Rapa Nui: the complete guide to visiting the island
What Rapa Nui actually is, what you need to get in, the rules that govern the National Park, and what to do with the days you have. Written from the island, so you arrive knowing.
Where you are standing
Rapa Nui sits 3,700 km off the coast of Chile and some 2,000 km from its nearest inhabited neighbour. It is the most isolated inhabited place on Earth, and the whole of it fits into 163 km²: a volcanic triangle you can drive end to end in under an hour.
Inside that triangle there are around 900 moai and more than 300 ahu, the ceremonial platforms they stood on. But the island is not an archaeological site: it is the territory of a living people with its own language, and since 2018 that people runs the National Park. Almost everything you will be asked to do when you arrive — buy a ticket, hire a guide, stay on the path — comes from there.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Names | Rapa Nui · Easter Island · Te Pito o Te Henua |
| Location | South Pacific, 3,700 km from mainland Chile |
| Size | 163 km² · highest point: Terevaka, 510 m |
| Population | Around 8,000 |
| Only town | Hanga Roa |
| Languages | Spanish and Rapa Nui |
| Currency | Chilean peso (CLP) |
| Time | 2 hours behind mainland Chile |
| Getting there | By air only, from Santiago (5 h 10 min) |
| Heritage | Rapa Nui National Park, UNESCO since 1995 |
The guide, part by part
How to visit
Entry requirements, the FUI form, the National Park ticket, why a guide is mandatory, and the rules that carry fines.
The places
Rano Raraku, Tongariki, Orongo, Anakena and eleven more sites: what they are, why they matter and how each one is visited.
Things to do and itineraries
Diving, hiking, horseback riding, sunrises and living culture, with ready-made 3, 5 and 7 day itineraries.
History and culture
From Hotu Matu'a to today: the moai and how they moved, the birdman, rongorongo, and what we now know about the supposed collapse.
Before you travel
When to go, flights, accommodation, money, health, connectivity, what to pack and what you are not allowed to bring.
Tours with island guides
An accredited guide is mandatory inside the park. These are the ones who work with us, with their specialities and prices.
What you cannot get wrong
If you read only one paragraph of this whole guide, make it this one. These six things are what leave people stranded at Santiago airport or cost them a full day on the island.
- The FUI is mandatory and comes before the flight. It is a free online form, required of everyone regardless of nationality. Without it approved you will not be allowed to board.
- You need a return ticket and booked accommodation with a SERNATUR-registered provider. Both are checked in the same procedure.
- The maximum stay is 30 days. Not extendable except in cases of force majeure.
- The National Park ticket is bought separately and lasts 10 consecutive days. Buy it online before you travel.
- Rano Raraku and Orongo allow one visit per ticket. The two most important sites on the island. Do not burn them on a rushed stop.
- Inside the park you need an accredited guide. This is not a recommendation: it is the rule, and it is checked at the entrance to every site.