Row of moai at Ahu Tongariki facing the Rapa Nui coastline

🇨🇱 Chile · Rapa Nui

Easter Island: moai, tickets, 2026 tips

Rano Raraku, Ahu Tongariki, Orongo: Easter Island requires a 95,000 CLP park ticket and an accredited guide. FUI form, LATAM flights and a 2026 budget.

📍 See 📅 When to go 🗺️ Itinerary

Easter Island at a glance

Area

164 km², ~8,000 people

Access

5h40 flight from Santiago

Ideal stay

4 to 5 days

Budget / day

€80-450

Park ticket

95,000 CLP (foreigners)

Max stay

30 days (FUI form)

Current climate

Best season

Photo : Hal Cooks / Unsplash

In brief

Easter Island in brief

1

Buy the park ticket before any visit

Rapa Nui National Park costs 95,000 CLP (~€93) for foreign adults since October 2025, 38,000 CLP for ages 7-12. Valid 10 days, online or at the Ma'u Henua office in Hanga Roa.
2

Rano Raraku and Orongo: one entry each

The ticket allows a single visit to the moai quarry and to the ceremonial village. Save them for a clear day and take your time on site.
3

Fill in the FUI form before boarding

The Formulario Único de Ingreso (online) is checked at boarding in Santiago, along with a return ticket and a booking at Sernatur-registered lodging. Stays are capped at 30 days.
4

Accredited guide required at the sites

The park's major sites are visited with a Ma'u Henua accredited guide. Budget ~€50-80 per shared tour day; English-speaking guides are easy to find, book early.
5

Everything is expensive: plan ahead

Nearly everything arrives by plane or ship. Simple meal €12-18, car rental €60-90/day with no full insurance available. Bring sunscreen and basic medicine.

Must-see

What to see on Easter Island?

★ #1 📍

Rano Raraku, the moai quarry

397 unfinished or stranded moai studding the volcano's slopes. The moment the island turns unreal. One entry allowed.

⏱ 2-3 h 💰 Park ticket incl. Must-see

★ #2 📍

Ahu Tongariki

15 moai lined up against the sunrise, the largest ahu ever restored. The dawn meeting point, 20 minutes from Hanga Roa.

⏱ 1-2 h 💰 Park ticket incl. Sunrise

★ #3 📍

Orongo & the Rano Kau crater

The Birdman ceremonial village on the rim of a 1.6 km reed-filled crater. One entry allowed.

⏱ 2 h 💰 Park ticket incl. Epic view

★ #4 📍

Anakena beach

Coral sand, coconut palms and the Ahu Nau Nau moai behind. The beach of Hotu Matu'a's founding legends.

⏱ Half-day 💰 Park ticket incl. Swim

★ #5 📍

Ahu Akivi

Seven moai gazing out to sea, unique on the island. Aligned with the equinox, set inland.

⏱ 1 h 💰 Park ticket incl. Astronomy

★ #6 📍

Tahai at sunset

The ceremonial complex 10 minutes' walk from Hanga Roa, including a moai with restored coral eyes. The evening ritual.

⏱ 1-2 h 💰 Park ticket incl. Sunset

★ #7 📍

Puna Pau

The red scoria quarry where the pukao, the moai topknots, were carved. Short walk, view over Hanga Roa.

⏱ 45 min 💰 Park ticket incl. Add-on

★ #8 📍

Ana Kakenga cave

A lava tube opening onto two windows in the sea cliff, facing the Pacific. Headlamp essential.

⏱ 1 h 💰 Park ticket incl. Adventure

★ #9 📍

Sebastián Englert Museum

The original coral eye, a moai kavakava figurine and the keys to the rongorongo script debate. Do it early in your stay.

⏱ 1-1h30 💰 Free Context

★ #10 📍

Te Pito Kura & the north coast

The largest moai ever erected (10 m, nearly 80 tonnes, now toppled) and the 'navel of the world' stone.

⏱ 1 h 💰 Park ticket incl. History

Choose your district

Where to stay on Easter Island?

Hanga Roa center

The island's only town: restaurants, agencies, car rentals and the seafront on foot. From €70/night.

★ Recommended

Tahai area

North of town, walking distance from the Tahai moai and the sunsets. Quiet. From €90/night.

Sunset

Countryside & coast

Isolated cabañas and eco-lodges in the pastures, starry skies guaranteed. Car essential. From €110/night.

Nature

Explorer lodges

Nayara Hangaroa and a few all-inclusive addresses with private guided excursions included. From €400/night.

Premium

Getting around

Getting around Rapa Nui

🚗

Rental car

The most flexible way to reach the scattered ahu. Warning: no full-coverage insurance exists on the island; damage is on you. Book early.

🚐

Guided tours

Full-day small groups with a Ma'u Henua accredited guide, the richest way to understand the sites.

🛵

Scooter & quad

Fine for a couple traveling light. Decent roads, but free-roaming horses and potholes: care at dusk.

🚶

On foot & by bike

Hanga Roa, Tahai and Orongo (a 1h30 climb) work without an engine. The full island loop tops 60 km, for strong legs only.

Climate & crowds

When to visit Easter Island?

