How many nights do you need on Easter Island?

Three to five. Flights are limited and the moai sites are spread right across the island.

Do you need a ticket to see the moai on Easter Island?

Yes, a national park ticket. It is bought once and valid for multiple days, and most moai sites cost nothing extra after that.

Where do you stay on Easter Island?

Hanga Roa, the only town on Easter Island, which holds the hotels, the dining and the harbour.

Is Easter Island expensive?

Groceries and fuel are shipped in and priced accordingly. A guesthouse, or residencial, with kitchen access beats eating out at every meal.

When should you visit Easter Island?

October, November, March and April. June and July are the months to avoid.

SherryStay Destination Guide

Easter Island

Rapa Nui — the most remote inhabited island on Earth, where hundreds of moai stand watch over the Pacific.

Chile

About Easter Island

Easter Island — Rapa Nui to the people who have always lived here — is the most isolated inhabited place on earth, a lone volcanic triangle 3,700 kilometres from the nearest coast. Nowhere else feels quite this far from the world, and nowhere else holds anything like the moai: nearly a thousand monolithic ancestor-figures, carved from compressed volcanic ash between roughly 1250 and 1500, standing with their backs to the sea to watch over the living. Stand at Ahu Tongariki at dawn as the sun rises behind fifteen of them, and the scale of the achievement lands in your chest. Walk the quarry of Rano Raraku, where hundreds more sleep half-finished in the hillside, and swim off the pink-tinged sand of Anakena. Everything orbits the one small town, Hanga Roa, where the same families now run the guesthouses and dive shops. This is not a place to rush through on a stopover; give it three or four unhurried days and Rapa Nui quietly rearranges your sense of distance, time and human ambition.

Sherry's Take

Everything happens in and around Hanga Roa, the only town. Give it at least three full days — one sunrise at Ahu Tongariki alone is worth the trip. Buy the Rapa Nui National Park ticket at the airport on arrival; it covers the moai sites for your whole stay.

Best For

HistoryBucket-listNatureCultureCouples

Go in

OctoberNovemberMarchApril

Avoid if possible

JuneJuly

Where to Stay

Hanga Roa

The only town — hotels, dining, harbour

Ahu Tongariki

Fifteen moai, the classic sunrise spot

Rano Raraku

The quarry where the moai were carved

Anakena

The island's only white-sand palm beach

Money-Saving Tips

1Buy the national park ticket once — US$80 for foreign visitors, valid 10 days — and plan the moai sites around it, because most cost nothing extra after that.
2Groceries and fuel are shipped in and pricey; a guesthouse (residencial) with kitchen access beats eating out every meal.

Getting Around

1LATAM is the only airline in — a 5 hours 30 minutes flight from Santiago to Mataveri (IPC), the island’s airport, with a seasonal Tahiti link. Book far ahead.
2Easter Island lies about 3,700 km off mainland Chile, which is why there is one route in and why fares move so little.
3There's no public transport; rent a car, ATV or scooter in Hanga Roa to reach the outer moai sites.

Most Common Mistake

Trying to "do" the island in one or two days on a stopover — the sites are spread out and a rushed visit wastes the long journey here.

Ideal Stay

3–5 nights

Combine with

• Santiago (5.5h flight)
• Atacama Desert (via Santiago)
• Tahiti (seasonal LATAM route)

Easter Island at a glance

Easter Island is in Chile.
Sherry suggests 3–5 nights in Easter Island.
Easter Island is reached only by air. LATAM is the only airline serving it, on a flight of about 5.5 hours from Santiago, with a seasonal Tahiti link.
There is no public transport on Easter Island. Visitors rent a car, ATV or scooter in Hanga Roa to reach the outer moai sites.

Common questions

How many nights do you need on Easter Island?: Three to five. Flights are limited and the moai sites are spread right across the island.
Do you need a ticket to see the moai on Easter Island?: Yes, a national park ticket. It is bought once and valid for multiple days, and most moai sites cost nothing extra after that.
Where do you stay on Easter Island?: Hanga Roa, the only town on Easter Island, which holds the hotels, the dining and the harbour.
Is Easter Island expensive?: Groceries and fuel are shipped in and priced accordingly. A guesthouse, or residencial, with kitchen access beats eating out at every meal.
When should you visit Easter Island?: October, November, March and April. June and July are the months to avoid.

Where to stay in Easter Island

Looking for hotels in Easter Island? It helps to decide on an area first — our guide to where to stay in Easter Island sets out which neighbourhoods suit which kind of trip.

Around Hostal the options include Hostal Vai Kapua, Hostal Rapa Nui, Hostal Raioha and Hostal Petero Atamu.

Around Caba the options include Hotel y Cabañas Tea Nui, Cabañas Koro Nui, Cabañas Moana Nui and Cabaña Hare Moana.

Around Hare the options include Hare Vaikapua and Hare Nua.

Elsewhere in the city you will also find Hotel Otai, Hotel Manavai, Easter Island Eco Lodge Hotel, Tekena Inn, Te Ariki - Adults Only, Residencial Tahai, Tuava Lodge, Apart Hotel Rapa Nui, Hotel Suites Y Restaurant Oreko, Cabanas Morerava, Taha Tai Hotel, Hotel Orongo, Hostal Vieroto and Keuhenua Hostal.