6-Day Easter Island Cultural Tour

Your Rapa Nui tour starts today! You arrive at Easter Island, Chile, where you will be welcomed in the traditional way with a flower-lei and receive an introduction into the customs and traditions of the ethnic group on the island by your tour guide.

When you get to the hotel, you will enjoy a welcome drink with our host-family Tuki, who will give some hints on how to behave responsibly on the island towards the culture of our local environment. You will have the afternoon off, to recover from the long flight (5 hours 40 minutes from Santiago) and to get to know the city of Hanga Roa.

During the second morning, you will depart for a half-day tour to the most important groups of the famous Moai-figures. First you will visit the Ahu Akahanga, approximately 13 km from Hanga Roa on the south coast of the island. This ceremonial center is a holy place for the Rapa Nui people, where according to their beliefs the first settler and king of this Polynesian island, Ariki Hotu a Matu´a, is buried.

Afterwards, you will continue to Rano Raraku, a territory which was once selected to create the majority of the tremendous Moai. You will continue along the North coast to Ahu Tongariki, the most important ceremonial site of Easter Island, where you will find 15 figures. Your excursion ends at the periphery of Hanga Roa, the capital, where you will prepare a traditional Rapa Nui – Curanto together with the Tuki Family.

Another beautiful day in Rapa Nui, Chile. Today’s excursion will lead you to Puna Pau, a crater of red bed ash, approximately 15 km from Hanga Roa. The red Stone is the material used to fabricate the “Pukao”, the hairstyle of the Moai figures. Afterwards, you will visit the famous beach of Anakena, famous for its warm turquoise waters and the coral sand.

Continuing on, you will visit the area of Poike near Rano Raraku volcano. Here, you will find the caves of Hanga Tu Hata and start the most interesting and extraordinary part of the day’s program: From the coast you will collect mussels and catch fish in the way the Rapa Nui have done for centuries in this place. Together with members of the Tuki Family, you will prepare the catch in the traditional Polynesian way, roasted on fire which is covered with stones.

In the morning you will depart for the exploration of the archeological sites Vinapu, Ana Kai Tangata and Orongo. Vinapu is located about 5 m from Hanga Roa on the southwest coast and comprises three Ahus, where the ancestors of the island families were honored. You will have sufficient time to examine these Ahus in detail, which have been built with a special technique, similar to the Inca-Constructions in Peru.

Your tour continues in this beautiful area of Rapanui, to the Ana Kai Tangata Caves, on the cliffs, south of Hanga Roa, near the village of Mataveri. Here, you will find the wall paintings of Manutara, a sea swallow, whose egg represents the center of the yearly traditional competition of the Rapa Nui. This competition is held at the border of the holy village of Orongo, which you will visit afterwards.

Today you will get onto the top of the Ma-unga Terevaka Volcano, which is the highest point on the island at 512 meters. If desired, there will be provided horses for this excursion. From here, you have a 360° view looking out onto the ocean, and on the horizon, you can clearly recognize the curvature of the earth.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy some time off. To end a day full of new experiences, your host family will prepare a farewell dinner. In the traditional manner, recently yielded fruits will be served, alongside other delicious local dishes and products. As usual during family-visits and according to their traditions, there will be a presentation of rhythmic Rapa Nui dances and music. In the end, your hosts will hand over a handmade present as a souvenir.

Today is your last day in Rapa Nui and will see you transfer to the airport. As the last goodbye, you will receive traditional necklaces made with small mussel shells. You will leave the island and depart for Santiago or Tahiti.