Exploring Easter Island: Worth The Cost?
When it comes to exploring Easter Island, I think a lot of people fear that it might not live up to their expectation. Especially regarding the cost involved in visiting Easter island.
I give you here a complete guide on what to know before, what to visit on and where to eat during you stay on Easter island, both as a travel enthusiast and as an archaeologist.
Plus: my verdict on whether Easter Island is worth the horrendous flight cost or not.
What to know before exploring Easter Island
University memories
I remember sitting in one of my very first archaeology-classes at the university where we got an introduction to different civilisations.
In general, my uni-professors had a lot of experience in the field. But that was either in Belgium or in the Mediterranean, as those were our uni's specialities.
But there was this one professor who talked about a particular civilisation somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
And he didn't just talk about it in a purely an academic way, no. There was deep passion in his voice, in the way he talked about that ancient history.
That was Nicolas Cauwe, who was (and still is) a true story-teller.
Argentina, Chile .. and Easter Island
Fast-forward to 2019, when I was planning my trip through Argentina and Chile, thinking about flying to that fascinating island. Although I was obviously wondering if Easter Island was worth the 800€ flight cost. But I pretty quickly decided I would do it nonetheless.
I contacted this professor to get some information on what to visit, not knowing if he would remember me at all after so many years.
I did know, though, that he was still very active on the island. I had seen a documentary by a Belgian reporter, presenting his most recent theories on the island's history.
Anyways, he answered! He did actually remember my name although he could not put a face to it. And it turned out that he was going to be on the island right when I planned to do my trip!
Talk about serendipity, right?
The island people
Why am I telling this story? Actually, I needed an introduction to show you what kind of people live on that particular island. And my professor's Rapa Nui-experience is a perfect image!
He's been doing excavations and exploring Easter Island for more than 20 years now and he grew so close to the heart of the islanders, he even got asked to be the godfather of several young Rapa Nui!
Everyone knows everyone on the tiny island (not too difficult with a little more than 6000 residents) and they seem to all be part of one big family. This was incredibly cool to witness!
Meaning also that, if someone is in trouble - talking about the poorer residents (they do exist) - they are never left alone. The other islanders will always share what they have to support them.
So here's my guide on exploring Easter Island - have fun reading and don't forget to pin, share or comment on the post below!
Practical stuff
Budget
⤀ A round-trip from Santiago de Chile was around 864€ p.p., booked in January, to get to Hanga Roa. This is pretty expensive so I wouldn't recommend doing the trip just for the island. Instead, include it in a bigger Chile-trip for example, as you have to get to Santiago anyways - Easter Island is part of Chile after all.
⤀ I paid around 207€ for three nights at Aukara B&B. Not the cheapest but a very good value for money for the island. Breakfast included.
⤀ Car rental was okay. I paid around 40€ for 2,5 days. That's rather expensive if you look at global Chilean prices but th Easter Island is a relatively remote island so supply is very difficult and expensive. For instance, their petrol stations get filled up only 3 times a year.
⤀ Sightseeing One ticket to rule them all - kidding! But seriously, you'll basically just need the entrance ticket to the National Park (see below for more details) which is around 60€.
Hanga Roa airport - island life
Beautiful Rapa Nui fauna
More Rapa Nui fauna
Best time to visit
The island has its own microclimate with pretty constant temperatures the whole year round: comfy 25-30 degrees Celsius with a soft breeze.
It does rain though, but only for a few short hours. May is the wettest month. From December to Mars appears to be the best season as it is dry and less crowded.
Watch out for the sun! Because of the breeze, you might forget about it and the ultraviolets are extremely strong in that part of the world - sunburn-alert!!
Also: there are hardly any trees on the island (read on if you want to know why) to grant some shadow so the sun is omnipresent.
Getting around
24,6 km long and approx 12,3 km at the widest point. That's rather small. But if you don't have that much time, like I did, you'll still want to have a car to be sure to see everything you want to see.
