2-Day Private Tour Easter Island Highlights Complete Discovery
Description
Venture into the fascinating ancient world of Easter Island. Maximize your experience by spending two full days learning about the history, culture, archaeology and legends of this awe-inspiring, unique island. Enjoying the personalized experience of having a guide of your own, you will have all the time in the world for questions, and you'll be able to have the tour adjust to your taste and liking. During the two days you'll visit all of the highlights of Easter Island, including Orongo, Rano Raraku, Ahu Tongariki, Ahu Akivi and much, much more. The itinerary is highly optimized to visit the sites with best possible light conditions, and with the least amounts of crowds.
Tour Options
Itinerary
At the most beautiful beach of the island, the capital of the ancient society was located. In the sand stands a monument with the best preserved restored moais of the entire island. Quite recently they were dug up after centuries of having been buried in the sand. If interested in having a swim or enjoying some beach time, we suggest coming back on your own, as the tour will mainly focus on the archaeological and historical aspect of this area.
The tallest moai that was ever successfully transported to its ahu can be found in this area. It was an amazing 9.9 m tall. Just like all other statues it was toppled in ancient times, and today it is still unrestored. There is also a round magnetic rock in this area that some say has magical properties.
Small volcano where the red scoria stone was quarried for the moai statue topknots - the so called pukao. All of the moai statue pukaos come from this place.
The only monument with moais that are looking out towards the sea. Some say that these statues were built to represent the first seven settlers that arrived to Easter Island a thousand years ago.
The tribesmen of this village were remarkably ambitious and hard-working. They raised several statues at three different ahu platforms. A ramp was made to enter the ocean from within the area.
The crater of volcano Rano Kau is one of the most stunning views of the whole island. Its crater lake was one of the most important sources of drinking water in ancient times.
Ceremonial stone village dedicated to the birdman competition, located at the ridge of volcano Rano Kau. From within Orongo we will have a fantastic view of the crater of this volcano.
The most perfectly fit rock wall, Ahu Tahira, is found in this area. It was engineered with such skill that many draw conclusions on contact with the Inca Empire.
Hanga Poukura: Close to Vinapu we have the area of Hanga Poukura. This is a beautiful coastal area of interesting, rough lava rock formations has several unique features. Several statues are in a strange and mysterious manner buried in a line, with only the backs being visible. The ahu is one of the most well-made ever with blocks that are cut for a better fit. Hanga Poukura area also has an amazing natural phenomena that has been occurring constantly since this these areas were created by lava flows almost a million years ago - a blowhole. The blowhole of Hanga Poukura is one of the best ones of Rapa Nui, and when the ocean is right, water will spurt up into the air as waves come in.
This area has a replica of an ancient village built up in modern times. We will be able to see examples of how ancient plantation techniques work, and we will have the opportunity to enter replicas of the ancient "boat houses" that were used hundreds of years ago.
Feel the presence of history as you walk among the ruins of one of Rapa Nui’s largest ancient villages. Explore boat-shaped house foundations, earth ovens, and a massive ceremonial platform where moai statues still lie toppled. A second, unrestored ahu nearby holds 13 statues of varying sizes — a powerful reminder of the island’s past. According to legend, this sacred site is also the burial place of the island’s first king - Hotu Matu'a.
The volcano that was converted into a mass production factory of gigantic megaliths. Virtually all statues were carved here. One day the workers stopped, and the hundreds of statues that were left behind haven't moved since.
The largest monument on Easter Island, Ahu Tongariki features 15 massive moai standing proudly against the ocean backdrop. Once toppled by an earthquake and swept inland by a tsunami, these giants were restored to their original glory — a breathtaking symbol of Rapa Nui’s strength, history, and spiritual legacy.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick Up Time: For both days pick up time will be at 09.30, unless a different time is agreed upon Start Point: Your hotel on Easter Island Return point: Your hotel on Easter Island
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The duration of transfers are approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
- Please have your national park ticket ready for your tour, and bring it with you at all times; National park tickets should be bought upon arrival to the airport; This is required for all visitors to Easter Island
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Reviews(112)
This was the perfect tour and the perfect tour guide. Yeni is the perfect tour guide very knowledgeable on Rapa Nui history and culture. As well as being one of the most pleasant and interesting people you could spend your day with. With only having 5 days on the island this 2 day tour is perfect for getting about and seeing as much of Rapa Nui as possible i would highly recommend.
