4 day itinerary to the Eastern Island- what to see and do

Isla de Pascua, Pito-O-Te Henua, Rapa Nui

Easter Island is one of those places in the world you will be talking about for years. You know that there are overrated places and following your excitement of traveling, you get disappointed at the end. Have you ever experienced that? This small island in the middle of Pacific will disappoint your expectations…for better. Find out what to see and do in the Easter Island in this 4-days itinerary guide.

We arrived to the island very late and after the whole day of traveling we just were just dreaming of a pillow. The owner of the hostel we were staying in welcomed us at the airport with flower necklaces. Such a charming detail.

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Favourite travel resources:

• Booking.com for searching best prices on accommodation.
• Discover Cars is a great website as they search both local and international car hire services, so you can choose the best deal for yourself. Make sure though, that the company has a good reputation and reviews.
• Get Your Guide is my place to go for searching and booking tours and excursions, especially when I travel solo.
• World Nomads travel insurance. I like them because they have quite extensive coverage of different activities.
• Jack’s Flight Club is a service that can save you hundreds of dollars on flights, it works especially well in Europe.
• Trivago where you can search and save on hotels.
• Go City is a perfect site for booking bucket list experiences and attractions all in one to avoid paying for multiple tickets. Easy and saves money.
• Trip Advisor– amazing for good quality recommendations.
• Skyscanner is a perfect website for searching flight routes and comparing prices.

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What we did in Easter Island in 4 days

Day 1

We slept till quite late, exhausted after whole day of traveling the previous day and late arrival to the island. Had breakfast, went for a little walk and around noon we thought that it would be good to actually plan something for the day. Yes, we are not the planning in advance types. Since it was already quite late, we decided that the best option would be to hire a car and drive around the island to get an idea for the following days what to see and do.

Hiring a car in Eastern Island- all you need to know

Hiring a car in Easter Island is very easy.

Unlike in most places, this is a 5-minute process without unnecessary hustle. There are a few places in Hanga Roa where you can hire a car. You can also ask the owner of your hotel, hostel etc. as we did. Many of them have cars for hire. Or, book in advance in case you don’t want to risk it. The main companies for car rentals are: Oceanic, Insular and Mahinatur

What did we do the first day: Drove along the east coast to O’Rongo, Rano Kau, Rano Raraku, Ahu Tongariki, Anakena, Ahu Akivi and back to Hanga Roa. This was an orientational trip as we wanted to know the island a little bit before exploring it deeper.

O’Rongo

During the moai times, O’Rongo played a role of ceremonial centre.  In this village, the Birdman ceremony was cultivated by native Polynesians. This was an annual event, during which it was being decided who will be a religious head of the island. Also, in this place were conducted initiation rites during which children were introduced into adulthood.

Rano Kau

Rano Kau is one of three volcanoes on the island and is the biggest. It is not just a crater, it is a natural beauty that will amaze you. It has over 1.5 km in diameter and is filled with sweet water. In the past it was the main source of fresh water to the island. It is a great place for trekking and it is home of O’Rongo. The water lagoon inside the crater is covered with floating grass, the same specie that can be found on lake Titicaca. The climate inside is warmer than in the rest of the island and many different plants grow there, including many fruits.

Rano Raraku- the birthplace of the Moai

It was place where the moai were produced, something like a workshop or factory. You see the statues half buried in the ground and randomly placed around. The truth is that they were not meant to remain there, they were waiting to be transported to other places on the island. You can still see the unfinished work there, moai that were carved but not detached from the rocks.

This park was spectacular. The whole island is like an open-air museum, but in this park you will find many moai, so don’t rush. Especially we were keen on walking to the crater within the park, where you can seat on a bench under a tree and admire the silence and beautiful landscape. Occasionally the silence had been broken by galloping wild horses. What a beauty!

Before our last day we decided to visit Rano Raraku again as it was one of our favourite spots on the island.

I must admit that I really enjoyed walking around the island. It has a specific smell, kind of flowery and the freshest air. It is warm and pleasant and clear. After the trip I felt like I got an extra dose of pure oxygen into my lungs and brain.

“The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” – Rudyard Kipling

Ahu Tongariki

This is one of the largest platforms on the island. You can go there to watch a sunrise and get some amazing photos. We did not do that…loved our pillows too much.

This platform has been restored in the 90’s since Ahy Tongariki was destroyed by an earthquake in 1962. Later, in 1992, a team of archeologists from Japan had a mission to bring the altar back to its previous state. It took them 5 years to restore the platform and now it is one of the most impressive moai sites on the island.

Anakena

According to the legend, Anakena beach was the first place to which Hotu Matua arrived and settled. You can notice there that some of the moai have pucao. It still remains a mystery why only on some of the statues those headdresses were placed.

For long the beach was not accessible as considered a sacred place. Now, you can enjoy the white sand  of this idyllic place, suntan, snorkel and do board sports. We loved it so much, that we went back another day.

Ahu Akivi

Unlike the other platform, Akivi is inland and facing the ocean. This platform was also damaged and William Mulloy restored it in the 1960’s. Because of the way the moai were placed, they could watch both the ocean and the village.

Day 2

The second day was more structured. The previous day we basically saw most of the island’s sites, but it was rather rushed. We were glad that we did it though as we knew how to plan the rest of the trip and which places we want to visit again- at slower pace.

We decided to be more active and hike the volcano Tere Vaka, from where you can see the whole island. We parked the car just outside Ahu Akivi, which we visited the previous day. Last night we arrived there quite late and it was getting dark and it started raining (we were very lucky with the weather, it was the only an evening of rain), so it was really nice to see the statues again accompanied by the blue sky. We also went back to Anakena beach again, this time we did not rush and were able to enjoy it.