Plus, I tend to spend a loooot of time at archaeological sites (go figure!) and so to me it was important to get from one to another as fast as possible.
Also: the island is pretty flat and doesn't have any woods or mountains, so it's not much of a hiker's paradise. Might as well do the comfortable thing and get motorized. Or get bikes, that works too.
Rent a car
So I'd say: definitely rent a car. And not just any car: a little jeep. You'll need it, trust me! Road conditions on the main ones are good but the side-streets leading to the various sites: not so much.
The Suzuki Jimmy is the one you'll see the most. It costs around 15.000 to 20.000 Pesos a day (approximately 16 to 22€)
I went to Oceanic right upon arriving on the island. You don't need to book one beforehand, there are enough agencies with plenty of cars.
However, if your travel insurance doesn't cover rental cars, be sure to book an insurance as well! It's not like other, bigger rental compagnies where you are basically obligated to get one.
Here, they don't really care that much about it - but it can be very expensive if something happens.
THE rental car
Road conditions on Rapa Nui's side streets
Driving style
Don't be scared of their driving style, this can be pretty intimidating. Always be on your guards.
And funny thing: pay attention where you park! Parking fines are very frequent!
That's the peculiar thing (my professor told me): they don't bloody care if you're drunk or drive without your seatbelt on (let alone having one in the first place). But they do care about where your car is parked!!!
Be sure to always fill up the tank early enough. As I said in the budget-section, petrol gets delivered only 3 times a year so it happens frequently that a gas station is out of petroleum and you have to drive to the next one.
If you decide to walk from your accommodation to the center and vice-versa at night, be sure to have a light on you (phone works fine, too) as there are no street lights!
Where to stay
Obviously, not so many choices location-wise as the only city on the island is Hanga Roa.
Aukara B&B
I stayed at the Aukara B&B, a charming little B&B run by a Rapa Nui couple and their daughter. The owner is Bene Tuki, a lovely artist who sells beautiful sculptures he makes himself.
Pretty small island where everyone knows everyone, like I said in the introduction: it turned out that this is an old friend of my professor - so funny!
They put so much effort into the decoration of the room with fresh flowers every day. The breakfast is a bit basic but still very cute - look at that butter haha!
And the rooms are actually all set around a collective garden with lots of trees and flowers - which is awesome as it is always shadowy and fresh, very good when the temperatures rise.
Good to know
Wifi was not very strong but free - which is something very common on the island: no high speed internet. At the Aukara B&B, it was only available in the outdoor space and breakfast room.
But my room was right next to the latter, so I had some in there as well.
Good to know: the houses are not numbered so you'll only have a street name and you just have to wing it from there.
So either you just explore on your own or you ask your host to pick you up at the airport - they generally do this.
I even got a beautiful, handmade lei (I think that's what they are called, at least on Hawaï), a flower necklace. As I haven't been to Hawaï (yet), I never had that kind of greeting, haha.
Selfie I took for Sebi in the patio of Aukara B&B (I was travelling alone)
How cute is that butter at Aukara B&B??
Good to know: to prevent mass-tourism and overpopulation of the island, you have to present a confirmed accommodation reservation to even get here!
Language
Spanish is the main language on the island, with Rapa Nui in second place. The latter is a Polynesian dialect the islander mostly speak at home.
They do know a bit of English but I don't personally know how well as I spoke Spanish the whole time I was there.
Read on to find out why this dialect is so special.
Food
Fish! I think that's all I ate for three days, haha! They do serve poultry and steak from local farms as well. But it's an island. Surrounded by the ocean. Hence the fish.
BUT the variety is rather limited. That's because there's no coral reef whatsoever around the island. Reefs tend to serve as a food-source for smaller fish.
No reefs = not so many fishes close to the shore.
That means that, in order to fish, the Rapa Nui have to venture further into the sea.
But they do serve excellent tuna! And they do this generally with mashed sweet potato that they grow locally. Ever since I tasted sweet potato in New Zealand, I can't get enough of it! Plus: it's sooo good for my guts!
