Back on Easter Island in 2024 (Chile)

We went to Easter Island during our first round-the-world trip (gap year), a few days’ stopover between Tahiti and Santiago. We never thought we’d go back a second time, and yet… this year, the opportunity came up, and to make the most of it, we spent a week on the island.

Now, the official name of Easter Island is Rapa Nui, no longer “isla de pascua” or “easter island”.

Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Journal

Measures against overtourism

Even though the island is in the middle of nowhere (between 5 and 6 hours by plane to the nearest destination), it suffered from overtourism in 2018-2019, and with Covid, the authorities took the opportunity to limit the number of tourists. To do this, it’s very simple:

• only one flight per day from Santiago
• obligation to visit the main archaeological sites with a guide
• obligation to book accommodation on the approved list
• the entry fee for archaeological sites has been multiplied by 2.5

As soon as they target the wallet, only those with a thick enough wallet can go. Visiting with a guide also prevents regrettable behavior (like touching the moais or walking on them). Since the archaeological sites are managed by the Rapa Nui people (previously managed by CONAF), the locals seem to be benefiting from this new system: fewer tourists, but more quality, and they earn more.

Formalities & Prices

At first, we didn’t think we could go because the round-trip flight from Santiago costs €700/person!! JB eventually found a trick to pay twice less, he explains it here. Then, you have to book one of the approved accommodations and fill out a form (which will be checked at Santiago airport). The only thing we didn’t do beforehand was booking a car and a guide. We should have booked a guide in advance. But well, I’ll explain that later in the article. Basically, in terms of expenses, here’s what we had:

• Flight: €300/person (book well in advance)
• Hotel: €90/night for two, breakfast included (book well in advance)
• Car rental (optional): between 45,000 and 80,000 pesos/day (can be done on the same day)
• Guide: between 80,000 pesos and 120,000 pesos for 3 hours (book well in advance)
• Restaurant: 15,000 pesos/person/meal
• Entry to archaeological sites: 80,000 pesos/person (valid for one week) (buy online, it’s simpler)

In 2024, 1000 Chilean pesos = €0.97

Before leaving for Easter Island, we withdraw a lot of cash in Santiago (at Scotiabank, without fees), thinking that card payment would be difficult due to lack of Internet. But Elon Musk’s Starlink has changed that, and we ended up using very little cash (only to buy fruit on the street). While later, in the Lake District in Chile, we needed more cash than on Easter Island ahaha

I think I’m not the best person to ask for information about Easter Island. I’ve become too chill and too relaxed. There’s less at stake for us (who have already visited the island) than for someone visiting for the first and last time in their life and wants to make the most of their stay. I was contacted before the trip by someone planning their trip, and I’m surprised at how relaxed I am. That person is looking for THE best hotel, THE best guide, THE best transport, and I was like “bahhhh we’ll see when we get there”. That person is totally right! But it just makes me realize (again) that I’m living my best life, and besides total freedom, it’s so liberating to be able to make mistakes, end up in a crappy hotel, and not regret it for life.

Day 1

Rapa Nui airport is tiny, and we all squeeze together to get our luggage. The plane is full because there’s only one flight per day, so that’s about 300 people arriving on the island daily (not counting charters) vs. 800-900 before the anti-overtourism measures. I have a bitter memory of this airport because it’s where I had to throw away my expensive organic manuka honey bought in New Zealand (7 years ago). There are a few traumatic experiences in my life, and this is one of them ahaha

However, there are Chilean tourists coming with Dunkin Donuts donuts (apparently Chileans love them) and they aren’t thrown in the trash. The rule is: from Chile, you can bring whatever you want to Easter Island. But when arriving from other countries, or when leaving back to Chile, biosecurity applies and you can’t bring any food. Chile exports a lot of fruit, and they don’t want to risk contamination.

Someone is waiting for us with a sign with our name. It’s just a driver that our hotel paid to pick us up. Our hotel is called Tuava Lodge, and the welcome isn’t exceptional, nor is the service. We can’t even have breakfast peacefully on the terrace because cats, chickens, and roosters come begging for food. We have to hide inside, luckily there’s a table there too. I wish we had gone back to the Corsican place where we stayed last time.

We go out to eat. We no longer recognize anything. Apart from the moai, everything changes. It’s already 3 p.m. and we’re struggling to find an open restaurant. We’re only a 10-minute walk from the port, but when I see the number of big stray dogs, I tell JB that I’d have a hard time making that trip twice a day on foot, especially in the evening when the dogs might get aggressive (they end up just barking at each other). That’s why we opt for renting a car for our entire stay. In reality, Rapa Nui is only 2 hours off from Chile for administrative reasons, which doesn’t match the actual time at all: it’s pitch dark at 8 a.m., and the sunset isn’t until 7:30 p.m. I could have walked to dinner without fearing the dogs. But hey, having a car is always cooler. The upside of a late sunrise is that we can go see it at the platform of the 15 moai (Ahu Tongariki) without sacrificing sleep.

