From average weather, 2021 to 2025: days that are warm but not hot, with few rainy days, score highest. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
Arrival day
Before Day 1. The island is small and the pace is slow, so keep the first evening easy.Details
Flying in
Flights reach Mataveri airport from Santiago only, across about 3,500 km of open Pacific. The airport sits beside Hanga Roa, so the ride into town is short. Check ahead on schedules and baggage limits.
Getting around
A rental car or a scooter gives you freedom, and a local guide adds the history and the stories. Horses and cattle wander onto the roads, so drive slowly and stay on the roads and tracks.
Sun and water
There are few trees and the sun is strong, even on a cloudy day. Bring a hat, sun protection and a bottle of water for each site, and a light rain layer for the showers that come and go.
Park ticket
Most sites lie inside Rapa Nui National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and need a ticket. Check ahead on how to buy it, what it covers and how many visits it allows. Day 1 is in town, so you can sort it out first.
Day 1. Hanga Roa
5 stops · 5.1 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
1
MorningWorth the time
Father Sebastian Englert Anthropological Museum
A small museum about how the island was settled and how the Rapa Nui lived, with carvings, tools and photographs. Read it first, since the sites on the next days make more sense afterward. Check ahead for visiting times.
Go whenMidday, out of the sun, before you see the sites.
Local tip Read the panels on how the island was settled and how the statues were moved. It makes the next days richer. Check ahead that it is open.
The small working harbor of the island, with fishing boats, surf breaking on the black rock and the town behind. A good place to get your bearings and watch the swell.
Go whenMorning, when the fishing boats are in and the light is soft.
Local tip Stay back from the rocks when the swell is big, since the waves can reach higher than they look. Watch the surfers from the wall.
Tuna comes in from the boats that leave the harbor, and ceviche is the simple way to eat it: raw fish cured in lime with onion and herbs. Look for it on the small menus around the harbor in Hanga Roa.
Local tip Order a small plate to share, and eat it while it is cold.
Stalls of carved wood and stone, jewelry and cloth, made by people from the island. Ask about the maker and the materials, and ask what may be taken out of the country.
Go whenAfternoon, when you have no site to reach.
Local tip Talk to the makers and ask what a piece is made of. Buy a carving from the person who made it, and ask what you may take out of the country.
A restored ceremonial site on the coast just outside town, with three platforms and several statues, one of them given back its eyes of white coral. Stay on the paths and keep back from the stones as the sun goes down over the sea.
Go whenEvening, around sunset (about 9:01 PM), when the statues stand dark against the sky.
Local tip It is a short walk from town along the coast. Keep to the paths and never step on a platform, since the stones are sacred to the Rapa Nui.
A smaller bay at the south end of town, with rocks and the open sea in front. A quiet place to watch the sun go down on the last evening.
Go whenEvening, around sunset (about 9:01 PM), to watch the sky over the sea.
Local tip Stay back from the wet rocks, and bring a light layer, since the breeze picks up when the sun goes down.
Dinner
A fish dinner by the sea
Finish with a plate of the local catch, a salad and something sweet, in town on a quiet street near the shore. Ask where you are staying for a table with a view.
Local tip Book a table if it is a busy night, and ask for the fish of the day.
If it rains. Father Sebastian Englert Anthropological Museum is covered, so keep it. Move Hanga Roa Harbor, Hanga Roa Craft Market, Ahu Tahai and Hanga Piko to a dry day if you can.
Day 2. The north coast and Anakena and Rano Raraku and Tongariki
3 stops · 23.4 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Travel from Hanga PikoAbout 31 min by car or transit16.0 km
Where Day 1 ended.
1
MorningWorth the time
Ahu Tongariki
Fifteen statues in a row on one long platform, raised again in the 1990s after a tsunami had scattered them. The sun comes up beyond them over the sea. These are sacred ancestors, so stay behind the line and never touch them.
Go whenFirst light, when the sun comes up beyond the statues.
Local tip Arrive before dawn and bring a warm layer, since the wind can be cool at that hour. Stay behind the markers and never touch a statue.
The island's best known beach, with white sand, palms and calm turquoise water. Tradition says the first settlers landed here. Swim, rest in the shade and give the hottest hours to the water.
Go whenMidday, for a swim in the calm water.
Local tip The sun is strong and the shade is thin, so bring a hat and sun protection and rest under the palms. Respect the area around the statues behind the sand.
Sweet potato (camote) and banana have been grown on the island for a long time, and they still turn up on the table, boiled, baked or fried. A simple plate, filling and warm.
Local tip Ask for them alongside grilled fish for a simple lunch.
Statues on the edge of the beach, kept in good condition because sand once covered them. Some wear red topknots, and carved designs show on their backs. Look from the paths and keep off the platform.
Go whenAfternoon, once the sun has dropped a little.
Local tip Look closely at the carved designs on the backs of the statues. Stay on the path and never touch them.
If it rains. Everything today is outdoors, so swap this day with a drier one if you can.
Day 3. Rano Raraku and Tongariki and the north coast and Anakena
3 stops · 16.1 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Travel from Ahu Nau NauAbout 16 min by car or transit5.8 km
Where Day 2 ended.
1
MorningA walk for the view
Terevaka
The highest point on the island, an old volcano with a long, open grass slope and a wide view over the whole island and the sea on every side. A walk, not a climb.
Go whenMorning, on a clear day, before the heat builds.
Local tip There is no shade, so bring water, a hat and sun protection. Wear good shoes and check ahead on the access rules before you set out.
