A trip to the Pacific: The best activities to do on Rapa Nui

It is said that Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Chile, offering a lot of activities.

When you think about Rapa Nui, the most isolated place in the world, you might automatically picture the moai, huge monolithic sculptures that you can only find in this part of the world. However, there are actually many more activities that you can do with your family, friends, or partner.

We will tell you about some activities you cannot miss when traveling to Rapa Nui.

Watching the sunrise in Ahu Tongariki

Tongariki is the group of 15 giant moai that face away from the Pacific Ocean, forming the largest ceremonial platform on Rapa Nui. This place is completely reconstructed, so it is easy to imagine what it looked like hundreds of years ago when they arrived here.

Visiting this place is impressive at any time of day. Nevertheless, one of the activities we recommend if you are visiting Rapa Nui is watching the sunrise. You should get there approximately one hour before sunrise, since the place gets crowded with tourists who are looking to live the same experience. Additionally, the sky is filled with red, purple, and yellow tones 30 minutes before sunrise.

Diving on Rapa Nui

Rapa Nui has one of the prettiest marine ecosystems in the world, with stone formations, coral reef walls, and lots of sea life, with 26% of it being endemic species (meaning that they can only be found on this island). On days with good visibility, you can see up to 60 meters ahead of you thanks to the low pollution and absence of plankton.

One of the most popular diving spots is Arrecife de las Ancoras, where you will find the submerged moai. This is one of the most exciting activities to do on Rapa Nui! It is important to note that this moai is not genuine. It was installed so that travelers could visit it when diving.

For expert divers, the motus are an amazing experience. These 3 islets located near the Orongo volcano have coral reef walls up to 70 meters deep, having the best visibility in the area.

Enjoying the beach

Playa Anakena is 17 kilometers away from Hanga Roa, and it is the most popular and beautiful beach on the island, with white sand and quiet waters where you can float. This beach is surrounded by Polynesian palm trees and, behind it, a ceremonial altar with 7 moai, some of them reconstructed.

This is one of the activities you can enjoy if you are traveling with kids, since it also has picnic zones. If you do not feel like cooking, there are some restaurants with views of the beach where you can enjoy some tasty ceviche or one of the traditional tuna empanadas on the island.

Renting a car and driving around Rapa Nui

Renting a car and driving around Rapa Nui is one of the activities you cannot miss. There are many companies in the town of Hanga Roa that will let you rent cars for a day or more. This is, undoubtedly, the best way to get to know the island.

You can drive along coastal highways and visit different points and ceremonial platforms such as Ahu Vinaku, Ahu Akahanga, the navel of the world, and many other that you can easily access and visit at your own pace. Additionally, you will see beautiful views of cliffs and plains.

Seeing the moai in Rano Raraku

Seeing the moai in Rano Raraku is one of the most popular activities on Rapa Nui. Rano Raraku is a volcano in the middle of the island that used to be a quarry for the creation of these marvelous sculptures. Since they were crafted here and then transported to different points and platforms in Ahu, many of them would break, fall to the ground, and later be ignored, so many pieces were left scattered throughout the slope of the volcano. That is why there are more than 400 moai in different stages of fabrication, of different shapes and sizes.

You can walk along marked paths between the moai and even reach the crater of the volcano. This is an excellent opportunity to discover more about these sculptures and their history.

Watching a traditional dance show

Lastly, you cannot miss one of the best night activities on Rapa Nui, when the volcano and moai tours end. We are talking about the traditional dance shows such as fiesta Tapati, which is celebrated in Hanga Roa, where Rapa Nui people dance in their traditional clothes to the rhythm of Polynesian songs. These dances represent many topics, such as war or love. The female dancers sway their hips while the male dancers show a wide array of strong movements that leave the audience amazed.

Visiting Orongo, the ceremonial city in Rapa Nui, and the Rano Kau volcano

The Rano Kau volcano is one of the favorite places for visitors. From up above, you can watch the inactive crater that is nowadays covered by a natural lagoon full of flora and fauna.

The ancestral city Orongo is located in the slope of the volcano, on the side that faces the ocean. People used to celebrate the Hombre Pájaro (Bird man) ritual here. You can see the ruins of what used to be homes built around the year 1400 and an extraordinary view of the 3 motus or islets: Motu Nui, Motu Iti, and Motu Kao Kao.