Our first meal is at La Kaleta, which I recommend. They have a 270° view of the ocean, very pleasant. On Easter Island, it’s best to eat what the island provides (otherwise you quickly end up with frozen food), so I go for tuna ceviche. The tuna sold here is always super fresh and tastes different from the tuna we buy in France. It’s pink and fresh.

We then head to the main street and ask all the car rental agencies for their prices (there are only 3 or 4). The cheapest is Haunani Rent a Car. The cheapest car (without AC) costs 50,000 pesos a day, but with our “long-term” one-week rental, we got a 10% discount. You have to insist because all the agencies will first offer the car at 80,000 pesos. There’s no insurance though; it’s just bad luck if a breakdown happens during the rental. I highly recommend this agency; they’re very kind—every time we pass by, the lady gives us fruit. We just have to bring the car back every 3 days for a quick check (it takes 5 minutes). You can pay by card. However, we left 50,000 pesos in cash for the deposit, which we get back at the end. Not having AC isn’t too much of an issue; there’s a breeze when driving. Despite the heat, it doesn’t bother us.

We immediately go to see the 15 moai (our favorites, Ahu Tongariki). We can’t enter the site without a guide (despite our entrance tickets), but we can view them from the stone barrier. They’re still as beautiful as ever.

We then go to see the beach (Anakena, the most beautiful in South America). The 5 moai here are freely accessible; they can be visited without a guide. Having the car is pretty cool because we come here almost every day (this beach is a 30-minute drive from downtown).

The 5 moai here are particularly beautiful because they’re well preserved, especially on the back side where you can see the carvings better than on moai from other platforms.

Day 2 => 5

Every day, we visit some freely accessible sites with our little car. I think it’s the cool option for people like us who have already visited the island. We only pay for a private guide for 3 hours to revisit our 3 favorite sites. Those coming here for the first time should rather visit with a guide for at least a day and a half (or two tours: a full-day and an afternoon), because the most interesting sites aren’t freely accessible.

One day, we have dinner at Oheho Surf Cafe (excellent, I recommend it!), and after dinner, we cross the street to see why people are getting excited. There are turtles in the water, and they’re there every day. Unlike the sick turtles you see on Mexican beaches, the turtles here seem healthy and are very friendly, though not very big. A bit further along, a guy waves us over. On his surfboard, there are lots of open sea urchins. We think he’s a sea urchin seller and ask how much they cost. He replies that not everything in life is for sale 😀 It turns out these sea urchins are free, offered as part of a promo for his future “tourism agency.” They’re delicious because they’re super fresh (he collected them far out) and don’t have a bloody taste like the sea urchins you find in Morocco or France. We’re really lucky to taste them because nobody sells them. Those who want some go snorkeling and collect them themselves. Apparently, a better recipe would be tuna ceviche + sea urchin. He shows us how to feed the turtles with the algae on the rocks—you have to release the algae at the right moment, or the turtle will bite your hand.

Everyone is happy and joyful until a woman with fake lips and fake breasts (the typical Instagrammer) arrives and, instead of feeding the turtles, she attracts them with algae for photos for a long 30 minutes. There are so many turtles around her that the police start coming too. The sea urchin guy got scared and told the girl to calm down. Actually, there’s a sign saying “don’t feed the turtles.” When the police saw we were giving algae (not bread), they left. We’d only see this guy once, but it would be one of our best experiences on the island.

Every day, JB swims in a natural pool in front of Oheho Surf Cafe, either in the morning or before sunset. There’s another natural pool in front of the restaurant “Au bout du monde”, but the first one is cooler because you see turtles more often. The water isn’t very deep (it depends on when you go) and is very cold, but it’s right near downtown, so everyone swims there or surfs there. Plus, there are two moai nearby.

When we first visited the island, we only stayed a few days and didn’t have enough time to get a feel for it. But this time, staying a week and having a kitchen in our room, we get to live a bit like locals. This raises questions such as: where to shop for groceries, where to have fun, how to pass the time, etc.