This is what I'm talking of when referring to 'island food', it's quite different from what I had experienced on Tongatapu island.
Culture
Upon arrival, you will have to immediatly buy the entrance ticket to the Rapa Nui NP which gives you acces to most of the sites. You'll get a stamp at each site entrance.
Most of them are included in the main ticket. Others have a fee of a few extra Pesos.
The ticket was 54.000 Pesos (around 60 € - in 2019) and is valid during 10 days.
About 40% of the ticket price go into conservation and preservation of the sites.
Read on for the archaeological and cultural highlights of the island! And to know where to find the best sunset-spots. Island-sunsets are the best! ☟
A little history
Back in the 5th century, around the same time the Western Roman Empire collapsed in Europe (to give you an idea), Polynesians arrived from the west on the volcanic island.
An island lying somewhere in the South East Pacific, between Chile and Polynesia.
I won't go too much into the details of the culture and the theories and myths around it.
I recommend watching the documentary here (heads up: it's in French) and to get the book published by my ex-professor Nicolas Cauwe who I mentioned in the introduction. I guess there is no better specialist for anything Rapa Nui-ish.
I'll give you a summary of what he discovered in his 20-year-long work below.
Anyways, during more than a thousand years, the Rapa Nui have developed this unique culture with the Moai, human-like stone sculptures up to 9 m high.
They were sculpted in the local tuff, a porous volcanic stone, transported to the coasts and erected here, facing the inland to protect the islanders from the dangers.
But when the Europeans arrived at Rapa Nui, none of the giant stone Moai were in an upright position.
They were all lying face down on their 'Ahu', their ceremonial platform.
Rise and "downfall" of a culture - the big taboo
Why did the Moai-culture stop?
This is one of the big questions that were always wrongly answered until a few years ago: why did the Moai-culture suddenly stop in the 17th century?
The general idea was that, in order to gain arable land to feed the increasing population, the Rapa Nui stubbed the whole island.
The disappearing trees lead to an ecological disaster which, in turn, caused wars between different families or tribes and the Moai were by consequent destroyed.
Ecological suicide?
While it is indeed true that the statues represent the ancestors of different tribes, the thesis of a catastrophic ending can be refuted by archaeological evidence showing agricultural activity from the era of the supposed "ecological suicide".
It turns out that the veneration of the Moai just shifted to another deity called 'Make-Make' which was represented carved into the flat stone, rather than erected as a giant statue.
Especially the theory of "destruction" of the Moai is complete nonsense as the Moai lying face down would have been smashed into pieces if they were forcefully knocked over.
It is a very friable stone, after all. But even their noses are intact! You can see that for example in the case of the 'Paro' of Ahu Te Pito Kura (read down below), with the biggest Moai ever transported to the coast.
A new theory
So: no! They were not knocked over but put down respectfully.
Just because they now had another deity to honor, that didn't mean that they had to disrespect their ancestors. There was just no use for the statues to be upright anymore - that's all.
This transition went even further: Rano Raraku, the volcano that served as the quarry for the statues, got transformed in a way that prevented any further extraction of material for statues.
Hence putting a 'taboo' on the volcano (read below for more details - it's a cool story, really!).
So this was the 17th century. During roughly two centuries, the islanders were left in peace, even when strangers passed by with their boats, nothing major happened.
The real danger
But then came the dark 19th century when foreigners came to take possession of the island. They took the Rapa Nui as slaves and killed so many by importing diseases (as happened to lots of other great civilisations).
And that's when the magnificent Rapa Nui culture really collapsed.
What strikes the most when talking to the islanders is how proud they are of their culture. Even though the actual Rapa Nui are more a mix of islanders and Chilean and European 'visitors', they still manage to keep the memory of their ancestors alive.
For example: by saving the ancient Polynesian language in their dialect. Utterly fascinating, if you ask me! But I am a bit biased, obviously!!