The volcanic quarry where the moai were carved from the rock, with hundreds of statues, finished and unfinished, standing and lying on the grassy slope. Stay on the paths, and never touch, climb on or sit on a statue.
Go whenLate morning, when the light is on the slope.
Local tip Walk the marked path slowly and look for the unfinished statues still in the rock. Never touch, climb on or sit on a statue, and keep to the paths.
Empanadas de atun are baked or fried pastries filled with tuna, a staple snack of the island. Buy a few in town the evening before, since there is little to eat near the quarry.
Local tip Pack them with water and fruit, and carry out all your rubbish.
A still lake of reeds inside the crater of the same volcano, with statues looking down from the inner slope. Quiet, green and very different from the open coast.
Go whenAfternoon, after the quarry, when the crowds have thinned.
Local tip Take the path up to the crater rim and look down on the reeds. The slope can be slippery after rain, so wear shoes with a grip.
If it rains. Everything today is outdoors, so swap this day with a drier one if you can.
Day 4. The southwest, Rano Kau and Orongo and the north coast and Anakena
3 stops · 21.0 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Travel from Rano Raraku Crater LakeAbout 25 min by car or transit10.8 km
Where Day 3 ended.
1
MorningWorth a short stop
Ahu Akivi
Seven statues standing in a row on a hillside, set inland yet looking out to sea, which is unusual on the island. Quiet and open, with the long grass of the plateau all round.
Go whenMorning, on the way north.
Local tip It is a short stop beside a quiet track, so keep it short. Look at how the seven statues face the sea from far inland.
A platform with neatly fitted stones, quite unlike the other ahu on the island. Fallen statues lie nearby. It is quiet and often empty, a good place to sit a moment and reflect.
Go whenAfternoon, with few other visitors around.
Local tip Look at how tightly the large stones are fitted, then compare with other platforms you have seen. Keep to the paths and leave the stones where they lie.
Fresh tuna and other local fish are grilled and served with potato or sweet potato and a salad. A simple, filling lunch in the town after a morning out on the crater.
Local tip Ask what came in that morning, and order the fish of the day.
The small red quarry where the stone for the topknots, called pukao, was cut. Several lie on the slope, unfinished or left where they were being carried. Quiet and easy to miss.
Go whenAfternoon, when the red stone shows in the low light.
Local tip Keep to the paths and do not touch the stones. A short stop between the ahu on the south side.
If it rains. Everything today is outdoors, so swap this day with a drier one if you can.
Day 5. The southwest, Rano Kau and Orongo
2 stops · 9.5 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Travel from Puna PauAbout 17 min by car or transit6.4 km
Where Day 4 ended.
1
MorningWorth the time
Rano Kau
A vast crater, wide as a small valley, with a reed-covered lake in the bottom and the sea beyond the rim. Stop at the lookout and let the size of it sink in.
Go whenMorning, when the crater is clear and the air is cool.
Local tip The wind at the rim can be strong, so hold on to your hat. Stay behind the edge and on the marked path.
A cave at the water's edge with old paintings of birds on the ceiling, close to the airport. Waves hit the rocks outside. Access can be limited because of falling rock, so check ahead.
Go whenMorning, when the light reaches into the cave.
Local tip Stay out of the cave if the waves are rough, and do not step under loose rock. Access has been limited at times, so check ahead.
If it rains. Everything today is outdoors, so swap this day with a drier one if you can.
Day 6. The southwest, Rano Kau and Orongo, part 2
2 stops · 6.5 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Travel from Ana Kai TangataAbout 14 min by car or transit4.9 km
Where Day 5 ended.
1
MorningWorth a short look
Motu Nui
The small islet out in the sea below Orongo, where the birdman contest ended. Seabirds still nest on it. You see it from the cliff above, with the surf below.
Go whenMorning, from the edge of Orongo, in clear weather.
Local tip View it from the marked paths only. Swimming out to the islets is dangerous, so do not try.
A ceremonial village of low stone houses on the cliff edge between the crater and the ocean, with carvings of the birdman in the rock. Each year, men competed here to bring back the first egg of a seabird. Access can be limited, so check ahead.
Go whenMidday, when the light is high on the rock carvings.
Local tip Walk the path through the stone houses and look for the birdman carvings in the rock. Visiting rules can change, so check ahead, and never walk on the walls.
If it rains. Everything today is outdoors, so swap this day with a drier one if you can.
Departure day
After Day 5. The airport is close to town, but the flight to Santiago is the only way off, so leave a wide margin.Details
The last hours
If your flight is late in the day, ask where you are staying to keep your bags and spend the hours on foot in Hanga Roa, with a last look at the sea and the market stalls.
The car or scooter
Return a rental before you head to the airport and top up the tank the day before. The island has only a few places to buy fuel, so check ahead on their hours.
Leave it as it lies
Do not take stones, soil or old carved pieces home, even small ones. The rock of the island belongs to the island. Buy a carving from the person who made it, and ask what may travel.
The flight
Flights go back to Santiago only, so check ahead on schedules and baggage limits, and arrive at the airport in good time.
Questions people ask
When is the best time to visit Easter Island?
By average weather from 2021 to 2025, January, March and May to November are the most comfortable months for walking around Easter Island. This plan is built for early February, which is a good month. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
How many days does this plan cover?
It covers 6 days in Easter Island, planned for early February. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
Who is this plan for?
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
Is anything on this plan booked?
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Can I plan my own days like this?
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Can I change this plan?
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
How much walking is there?
Each day has about 1.7 to 10.3 kilometers between its stops, and 37.8 kilometers in all across 6 days. A short hop is a walk and a longer one a ride. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.