Supermarkets are very sparsely stocked, and I think it’s really hard to eat junk food here. I wanted to buy something to snack on, but the selection is so limited that in the end, I don’t even snack. M&Ms are such a rare commodity that they’re kept behind the counter, as if they were hiding cigarettes or valuables. On the other hand, I find that they choose products carefully; for instance, the few cookies I found are cheap (compared to M&Ms) but really delicious, so they try to find products with good value for money. You should know that dry goods like that arrive by boat, and there can be shortages from time to time (sugar, for example). Supermarket prices are very high; for example, 6 eggs + a loaf of bread + a carton of milk = 9€! Offers vary from one supermarket to another; we sometimes end up visiting 2-3 supermarkets just to gather all the necessary ingredients.

Fresh products, on the other hand, are more accessible and sold on the street.

Between 8:30-9:30 AM, stalls appear as if by magic on the main street, selling fruits, vegetables, and meat. Honestly, I can’t be bothered to cook, but Easter Island meat must be good quality because the cows eat organic, they roam all over the island, just like the horses. However, it’s very fresh meat, not aged, so you have to cook it differently, in sauces for example; you can’t eat it as a steak because the taste might be too strong.

Fruits and vegetables are seasonal, so the selection is quite limited. For example, one day we came across ultra-sweet pineapples (it’s the only product the island exports), and we wanted to buy more a few days later, but the season was already over, and it was impossible to find any; we asked everyone! I realize we’re too used to the abundance of products in our supermarkets and quickly lose touch with nature. Seasonal vegetables and fruits are still quite limited. In Vietnam, when I was little, the selection was also limited, and yet it didn’t bother me. But we can’t handle that now. Very quickly, JB had to buy avocados that don’t come from the island.

Here, we’re more in tune with nature’s rhythm. For example, we planned to go star-gazing at 11 PM, and due to a miscalculation on my part, we ended up with a moon too bright despite a cloudless sky. The roosters are everywhere on the island, and we know to the minute when the sun rises (sleeping in is impossible!). We observe and calculate the ideal time to swim based on the tide, watch the sun and sky to decide the best time to hit the beach; as soon as we see a fruit we like, we buy it right away because the next day the fruit is either not ripe or completely gone. All because we spend a huge amount of time outdoors and depend on weather conditions. Honestly, the island is big enough that we don’t feel like we’re at the end of the world, unlike our transatlantic cruise. I think we’ll feel it the day something breaks down and we have to wait several weeks for a part to be shipped by boat from Santiago 😀

We’ll also learn from our guide that an Yves Rocher shampoo could easily be resold for 15€ on the island and that we should have come with a suitcase full of “rare” cosmetic products to make our flight worthwhile. Some people bring patchouli oil (very interesting price/kg ratio) or Dunkin Donuts, so… to each their own!

Restaurants are always packed, and maybe that’s why the restaurant owners down to the servers are, in my opinion, a bit lazy. Opening hours aren’t always respected, we always wait an eternity for our dishes, and we get the feeling that not much effort is needed to make money here. We had dinner at Pea RestoBar for example, with a beautiful view and a dream location, but you can clearly see they have too much money and too many customers; the service is mediocre. Guides live the good life: they don’t work full-time and know they’ll have clients as soon as they say they’re available; they’re often booked up weeks, even months, in advance. Despite all the money coming from tourism and the Chilean government, the roads aren’t repaired; there are potholes everywhere. It’s pretty much the same vibe as in Tahiti: way too relaxed 😀 our guide calls it “a tendency toward mediocrity” ahahah Personally, I’m not against working less, because I don’t work much either. But when you work, you should work well. Even if you’re open one day a week, you should at least do a good job that day.

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There aren’t many activities on the island. Locals have barbecues along the coast on weekends, hit the beach, enjoy the coves, fish, go boating… but it’s still pretty monotonous, I find. We also just take the car and drive along the island’s main roads.

And every now and then, the sunset is very satisfying:

The entire Northern part is only accessible on foot; we didn’t go there, but I know other tourists opt for horseback tours to visit moais isolated in the North. We also like another beach that’s harder to reach, Ovahe. Seven years ago, we spotted horses with their manes blowing in the wind at the top of the cliff. But not this year! The fact that there’s an old incineration site right next to it doesn’t make us want to swim. Plus, the water has more algae than at Anakena.

We really like the crater of an ancient volcano turned into a lake (Hanga Roa), visible from the plane. We go there some evenings to stargaze because it’s high up and there’s absolutely no light.

We don’t get 4G with our Movistar SIM, but apparently Entel works. At the port, they told me there’s a lady with a Starlink antenna who can sell you internet access. Personally, we didn’t miss it because we have Starlink at our hotel. The Starlink subscription costs only 45,000 pesos per month, even on Easter Island! It’s incredible!

