Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Before the flight, three things that leave you on the ground

On Rapa Nui, having the outbound ticket is not enough. To board the plane in Santiago you need the return ticket, a booking at accommodation (or an invitation letter from a resident, processed at the island's Provincial Delegation) and the entry form completed within the 48 hours before the flight. Before booking, ask the accommodation whether it is registered to receive visitors: if it is not, the booking is of no use to you. At the airport they also ask for your passport or identity card.

The form is filled in at ingresorapanui.interior.gob.cl.

The maximum stay is thirty days, and the law allows an extension only in cases of force majeure, through the Provincial Delegation. Do not count on staying a few more days when you fall in love with the island: the return ticket is bought with that cap in mind. Confirm the requirements on the official page before booking, because they change more than the rest.

One more thing that fits in the suitcase: honey-derived products may not be brought in.

The park ticket is personal and has two single-entry gates

The national park covers almost everything people come to see, and you enter with a ticket bought at rapanuinationalpark.com. It is personal: at every access point they ask for a passport or identity card. It runs on consecutive calendar days, not on days on which you enter, so a beach day in the middle also uses up ticket. When you buy it, confirm from when it counts, especially if you will be slow to use it.

The date or the name of the holder can be changed, but it is not refunded. Chileans and foreigners pay different rates, and the sales page is the one that rules.

And an accredited guide is compulsory in the park. It is not a suggestion: the sites are visited accompanied or within a full-day or half-day tour. Renting a car does not exempt you from this. The park publishes a list of guides with their languages and contact details, and the office, behind the craft market in Hanga Roa, answers enquiries and hires guides. Ask what a guide charges before hiring.

ʻŌroŋo and Rano Raraku are entered only once

This is the mistake that costs dearly. With the same ticket, ʻŌroŋo and Rano Raraku are entered only once each, and ʻŌroŋo only with a guide, also by the footpath. If you get there, leave and want to go back to see the light better, you cannot.

That is why it makes sense to put them on a day that will not fall through. ʻŌroŋo, the ceremonial village of the Birdman, is on the rim of the Rano Kau volcano and closes with prolonged rain or fog: do not leave it for the last day, which is precisely the one with no spare. Rano Raraku, the quarry of the moai, has restrooms and food, so it is the day to stay several hours.

If you were hoping to go down into the Rano Kau crater or to Ana Kai Tangata, ask at the park office whether they are open. Do not assume either way.

Sunrise at Tongariki, sunset at Tahai

Ahu Tongariki is the sunrise site, with its moai. Your guide is the one who tells you what time to be there.

Tahai is the sunset, next to the museum. Confirm at the park office whether Tahai requires a ticket or a guide. The Padre Sebastián Englert Anthropological Museum is in Hanga Roa, near Tahai. Confirm the day before if you plan to count on it, because it does not open every day.

Anakena is another mix. To see the Nau Nau and Ature Huki ahu you need the ticket and a guide; for the beach itself, confirm at the park office whether it requires a ticket. There are empanada kiosks and lifeguards in season, and the road there is paved and in good condition. Watch out for falling coconuts, at Anakena and at Rano Raraku.

Getting around the island

Hanga Roa is the only town and it is covered on foot. For the rest, the island is done by car (4x4 is better), motorbike, bicycle or horse, or within a tour. Fuel is only available in Hanga Roa, near the airport, and the police are also only there.

The Poike, Terevaka and Vaiatare sectors do not admit motorised vehicles, and bicycles go only on tracks. The paved south coast is in fair condition and the north coast is dirt. Fill the tank before setting out.

The park's rules have no middle ground: the moai and the ahu are not touched, there is no camping, no fires, no pets, no drones without authorisation, and the fines are high. Marine fauna, especially turtles, is also not to be touched or fed.

When and how much

Four nights are enough to go through the list of sites without repeating and without rush, with the two single-entry ones well placed. December to March is high season; in February the Tapati festival is held. To board the plane an accommodation booking is needed in any month, so book it in good time.

The direct flight leaves from Santiago and is the only commercial way to get there.