SherryStay Destination Guide
Easter Island
Rapa Nui — the most remote inhabited island on Earth, where hundreds of moai stand watch over the Pacific.
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.
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
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 (valid multiple days) and plan the moai sites around it — 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 ~5.5h flight from Santiago (with a seasonal Tahiti link). Book far ahead.
- 2There'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.
3–5 nights
- • Santiago (5.5h flight)
- • Atacama Desert (via Santiago)
- • Tahiti (seasonal LATAM route)