There are two 5-star hotels on the island, and we decide to go for a drink at one of them, recommended by our guide who used to work there (Explora, $1000 per night half-board, excursion included). It has about thirty rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, but it’s located in the middle of the island. They didn’t seem too welcoming at first, but eventually offered us a drink in the lounge. Today they’re expecting a group of round-the-world travelers arriving by charter. They’re mostly older people doing a 30-day world tour. They travel by charter (a 300-seat plane refitted to 100 seats) and stay only in 5-star hotels. Excursions are tailored to their interests. Unfortunately, some tourist sites are inaccessible to them because they’re not near an airport or there are no 5-star hotels there. The tour costs about $40,000 per person, all-inclusive. We looked at the list of places they visit and have nothing to envy because we’ve already visited everything (for much less!) except Petra.

Since our hotel provides a hearty breakfast, we make small sandwiches for lunch and dine at restaurants (and enjoy the sunset whenever possible).

Day 6

Before leaving, we still pay for a guided tour to enter our favorite sites: the moai factory (Rano Raraku), the platform with 15 moai (Ahu Tongariki), and the topknot quarry (Puna Pau). The tour lasts 3 hours and costs 120,000 pesos (ouch!). We can’t go through tours because these 3 sites are part of 2 different tours, so a private guide is better.

The price makes JB want to become a tour guide himself haha, but with the new measures, Rapa Nui limits immigration; only people with Rapa Nui roots are allowed to apply for a new residence permit.

Our guide is French but has lived here for a very long time. Even though he doesn’t teach us much about the archaeological sites, he’s our ticket to get into them. I won’t share his contact info because I find him just okay. But we can ask him lots of questions about life on the island, especially during Covid. They lacked nothing; boats came as usual, and people brought fruits and vegetables from their gardens. In the end, it mostly made them realize they’d prefer fewer tourists. Soon there will be an election, and everyone hopes to get rid of corruption and have a nice new mayor. The island is financially controlled by two big families, and it’s not pretty.

When we visit the moai factory, the man checking entries asks for our hotel’s name. When we answer “Tuava Lodge”, he asks if we got guavas at breakfast because other tourists from our hotel didn’t. We found the question a bit weird, but our guide later explained that “tuava” means guava hahaha. After careful observation, we noticed a big guava tree in the middle of our hotel. And there are plenty of unripe fruits, which is why we only get guavas every other breakfast; our neighbors probably hit a bad day 🙂

P/S: All information about the archaeological sites will be detailed in another article.

At the exit of the moai factory, there’s a man selling homemade fruit juices in water bottles. I bought two bottles of his elixir of youth, containing detox herbs. Spoiler: it doesn’t work!

Day 7

On the last day, we visit the archaeological museum (free). The road leading to it is under construction, and JB had the bright idea to take a big detour by car. We surprise a Canadian couple struggling to explain over the phone to their hotel how to arrange a taxi to pick them up given the construction… and offer them a ride, it’s easier. If the taxi can’t find them, they’ll have to walk along the coast and take 45 minutes to get back. Knowing they’re on the same flight as us that afternoon.

The man explains he booked his guide a YEAR in advance. Being meticulous, he wanted someone who really knows archaeology. The lady adds that her guide was so exceptional she already knew everything written in the museum. I asked for the guide’s contact info for you, but the email the man sent me never arrived. It’s a certain Patricia from a certain agency, very famous. That’s it! And she speaks English! 😀 Good luck finding her!

I conclude that if you want an exceptional guide, you need to book well in advance, not like us (2 days ahead hehe).

JB drops me off with the luggage at the airport. Then, he returns the car and walks to the airport (a 15-minute walk). I noted in my old article from 7 years ago how good the avocado sandwich at the airport was. I’ll add this time that the homemade pineapple juice is also delicious! It’s better than what we’ll have later in Santiago. Don’t miss it, despite the price (€8 for the sandwich!)

I’ll tell you more about the archaeological sites in another article.

Part 2: Practical Tips

Budget

• Flight: €300/person (book well in advance, JB’s tip)
• Hotel: €90/night for two, breakfast included (book well in advance on Booking)
• Car rental (optional): between 45,000 and 80,000 pesos/day (can be done same day at Haunani Rent a car)
• Guide: between 80,000 pesos and 120,000 pesos for 3 hours (book well in advance)
• Restaurant: 15,000 pesos/person/meal
  • At the end of the world: the tuna ceviche is prepared “tuna tartare” style, it’s a Belgian family that runs the restaurant, I highly recommend it!
  • Tataku Vave: perfect for sunset, very good
  • La Kaleta: perfect for sunset, very good
• Entry to archaeological sites: 80,000 pesos/person (valid for one week) (buy online, it’s easier)

I won’t give you the contact details of my guide, nor my hotel Tuava Lodge, because I find them average.