Discover the Moia at Easter Island

You’re bound to have some jet lag when you arrive at Easter Island. From Chile’s capital of Santiago, it’ll probably be a six-hour flight and take up most of the day. However, even if you’re a little tired, do yourself a favor and stay up until the sun goes down and the stars come out. Easter Island is so remote that the sky lights up at night with countless numbers of stars.

After all the travel and stargazing yesterday, you’re probably a little tired, so we’ll take it easy at Anakena Beach on the north side of the island. While most of Easter Island’s coastline is rocky, Anakena is just one of two sand beaches on the island. Palm trees have been brought in from Tahiti to give the beach a more tropical feel. Of course, you can’t go wrong with swimming in the crystal clear water or scanning the scenery around you in search of a Moai statue.

The area on the east side of the island called Ahu Tongariki is not only to some amazing, restored Moai statues but also one of the best sunrises you’ll ever see. During the day, we’ll take a trip to the Rapa Nui Museum to get a little more background information on Easter Island. We don’t want to wear you out before heading over to Ahu Tahai on the west side of the island to watch a magnificent sunset behind the Moai statues.

We’ve got plenty of sun over the past couple of days, and now it’s time to start exploring Easter Island by spending the day at Rapa Nui National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that takes up 42% of the island. Rest assured, you will see plenty of the Moai statues, not to mention stone villages, volcanic peaks, and just about everything else Easter Island has to offer. You may even sneak a peek at some of the animal species that are endemic to Easter Island.

On a small island that’s surrounded by water, it’s only natural to spend a little time under water. Even if you’ve been scuba diving before, you probably haven’t been in water this clear, as the visibility under the water is crystal clear. There is an underwater Moai statue here that you can swim around.

After a day underwater, it’s time to get back to exploring Easter Island. One place on the island that must be given plenty of attention is the Rano Raraku Quarry. The quarry is on the edge of a dormant volcano, and it’s the place where most of the Moai statues were carved before they were taken to other parts of the island. Not far from Rano Raraku is another can’t-miss spot: Ahu Tongariki. This is where you can find 15 statues sitting on a platform all in a row. It’s quite a sight to see in person.

Easter Island wouldn’t exist without volcanoes, so on your last full day there, it’s only appropriate that you check out the three central volcanoes, all of which are now extinct. This is also the best way to see parts of the island you could have missed earlier in the week. First, there’s Poike in the northeast corner, followed by Terevaka, which offers the highest point on Easter Island at over 1,600 feet. Finally, there’s Rano Kau in the island’s southwest corner where a large crater is now home to a freshwater lake and tons of beautiful green vegetation.

Meet for a morning breakfast to wrap up your visit to one of the most exciting places on the planet before flying back to Santiago and beginning your departure home.