When I first decided to visit Chile and Easter Island, I did a lot of research since the places I wanted to go to weren’t near each other at all. I wanted to visit the desert but I also wanted to see the Moai statues. So I ended up going to the Atacama Desert and then visiting Easter Island.
A lot of people don’t end up visiting Easter Island when going to Chile and there’s a few reasons for that. Chile is a long, narrow country down the coast of South America so things are really spread out. The three main places to see aren’t near each other at all.
- The Atacama Desert is located in the north of Chile and is about a 2.5 hour flight from the capital, Santiago. (Santiago is located towards the middle of the country).
- Patagonia is located all the way in the south and is about a 3.5 hour flight from Santiago.
- And then there’s Easter Island, one of the most remote places in the world.
Another reason why it’s often not included is because it can be expensive to get there on top of a likely already expensive trip down to South America. But if you do decide to add it to your itinerary, here are a few things to know about visiting Easter Island.
Where is Easter Island?
Easter Island is about 2,300 miles off the coast of South America in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is a part of Chile and for the most part is directly west of Santiago. It’s the tiny little speck on the map below if you can see it.
The island is in the South Pacific and has a Polynesian culture but at the same time, is Chilean and is a territory of Chile. You’ll also see the name Rapa Nui, which is the native name for Easter Island.
How do you get there?
As I said earlier, getting to Easter Island takes some effort. You’ve probably already had to connect and taken a longer flight just to get to South America and to Santiago. I’m lucky in the sense that I live near Miami and at least had a direct flight into Santiago. But that flight was still about 8 hours.
If you live anywhere else in the US or are coming from a different part of the world, it will be a long way over.
Once you reach Santiago, there are direct flights to Hanga Roa, the main (and only town) on Easter Island. Flights are once a day, so you’ll want to make sure you time it right for whenever you arrive in Santiago.
The flights are around 5.5 hours over. Mine took off at 9:10am and put me on the island at about 12:50pm. And take note that Easter Island is 2 hours behind Santiago.
Flights back are a little bit shorter as you have a tailwind across the Pacific but it’s still about 4.5 hours long. The afternoon flight was at 2:45pm and got me into Santiago at 9:15pm.
Traveler Tip: The flight to Easter Island is out of the Domestic Terminal in Santiago. So if you fly in from somewhere international, you’ll need to walk outside and take the walkway directly across from the International Terminal.
If you arrive late and aren’t staying in Santiago for a few days before getting to Easter Island, there’s a pretty nice Holiday Inn located right between the terminals for convenience! I ended up staying there twice when transiting and it was a life saver!
When is the best time to go?
The best months weather wise are December-February as that will be summer in the southern hemisphere. You’re more likely to have sunny and hot days on the island.
Visiting in the spring and fall months are also good choices and will be a little less busy. I visited in April, which is Fall in Chile. However, once you get on the tail end of the seasons, the weather can be a bit more unpredictable.
Weather
Just because you’re going to a tropical island in the South Pacific doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have sunny, tropical weather (speaking from experience). I anticipated warm weather (South Pacific hello??) and ended up wearing jeans and my one hoodie that I had packed at night.
It also rained probably 60% of the time that I was there. A lot of my tour was in the rain hoping for breaks in the weather. I don’t know if I just got unlucky, but it was certainly unexpected. I did get some sunshine, but I would pack for the unexpected.
Overall, there were moments that were sunny and hot where I wore shorts, times where it rained and I needed a raincoat I didn’t pack, and times where I was cold and wore jeans and a sweatshirt.
How much does it cost?
Easter Island is not the cheapest place to visit, especially because you have to get all the way to Santiago first. And it’s an island in the middle of nowhere, so you can expect to pay more for general things like food and drinks.
Here’s a rough breakdown of what I spend on JUST the Easter Island portion of my trip to Chile.
Cost Breakdown:
- $658.74 Flight from Santiago to Easter Island (incl. baggage)
- $250 Easter Island Tour 2.5 days (meals not included)
- $295.25 Hotel Stay 3-nights (Hare Rapa Nui by Chez Joseph–definitely one of the cheaper options to what some of the other places cost)
- $150, this is a very rough estimate because I didn’t track my restaurant spending. But I do remember thinking that they were similar prices to home in Florida.
Additional Expenses you may not incur:
- $322 Airport Hotel 2-nights (this was due to my flight leaving early in the morning and getting in late at night in Santiago and having to stay there before my next flights)
*For flights, you’ll want to book as early as possible. I’ve seen flights from Santiago to Easter Island for $350 and $1,200. It depends on when you go and how early you plan.
How do you get around the island?
Hanga Roa is the main town and only town and is where everything is located (apart from the statues). It’s very small and very walkable. The airport is located just a few minutes away from the town and most accommodations will help arrange pickup/drop off for you.
As far as the rest of the island, it depends on how you want to explore. Since some of the spots require a guide to enter, I joined a tour to see them. This way I was driven around the island and didn’t have to worry about renting a car.
If you want to explore on your own and potentially see some sites that aren’t included on the tour, then you can rent a car. But you’ll still need a guide to get in at some of the most famous spots.
Do I need a guide?
Yes! 40% of the island is a National Park and while you don’t need a guide everywhere, there are many sites where it is required in order to enter.
Two of the most famous sites on Easter Island require a guide to visit: Rano Raraku (the Moai on the hillside) and Ahu Tongariki (by the sea). I would have gone to Easter Island for these two places alone, so having a guide to see these two was an absolute must. Plus, why spend money to go all the way to Easter Island and NOT see two of the most famous places??
What should I bring?
No matter what season you visit in, it’s smart to bring clothes for different types of weather. Make sure you’ve got long sleeves if it gets cool and a rain jacket.
For the tour days, you’ll want to have good walking shoes, a windbreaker, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses and camera. I didn’t have any bug spray and never noticed a problem except maybe at night sitting outside at restaurants.
There are two ATMs in Hanga Roa but it’s smart to come over with a little cash on hand just in case. But I had no problem using my credit card everywhere.
Where to Stay
Since Hanga Roa is the only town, you’ll most likely be staying in or around it. Where you want to stay mostly depends on whether or not you plan on renting a car or not.
The main shopping street is Atamu Tekena and the main road by the coast is Apina. If you aren’t renting a car and want to be able to walk everywhere, you’ll want to stay in the vicinity of those. But even then, it’s a very enjoyable town to walk around if it’s a little more of a walk.
Other Info for visiting Easter Island
- Language: Spanish is the official language of Easter Island while Rapa Nui is spoken by the natives. A lot of islanders speak English so you won’t have trouble getting around.
- Currency: The main currency is the Chilean Peso (CLP) but you can also use card.
- Bathrooms: Once you leave on your tour, bathrooms are a rare commodity and my guide and frankly everyone else on my tour seemed to not ever think about going. Ever. I was dying and a lot of the sites don’t have a restroom. A few of them had circular stone structures with a toilet in the center but they were typically locked, only for the ticket agent and most wouldn’t allow us to use them.
- Wifi on the island: If I recall correctly, my phone service wasn’t great. I was able to meet up with people I had met and was obviously able to communicate with them but mostly through wifi. And the wifi wasn’t great either. Once you leave Hanga Roa, you’ll lose service.
- Rapa Nui: This is the native name for Easter Island. I was a little confused when booking things initially.
- Time Change: The island is 2 hours before Santiago.
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