Proudly displaying their traditions
What to visit
Basically: all of it! Haha!
No. But seriously: it is doable to visit all the important Ahus and sites in just a few days.
But I would recommend at least three full days to do so. Even if you're not as passionate about archaeology and history as I am 🙂
- Ahu Tahai: the one with the eyes and the sunset
The Ahu Tahai is a platform with one single Moai and his 'Pukao', the "hat" sculpted in red tuff from another quarry than the one mentioned above.
It is part of the Tahai Ceremonial Complex, with another two ahus and a few buildings of which only the layout is still visible.
What makes this one special is the fact that it's the only one with eyes. Although the eyes on the statues are a replica, archaeologists found one of the eyes during excavations of the sediment underneath the statue.
Theses eyes were made of white coral and red volcanic tuff and the Moai only received them after being erected. That way, the Moai 'opened his eyes' to receive the 'mana', the sacred spirit.
This one is easy to reach by feet from the city, meaning it's probably the most crowded one as people use the beach and the park around to do their evening walks.
Ahu Tahai with the eyes
Moai getting wet from behind
- Rano Raraku: the 'alma mater'
Missing connection
I had goosebumps when I arrived at this special place.
Although I read that this was "merely" the stone quarry where 95% of the Moai had been carved, I had a feeling that this place was even more special then the usual tourist-guide stated.
And it turns out it is! Prof. Cauwe told me that this place should actually also be considered as a monument.
The majestic monumental volcano Rano Raraku
And this is when he told the story of what he calls "the great taboo" that I briefly mentioned in the introduction:
After having turned to another deity, the Rapa Nui, to prevent people from continuing to extract material and build Moai, carved said Moai directly into the quarry!
Meaning that the Moai that have been erected here, or even the massive one lying in the rock (as you can see on the picture on the right) have been set there on purpose!
They were never meant to be fully extracted and transported elsewhere - unlike what every tourist-guide still claims.
Massive Moai lying on its back
The great taboo on the ancestor's statues
The Rapa Nui believed that a human-like statue contained the spirit of an ancestor.
So nobody would ever dare to destroy the Moai on the quarry to extract further material. The ancient extraction-spots were therefore "occupied" by a sacred statue.
The whole volcano was now protected by a "taboo" - which is actually a Polynesian word! The word 'tapu' or 'tabu' means "spritiual restriction" or "implied prohibition".
Did you know that? I didn't.
A permanent location
Another indication for that intended permanent setup of Moai is the fact that a lot of them actually have a whole body buried in the ground - only the head is visible.
Prof. Cauwe analysed the condition of the stone of the buried parts, which is a very delicate stone that quickly changes its color when exposed to weather conditions.
It turns out that the stone that lies below ground doesn't show any signs of deterioration whatsoever! Proving that they placed the Moai exactly like this, with their bodies in the ground, from the moment they carved them.
They never intended to move them to the sea.
Some of them have whole bodies buried underneath
When you walk all around the crater from the outside, you can see that the Moai form kind of a symbolic barrier. A second Moai-barrier is visible on the inside of the crater as well.
This is something people didn't really notice until a few years ago. Even my guide, which is a Routard from 2018, still depicts the old theories. Guess they'll have to do some re-writing in a lot of books!
Barrier line on the outside on the crater
Crater inside with the moor on the left and the Moai barrier on the far right
The sitting one
Rano Raraku is also where the only sitting Moai has been found, called 'Tukuturi'.
This Moai represents a seated and bearded singer (the chorus in a festival being called 'riu').
It's probably one of the youngest Moai at the quarry, related to Make-Make (see introduction) and the Birdman-cult that I'll explain more in detail hereunder.
Seated Moai 'Tukuturi'
I could have spend hours on this volcano - it's amongst the coolest things I've ever seen!
Ahu Tongariki seen from the volcano crater
Selfie I took for my doctor at the hospital. He asked for it 🙂 Read here for my health story
Moai barrier
- Rano Kau & Orongo: another volcano and a deadly village
Volcano and micro-climate
The Rano Kau was another place that rendered me speechless. It's basically a dormant volcano with a water-filled crater.