Meeting Eteanne and having the opportunity for him to tell us, his island was one of the highlights of our entire trip in Chile. We can’t thank him enough for giving us his kindness, wisdom, and experience of a lifetime.. he is one of the best tour experiences that we have ever had. Thank you from the bottom of our heart Sand and Fred ❤️❤️❤️.
Tour was canselled unexpectedly befor one day of the trip! This ruined all the plans, as you can't get into the reserve without a guide!
This review is a mistake. We have never cancelled a tour, at least during the last 10 years! We are Easter Island Travel. Please check the agency name, and please do remove the review, because it doesn't correspond to us.
Excellent tour highlights, Easter island. Our guide Gabriel was knowledgeable and very friendly. He provided door-to-door service our hotel. Private tour provided advantages as it allowed us to adjust itinerary according to our preference.
A wonderful 2 days exploring the island. Our tour guide Yeni was fabulous. She was so full of information and took the time to show us around the island she calls home. She was passionate, knowledgeable and incredibly accomodating. Definitely recommend paying the extra for the smaller private tour. Could not recommend this tour or our tour guide enough!
Our guide was Yeni. She is Rapa Nui, and a US educated anthropologist. She is AMAZING. The two day schedule she put together for us was perfect! Essentially half the island one day and the rest on day two. She allowed us to set the pace. We learned all about the different tribes and rituals while visiting numerous sites each day. The highlight would have to be visiting the Moai quarry, Rano a Raraku, and Tonariki, the platform with the 15 moai. I highly recommend this tour!!!
Fantastic two full days.Our guide Yeni was absolutely brilliant so knowledgable and spoke very clearly plus was great fun.We have come away with a better understanding of the history of Rapa Nui thanks to Yeni.This the tour to book
I am so thankful that we chose this tour company. There were many choices and honestly it was a bit overwhelming keeping track of all the sites to see. We chose two full day private tours and one morning sunrise. We had Yenni as our guide and she was beyond amazing. She grew up on the island but also lived in the US for years and has several college degrees including Anthropology so she has expert knowledge to share. She also takes great photo's for you and pretty much knows everyone on the island so she helped us plan our trip even when we weren't touring with her. She constantly made sure our needs were met and allowed us to set the tour pace that worked best for us. We stayed at Nayara Resort which lists itself as the only 5 star hotel and includes an all inclusive option for touring the island. With that said, I am so happy that I made the decision to hire my own private guide and skip the hotel group tours. I had to rely on our private guide Yenni for most of our dining and island information as the hotel staff just lacked the necessary information. When you are paying top dollar to travel remote you need to make the most of your time on the island. Don't have regrets, make sure you book the best tour company so you know that you truly had the best experience and saw everything noteworthy on the island. If you speak English Yenni is your guide and I hope you love her as much as we did.
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a great experience with Yenicet — she’s truly an amazing guide and person. We really appreciate you choosing us!
This private tour was absolutely everything we hoped it would be and MORE!!! Of course the island is beautiful and amazing in many ways but our guide, Yeni, definitely made the island and all of it's rich history come to life. Growing up in Rapa Nui she had first hand knowledge of history, culture, and so many stories. She was constantly asking about our interests in what to prioritize in seeing at the island and gave us an experience that will be a top memory for a lifetime. The vehicle was top notch, clean and comfortable, and all the little details thought of as well. This is the top guided adventure that our family has ever experienced. Thanks to Yeni and Easter Island Travel for making our trip exceptional!
While expensive, this tour was well worth the price. Our guide, Yani, was phenomenal. If the other guides are like her, you will be in great hands. She was knowledgeable, kind, and knows everyone on the island, so interactions with park rangers were like meeting old friends or family members. She helped us out in getting to the airport after lunch to retrieve our son’s late luggage, recommended an amazing local empenada place (get the octopus) and was great when our son wasn’t feeling well. We hit all the major sites, got great information, and really enjoyed our two days. We highly recommend this tour.
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear you had a great experience with Yenicet. She truly loves sharing the history and culture of Rapa Nui, and we’re glad she made your tour even more special.