Ideal Fair Avoid

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Southern summer

Dec to Mar · 21-28°C, sea at 24°C · Ideal: Tapati festival in early February, brilliant light

Southern autumn

Apr to Jun · 18-24°C, brief showers · Good: green island, visitor numbers drop

Southern winter

Jul to Sep · 15-20°C, windy · Good: mild but swelly, lowest prices

Southern spring

Oct to Nov · 18-24°C, settled · Ideal: quiet sites before the holidays

How much

Easter Island budget (per day)

Tight

€80

per day

🏨 Camping or simple guesthouse: €35
🍽️ Empanadas + shared kitchen: €18
🚲 Bike + walking
🎫 Park ticket spread over 5 days: €19

Recommended

Comfort

€200

per day

🏨 Cabaña or hotel in Hanga Roa: €100
🍽️ Restaurants (tuna, ceviche): €45
🚗 Shared rental car
🎫 Park ticket + 1 guided tour

Premium

€450

per day

🏨 All-inclusive explorer lodge: €350
🍽️ Full board included
🚐 Private guided excursions
🎫 Diving, horseback, Tapati grandstand

Our tested itinerary

Easter Island in 4 days

Day-by-day program.

Day 1: Hanga Roa and Tahai

10am Land at IPC, flower necklace and check-in
12pm Park ticket at the Ma'u Henua office, scout the village
3pm Sebastián Englert Museum to set the context
6:30pm First sunset over the Tahai moai

Day 2: the south coast and Tongariki

6:30am Sunrise behind the 15 moai of Ahu Tongariki
9am Rano Raraku, the quarry of 397 moai (single entry)
1pm South coast picnic, stops at Akahanga and Vaihu
4pm Te Pito Kura, then Anakena beach for an evening swim

Day 3: Orongo and the west

9am Climb to the Rano Kau crater on the Te Ara o Te Ao trail
10:30am Orongo ceremonial village and the Birdman islets
2pm Ana Kakenga cave and the west coast
5pm Ahu Akivi, the seven moai facing the ocean

Day 4: slow down and depart

9am Dive or snorkel off Motu Nui (30 m visibility)
12pm Tuna ceviche on the Hanga Roa seafront
2pm Craft market: carved moai or shell necklace
4pm Flight back to Santiago

Detailed itinerary →

Around

Combine with Rapa Nui

📍

Santiago

The gateway hub · 5h40 flight, mandatory stop both ways

📍

Valparaíso

1h45 from Santiago · The painted hills, before or after the island

📍

San Pedro de Atacama

Via Santiago · The high desert, Chile's other extreme

FAQ

Easter Island FAQ

How much is the Rapa Nui National Park ticket? +

Since October 1, 2025: 95,000 CLP (~€93) for foreign adults, 38,000 CLP for foreign children aged 7-12. The ticket, managed by the Ma'u Henua community, is valid 10 consecutive days and allows a single entry to Rano Raraku and to Orongo. Buy online or at the Hanga Roa office; checks happen at every site.

How do you get to Easter Island? +

Only on LATAM flights from Santiago de Chile: 5h30 to 5h45 in the air, usually 1-2 rotations a day, €400-800 round trip depending on season. The island lies 3,760 km from the mainland. Book early for February (Tapati festival) and the year-end holidays.

What are the entry requirements for Rapa Nui? +

Even Chileans follow island rules: the FUI form (Formulario Único de Ingreso) filled online before boarding, a return ticket, and a booking at Sernatur-registered lodging or an invitation letter from a resident. Stays are capped at 30 days. For most EU and US passports, Chile itself requires no tourist visa up to 90 days.

Do you need a guide to visit the sites? +

Yes for most of them: Ma'u Henua rules require an accredited guide at the park's major sites, including Rano Raraku and Orongo. A few areas near Hanga Roa (notably Tahai) remain freely accessible with the ticket. A full-day guided tour costs €50-80; the guides tell what the stones cannot, and the spend pays off.

How many days do you need on Easter Island? +

Four to five days: one for Hanga Roa, the museum and Tahai, one for the south coast with Tongariki and Rano Raraku, one for Orongo and the west, one for Anakena, diving or simply slowing down. The 10-day ticket and daily flights let you stretch the stay at no extra park cost.

Why were the moai toppled, and who re-erected them? +

Every moai standing on an ahu was pulled down between the 18th and 19th centuries, during clan warfare and the island's ecological collapse. The ones standing today were restored in the 20th century: Ahu Tongariki by a Chilean-Japanese mission in the 1990s after a tsunami, Ahu Akivi as early as 1960. The 397 moai of Rano Raraku never left the quarry.

What happens at the Tapati Rapa Nui festival? +

In the first two weeks of February, the island elects its queen through spectacular contests: haka pei (sliding down a hillside at 80 km/h on banana trunks), a Polynesian triathlon inside the Rano Raraku crater, dances and painted bodies. It is absolute peak season: flights and lodging book out 6 months ahead.

Can you swim and dive at Easter Island? +

Yes. Anakena is the main beach, coral sand and water at 21-24°C. Diving visibility often exceeds 30 meters, among the best in the Pacific: drop-offs, Motu Nui and an underwater moai (a film prop) can be visited on intro or fun dives, €60-90 per dive from Hanga Roa.