But that water is actually one of three natural water reserves on the island.
The crater has its own microclimat meaning that there's a rich fauna and flora in that lake - and it looks so cool from the edge!
The crater forms steep cliffs plunging down to the sea and when you stand on the inland-side, you can actually see the ocean through a depression that erosion has formed in the crater walls.
Rano Kau crater lake panorama with the depression on the wall on the far right
Orongo and the birdman-cult
Up on the south-western tip of the volcano crater (really! On that narrow edge!) lies Orongo, a stone village that only serves ceremonial purposes, with its low round buildings covered by grass.
This is where the most important event of the 'newer' cult, after the Moai-era, took place during the 18th and 19th centuries: the Birdman-race.
The goal was to collect the first eggs from a bird called 'sooty tern' on the island of Motu Nui (this is the name of Vaiana's home-island in the Disney movie - I was thrilled to learn that :-)) located underneath the crater.
They had to start in Orongo, get to the island by climbing down the steep cliff, swim through the shark-infested waters to get the eggs and come back to Orongo. Do I have to add that this was a very deadly game?
Anyways, the winner was called 'Tangata manu', literally meaning "bird-man", and he was basically allowed to only sleep and eat during a whole year. Plus: it had a lot of benefits for the winner's clan.
And this was all done in the name of the birdmen's big boss: Make-Make. The one who is now thought to have "replaced" the Moai-cult.
The housings of the ceremonial Orongo-village
Orongo-village on the crater edge
- Puna Pau and the Pukao
Not a volcano this time, but the second most important quarry of the island.
It's here that the Rapa Nui extracted the 'scoria', a reddish volcanic rock, to carve the 'Pukao', the topknot some of the Moai wear on their head.
The Tukuturi, the seated Moai I talked about earlier, was also carved here as he is made of a different tuff than the others at Rano Raraku.
They are pretty impressive as the topknots alone could weigh up to 10 tonnes! Can you imagine? That's like the weight of two elephants!
Not much more to see here except a beautiful view down on Hanga Roa with the ocean right behind it.
The giant 'Pukao' at the Puna Pau quarry
Beautiful view on Hanga Roa from the Puna Pau quarry
- Ahu Tongariki: the most famous one
Fifteen famous guys
This is the largest and probably the most famous ahu on Easter Island. Just google Rapa Nui or Easter island and this will most likely be the first images you'll get.
There are fifteen Moai, one of them wearing a Pukao and one of them being the heaviest of all the Moai ever transported to the coast (86 tonnes - that's lots of elephants!!).
The ahu is located next to Poike, one of the three dormant volcanoes that form the shape of the island. The other two are Rano Raraku and Terevaka.
The three are located on each of the three points of the island.
This is very scenic and also a very nice view at sunrise, when they are lit from behind.
Like almost all of the ahus, they face the inland, not the sea.
The majestic Ahu Tongariki: this one alone is worth the cost to get to Rapa Nui
The travelling Moai
At the entrance of the site sits the so-called "travelling Moai", the most photographed statue on the island and "guardian of Ahu Tongariki".
Not only was he shipped to Japan for an exhibition in 1982, he was the object of an experiment on how the Moai were transported.
This one suffers very much from the meteorological conditions such as water and the constant breeze.
He and his brothers are therefore regularly cleaned to prevent further deterioration but this is a very expensive endeavour.
Hence the high cost of the entrance ticket to accumulate the very necessary funds.
The 'traveling Moai' with volcano Poike behind
The seven most famous Moai
Just chillin' on our Ahu
- Anakena and its beach
This is where you get to mix with the locals on a Sunday as this beach is very popular for family excursions.
There are two ahus on this beach, Ahu Nao-Nao with seven Moai and Ahu Ature with a single one.
This is perfect if you want to relax and have a nice swim - just pick the right day as it can get crowded on Sun- and holidays.
