Easter Island

Spoiler Alert: So very cool! Definitely worth the hassle and extra time.

Getting to Easter Island was baffling. I started planning four months out – and I’m still not sure if that wasn’t enough time or too far out. Finding flights was insane. Under the best circumstances, LATAM’s website is not user friendly. There is no calendar to compare seat availability and prices. And sites like Google flights and Skyscanner don’t always reflect the most current information for LATAM. Prices vary widely depending on when you look, dates flying and if you use the LATAM Chile or LATAM US. After weeks of searching 4 months out, I was able to purchase 1 ticket. But two months later, there were more seats available, and the rest of my traveling companions were able to buy tickets. My mom’s ticket was as low as $315 USD, mine was $461 USD and I saw them for as much as $2000 USD. I guess the lessons are to persevere, and to make sure you are using the LATAM Chile website (you might have to change your VPN).

Once you get your flight figured out, Easter Island is worth the additional time and effort to visit.

The Basics:

You’ll need to fly through Santiago Chile to get to Easter Island. During the high season (Oct-Mar) there is one flight a day. During low season there are only a few a week. You will need to complete a SAG affidavit prior to entering Chile. You can complete it online Entry to Chile | SAG up to 48 hours prior to arrival, or once you arrive at the airport.

If going directly to Easter Island, following immigration and customs, walk less than 5 minutes across the street to the domestic terminal. If you have a layover, but aren’t going into Santiago, I recommend the airport Holiday Inn. It is a short walk from both the International and Domestic Terminal. While it was a little pricey, the rooms were comfortable and it had a good restaurant and bar. It was worth the convivence and not having to rely on a shuttle or pay for a taxi. I also stayed at the Airport Marriot and was not happy.

For entry to Easter Island:

2-21 days prior to your departure, you will need to complete the Rapa Nui Entry Form Fui Electronico | Ministerio del Interior.
You will also need Easter Island Park tickets to visit the most famous Moai. Buying Tickets – Rapa Nui National Park This doesn’t have to be done before arrival, but I recommend it if you want to get an early start your first day there. Print your tickets and also have them saved on your phones.
Bring your COVID vaccination card (although I didn’t ever have to show mine).
Proof of daily sufficient funds (I brought a bank statement and a credit card statement – but never had to show it).
You have to book a reservation at an authorized hotel prior to arrival. This is not somewhere you can wing it. I recommend going through a site like booking.com to ensure you stay at a registered location.
LATAM recommends arriving at the airport 4 hours prior to the flight. We definitely did not need that much time but it was a packed flight so I don’t know how rushed we would have been if we arrived later.
We read that check in was at a different desk than the regular LATAM check-in. That was not true for us, so just ask.
BUT, you do NOT go through the normal security line. You need to go to the second floor for a special immigration and security. We saw people who did not do this and when LATAM caught it at boarding they were forced to go back. I am not sure if they made the flight.

More information can be found here:

There did not appear to be any mid-range hotels on Easter Island. There were either high end luxury or bare bones. However, I stayed at Cabanas & Hostal Tojika and loved it. The rooms were basic but comfortable. But the owner was fantastic, it was a short beautiful walk to town and the front porch overlooked the ocean with a perfect view of the sunset. I would never stay anywhere else!!

I stayed five nights. And while I am definitely glad I did, if you are just going to see the famous Moai, then I recommend 3 nights. If really pressed for time you could get away with 2 nights. But even though the island is small, you would be hard pressed to see everything in one full day. As one example, Ahu Tongariki is one of the most famous and popular sites. This is the iconic platform with 15 moai standing in a line. It is a wonderful place to go for sunrise. And while the scenery is stunning, the light isn’t great for getting photos of the statues. This means a return trip in the afternoon. Time quickly gets tight when traveling around the island in a logic order, understanding the history and having to return to some of the same spots.

If you have to cut it down to one day (two nights), I would recommend hiring a company that will tailor your tour. Here were our favorites:

Ahu Tongariki at sunrise

Puna Pau is the quarry for the Moai red top knots

Orongo the location of the bird man competition

Akivi which are the 7 Moai said to represent the island’s founders

Rano Raraku is the quarry but it is really so much more than that. You can see the Moai in various states of being carved and created. We were here for a couple of hours.

Ahu Tongariki again mid afternoon

But again, even though some of the other spots might not be your favorites, you will learn a lot about them through seeing them from the different eras and locations. There are 267 platforms with 1050 Moai throughout the island. Only 90 of the Moai are from the third phase and have the red top knot hair. There are also 300 ancient chicken coops.

I booked a two-day tour with Easter Island Travel. We had two different guides and enjoyed the first day much more. But even though the two guides disagreed on several “facts” it was interesting to hear multiple points of view and it helped hit home there is a lot still unknown (and probably never known) about the origins and demise of the Moai culture.