (max. 30°C). In the middle of winter, the minimum reached is 10°C. Low thermal amplitude.
Water temperatures are between 20 and 25.
Some heavier rains in spring and autumn.
Cyclones do not reach Rapa Nui.
And since we are in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are reversed compared to those in the northern hemisphere:
Spring (September 21 to December 21)
summer (December 21 to March 21)
autumn (March 21-June 21)
winter (June 21-September 21).
We are located at UTC/GMT -6 in winter and UTC/GMT -5 in summer.