But of course there is more to it than the beach: this is supposed to be the landing-spot of Hotu Matu'a, a Polynesian chief who is said to be the first settler of Rapa Nui.
There are hundreds of exiting legends around his figure, I invite you to get some books and dive into it.
Anakena Beach - Hotu Matu'a's supposed landing spot
- Ahu Te Pito Kura: the biggest one
There's not so much to see here as the Moai of this ahu have never been re-erected.
BUT one of the guys lying face down (almost perfectly intact - see the obsolete 'destruction-theory' in the introduction), called 'Paro', is actually the largest one ever transported from the quarry across the island: 9,80 m long.
Right next to it, you'll find a weird construction of a large round stone with four smaller ones arranged symmetrically around it.
The whole being enclosed by a kind of smaller stone wall. It is called 'Te Pito o Te Henua', meaning "the navel of the wold" and is thought to be this amazing sacred place with healing effect and all that.
The stone is supposed to have been brought to the island by chief Hotu Matu'a when he first came here.
While the stone is indeed magnetic and has thus been venerated by the islanders, geologists have analysed that it's a local one, not imported by some chief.
And the whole constellation of stones around it actually dates from the late 70's, there are photographs of the lone stone.
It's one of these tourist-magnets that the islanders created as people are asked to sit around it and put their hands on the stone. Several tourist-guides still qualify the whole complex as historic..
'Paro' lying face-down with his Pukao next to him
- Papa Vaka: petroglyphs
If you like to see something else than big stone headas for a change, head to Papa Vaka, one of the island's petroglyph-filled sites.
In case you don't know: petroglyphs are "drawings" carved in the stone.
This one is actually not cited as a must-see in most of the guides. But my professor told me to look for it as it is still fascinating from an archaeological point of view.
The figures depicted here all represent elements related to the ocean: several fish types, octopus, fish hooks and a big canoe.
That last one is the biggest petroglyph found on the island and gave the site its name: 'vaka' is actually the Rapa Nui word for "canoe".
All beautifully carved in a very dynamic way.
Best visit this site early in the morning or late afternoon as you'll need lateral light to see them properly.
The big 'vaka' or canoe at Papa Vaka
- Ahu Hanga Te'e
This was another of my professor's tips, again with an eye on the archaeological interest.
The Moai here have never been re-erected and you get a good view of what all the ahus looked like when the Europeans started to analyse this culture.
Ahu Hanga Te'e (or Ahu Vaihu)'s particularity is a large stone circle in front of the ahu, a so-called 'Paina'.
It is not clear what purpose it served but most probably some commemorative rites for the ancestors.
- Ahu Akivi: the sea-facing one
This is a particular one as the seven Moai are pretty much the same size and shape, which is unusual. The ahu is located more inland than along the coast, which is even more unusual.
And the Moai are facing the sea rather than turning their backs to it - this is THE most unusual thing: it is indeed the only ahu on the whole island where this is the case.
This way, they face the sunset during Spring Equinoxe and sunrise during the Autumn Equinoxe.
It makes it the only ahu on the island bearing a real astronomical precision and significance.
It is supposed that the Moai here served to propitiate the sea in order to protect the navigators out at sea, rather than protect the villagers from the outside dangers.
But then, of course, there's the whole Hotu Matu'a legend in which these seven guys are supposed to have been erected in honor to his scouts that he sent before arriving to the island.
But that doesn't make sense as this ahu has been dated to the 16th century. Talking about anachronisms..
Ahu Akivi Moai facing the ocean
Anyways, these were my personal highlights as an archaeologist. I might have rambled on a bit but it is one of my biggest passions after all - sorry if that was too much information haha!
Here is an overview of the locations of all the described spots
Moving on to a few delicious restaurants I got to try out while on the island:
Where to eat
Like I said, you'll probably eat lots of fish (unless you're a vegetarian or vegan, of course) as this is a big source of income for the islanders.