Close to Anakena beach, you can find a pristine, amazing Ovahe beach.

Maunga Tere Vaka

The walk to the top of the volcano Tere Vaka took around 3 hours up and back. The weather was amazing and the view calming. It was really quiet and the only people we met on the way were those horse riders.

Tere Vaka is the highest spot on the island, from where you can see how small it is.

Panu Pau

In Panu Pau were produced pukao, the ‘hats’ that moai are wearing. Throughout the island you can spot some moai decorated with reddish hat-like rocks. What is interesting is that, those rocks were representing hair, not hats. The rock used was red scoria rock and was taken from the inside of the small crater of volcano Puna Pau.

Day 3

Before returning the car in the morning, we drove again to Rano Raraku. Just couldn’t get enough of the site. And of course we spend some relaxing time in silence in the crater.

We planned to hire bikes and keep exploring the island, but decided to walk to places and enjoy Hanga Roa and the town’s surroundings.

Hanga Roa

We spent the whole afternoon wandering around the town. We sat at a bench and watcheed the ocean, we had a coffee with the view and walked far far towards Ana Kakenga. The town is actually very pleasant and there’s so much to see. Walk around and look for moai, carved stones and hidden little beaches.

Tahai

There are three ceremonial platforms in Tahai: Ahu Vai Uri, Ahu Tahai and Ahu Ko Te Riku- you can find the only moai with painted eyes, which is a replica.

Ahu Akapu

Ahu Akapu, located on Easter Island’s eastern coast, is a mesmerizing archaeological site known for its ancient stone platforms, or “ahu,” and striking moai statues. These towering stone figures, standing sentinel against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, offer a glimpse into the island’s rich cultural heritage and the craftsmanship of its early inhabitants.

Ana Kai Tangata

Discover the cult of the Birdman. The Ana Kai Tangata cave is covered with Manutara bird painting. It is good to combine visiting the cave with your trip to O’Rongo and Rano Kau.

Kari Kari show

In the evening we went to see a performance in Kari Kari bar, despite some people saying it is cliché. The show lasted an hour and after the group stayed on the stage to take photos with the guests. The show was amazing, partly performed in original Rapanui language. Tribal dance, costumes and beautiful singing made an act. I would truly recommend it. There are a few groups performing in Hanga Roa, but the most popular (as based on opinions- best) is Kari Kari Ballet, which we saw.

Day 4

The last day we just decided to chill and walk around. We went to buy amazing empanadas and a cake in a bakery on the main street and enjoyed the last meal before the flight with a beautiful view of the landscape.

Quick tip:

Ahh!!! I almost forgot! Before your departure make sure you go to the post office and get a stamp in your passport. It looks like this:

Diving paradise

Easter Island is a perfect place for diving and snorkeling. With the visibility of 50 meters, this part of the world has some of the clearest waters and home of some amazing species.

Easter Island is one of the places that is still unspoiled, even though all the trees were cut off and some damage was done in the past. You can find wild horses basically everywhere, including Hanga Roa, cows and even hens introducing yellow chicks to the world.

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Practical tips for a trip to Easter Island

How to move around the island

It is very easy to explore the island. You can hire a car, a bike, a scooter, a quad or if you are a little bit of a lazy bum- a tour. You can even ride a horse. If you prefer to organize your own time, it is one of the easiest places to visit on your own. Just get a map and you are set. For bicycle lovers, the island is great, but a bit hilly. You can cycle from Hanga Roa to Anakena in around 2 hours.

I recommend:

• For accommodation: Booking.com
• For tours: GetYourGuide and Viator
• For car rentals: Oceanic, Insular and Mahinatur

How to get to Easter Island

You can fly there with LATAM from Santiago (Chile) The flight takes approximately 5 hours. As the Easter Island is quite remote, it is understandable that the flights are pricey, but you can use Skyscanner to compare prices when you have time flexibility.

Prices

The trip to the island is not the cheapest, but not extreme if I compare it to some other places I visited. The most expensive is the flight, it can cost between $US 400- $US 1000 return. The low price is rare, but if you keep an eye on the website, you might get lucky (I use Skyscanner to see which days are the cheapest).

The stay itself there does not need to be expensive. The second most expensive thing is a hotel.  The prices of accommodation vary, and it can be anything between $50 to $400 a night. We paid for a double room with a bathroom in a hostel $54 a night. The place was not very nice though…it seemed that cleanliness was a luxury there.

We ate in restaurants and in many of them the prices very the same as in Chile. For a two-course dinner with a drink we were paying between $30 and $60 for two, depending how fancy the place was. During the day however, we were shopping in a supermarket or buying in a local bakery to save some time and money.

Flights: $US 400- $US 1000 return.

Accommodation: Anything between $50 to $400 a night.

Car rental: $50 or more per day. No insurance.

Bike rental: $11 for 8 hours, $ 16 for 24 hours.

Organized day-trips: Average $45 per person. I recommend though hiring a car as it is extremely easy to move around the island with a map.

 

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There is a lot of mystery and theories around how the moai were moved. If you are interested to know more about it, I would like to recommend you a book based on a loose, intriguing theory that the statues walked. We could not resist treating ourselves with this book: Easter Island, Earth Island.

Thank you for visiting, I hope you enjoyed the post. I would love to hear from you if you have any comments or questions.

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Disclosure: Please note that this post included affiliate links, when you decide to purchase anything through these links I get a small commission at NO extra cost to you, it helps me to keep running this blog! I only promote products and services I use or would use myself. All images are the property of Postcards from the World and cannot be used without permission.

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