I also told you that the variety isn't that big due to a lack of coral reefs around the island.
But the tuna is excellent! Generally served with very tasty sweet potato mash and a fruity sauce for example with mangos - so good!
Here are the restaurants where I had the most delicious ones, each time perfectly grilled.
They're all in or around Hanga Roa, obviously, and all of mid-range price-classes as I like good quality food without overpaying.
- Haka Honu
That location, though! You sit on the tiny terrace, looking out onto the beach, the sun in your face. This was the first meal I had on arrival and it was perfect.
They serve local food like tuna, octopus and ceviche with a smile.
- Pea RestoBar
This one is also right at the sea, at Pea Beach. I actually came here a few times: I had a quick drink here before exploring the island and got into talking to the waiter.
As I always address them in Spanish and my Spanish is the "proper" one from Spain/Barcelona, this always started interesting conversations.
Like: "Hey, are you from Spain? You've got that typical accent! - No, I'm actually from Belgium - Oh, where did you learn Spanish then??" And so on.
Anyways, he did a bit of publicity for the restaurant, of course, as they do a traditional Rapa Nui show four nights a week.
So I had him write down my name and went back in the evening where I enjoyed a very tasty Ceviche and a really cool show with songs and dances.
It was a bit cheesy and very touristy but still, it was good fun.
And the dancers/singers were all Rapa Nui people, might as well support their local economy, right?
Funny enough, I went back there the day I met up with my professor and his partner as he knows this bar very well.
Of course, he basically knows everyone on that island. So we had a few Pisco Sour (THE drink of Chileans and by consequent Rapa Nui), a few good laughs and fascinating conversations.
All while looking out to the windy sea.
- Au Bout du Monde
Okay, I admit, I had to try this restaurant because the owner is a Belgian lady who fell in love with a Rapa Nui and decided to spend her life on the island.
It is a very good one though! A little bit pricier than the other ones I tried, but a very interesting mix of Rapa Nui cuisine and Belgian influences.
They have a very big terrace on the top floor, looking out onto the poko poko beach. Very windy that day.
They do some music and dance shows as well from time to time.
Head to the north-east to admire Hanga Roa's cemetery.
If you're not creeped out by something like this, this one is really colourful with a beautiful view on the sea.
Tuna with mango chutney on sweet potato mash
Hanga Roa cemetery
- Dominican
Cute little restaurant not far from my B&B on a busy street - if you can call any of the island's street "busy" - haha!
It's actually Amori's restaurant, a Dominican who travelled around for a while before settling down on Rapa Nui. So he serves a Dominican cuisine adapted to the local produce: tuna.
Sometimes spiny lobsters as well. A bit pricy but very tasty.
Where to watch the sunrise and sunset
For the most impressive sunrise: head to Ahu Tongariki! The shades that whole site gets are magical.
The sun rises pretty early on the island so be sure to get there on time. Downside is: the site doesn't open before 9 am. But you don't necessarily have to be inside to admire it.
THE sunset-spot on Rapa Nui is obviously Ahu Tahai.
The good thing is: there is not entrance, the whole thing is open to anyone. So you can go whenever you like.
The downside is: that's what almost everyone on the island does - haha. So you won't definitely be alone.
Plus: it's the closest site to the city - it's actually still IN the city. So that increases the amount of people sitting there at sunset (see picture). But it's still magnificent!
Ahu Akivi is another sunset-spot. But unfortunately, the site closes before the sun gets down.
So you won't be able to enjoy it right at the feet of the Moai. But you can get pretty close, though.
Enjoy some badass sunset-pictures and the BTS of it. And don't forget to read on for my verdict 🙂
Behind the scenes of the sunset-watching at Ahu Tahai
The verdict
AWESOME!!
And yes, Easter Island is totally worth the cost!
You probably already got that from the way I talked about the island - haha!
It was one of the most incredible experiences I had so far! A life-long dream of an archaeologist that finally came true. I couldn't be happier!
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