Day 3 – Ahu Tongariki, Rano Raraku, Other Places

On the third day in Easter Island, we hired a local guide to travel with us to the sights of Easter Island that mandates a tour guide to visit.

While it’s possible to explore parts of Easter Island independently, hiring a knowledgeable local guide adds a completely different dimension to the experience. Many Rapa Nui residents are licensed tour guides, offering invaluable insights into the island’s history, archaeology, culture, and traditions that you simply won’t get from reading information boards. We explored the island with Iti Kaltenegger (Contact: Instagram and WhatsApp), and it was one of the best decisions we made during our trip. Her deep knowledge of Easter Island, engaging storytelling, and passion for Rapa Nui culture brought every archaeological site to life.

If you’re looking for one of the best local guides on Easter Island, we can confidently recommend her. Her friendly personality, flexibility, and extensive knowledge helped make our visit to all these sights an unforgettable experience.

Ahu Tongariki

Waking up early and heading out at 5:30am was one of the easiest decisions we made because we knew we were heading to Ahu Tongariki, the island’s largest and most iconic moai platform. As we arrived in the darkness, the silhouettes of the fifteen towering moai stood silently against the horizon, creating an atmosphere that was both peaceful and unforgettable. As the first light of day began to appear, the sky gradually transformed into shades of orange, pink, and purple, and watching the sun rise directly behind the ancient statues was nothing short of magical. It was one of those travel moments where everything fell perfectly into place, and we found ourselves simply standing in silence, taking in the incredible beauty of Rapa Nui.

The site is not only the largest ceremonial platform on the island but also one of its most significant archaeological landmarks, with all fifteen restored moai standing proudly in a single row overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As the daylight grew stronger, we could truly appreciate the scale and craftsmanship of these remarkable stone figures while learning about their fascinating history.

Tips: Temperatures can be surprisingly chilly before dawn, even during the warmer months. We recommend bringing a warm jacket or layers, plenty of water, and, if you have space, a foldable chair so you can comfortably enjoy the sunrise. A thermos of hot coffee or tea is also a great idea while you wait for the first light to illuminate the moai at Ahu Tongariki.

Important National Park Tip: If you’re planning to visit both Ahu Tongariki and Rano Raraku, timing matters. Both sites can only be entered once using your Rapa Nui National Park ticket when accompanied by a guide. However, there is one exception: if your first visit to Ahu Tongariki is for sunrise, you’ll still be allowed to return later during daylight hours as part of a guided visit. The reverse is not permitted — if you visit Ahu Tongariki during the day first, you won’t be able to re-enter for sunrise. For the best experience, we highly recommend scheduling your first visit to Ahu Tongariki at sunrise before returning later to appreciate the site in full daylight.

Missed the sunrise entry? (and breakfast): If you’ve already visited Ahu Tongariki during the day and aren’t permitted to re-enter for sunrise, don’t worry — you can still enjoy the spectacle from outside the national park boundary. Simply park in the designated area outside the entrance (shown by the green square on the map) and watch the sunrise from there. While you’ll be much farther away from the fifteen moai than visitors inside the site, the view is still impressive, especially as the first rays of sunlight illuminate the statues. Bringing a camera with a telephoto lens or a pair of binoculars will help you appreciate the details from a distance and still experience one of the most iconic sunrises on Easter Island.

The blue square on the map indicates a food-truck serving delicious ‘completé’ (sandwich with sausage, cream, guacomole and veggies) for CLP 6,000 each! This food-truck is located right before the entrance of the park.

 
Later in the day, we revisited Ahu Tongariki during the daylight hours to see the glory of this spectacle!

 

Rano Ranaku

Often referred to as the “birthplace of the moai,” this extinct volcanic crater is where nearly all of the island’s famous stone statues were carved from volcanic tuff before being transported to ceremonial platforms across Rapa Nui. As we walked along the trails, it felt as though we had stepped into an open-air museum. Everywhere we looked, partially carved moai emerged from the hillside, some standing upright, others lying unfinished where ancient craftsmen left them centuries ago. It was incredible to see firsthand how these monumental statues were created and to imagine the immense effort required to carve and move them across the island.

The scenery at Rano Raraku is just as remarkable as its history. The green slopes of the volcanic crater are dotted with nearly 400 moai in various stages of completion, creating one of the most unique archaeological landscapes in the world. Walking through the site at a relaxed pace gave us plenty of opportunities to admire the craftsmanship of the ancient Rapa Nui people while soaking in the breathtaking scenery that surrounds this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While sites like Ahu Tongariki showcase the finished moai standing proudly in formation, Rano Raraku tells the story of where it all began.

 

One of the most impressive sights at Rano Raraku is El Gigante, the largest moai ever carved on Easter Island.

Measuring approximately 21 meters (69 feet) in length and estimated to weigh around 270 tons, this enormous unfinished statue remains attached to the volcanic bedrock where Rapa Nui artisans abandoned it centuries ago.

Although it was never completed or transported to its intended destination, seeing the sheer scale of the statue offered us a fascinating glimpse into the engineering achievements of the Rapa Nui civilization and became one of the most memorable highlights of our visit to Rano Raraku.

 

Hanga Te’e Vai Hu

One of the lesser-known but worthwhile stops near Rano Raraku is Hanga Te’e Vai Hu, a quiet archaeological site that offers a different perspective on Easter Island’s rich history. Unlike the fully restored platforms found elsewhere on Rapa Nui, the moai at Hanga Te’e Vai Hu remain exactly as they were discovered after toppling centuries ago. Scattered across the ground in front of their ahu, the fallen statues provide a powerful reminder of the island’s turbulent past and allow visitors to see these remarkable monuments in their original post-collapse state.

Beyond the moai, the reconstructed hare paenga, the traditional boat-shaped houses once served as homes for the Rapa Nui people. Built with stone foundations and originally covered with thatch, these elongated huts had remarkably low entrances that helped protect their occupants from the island’s strong coastal winds. Walking among these reconstructed dwellings made it much easier to imagine what daily life would have been like centuries ago. Nearby, there are also restored stone features, including cooking areas, earth ovens (umu pae), and other remnants of an ancient village that reveal how families lived, prepared food, and gathered together in this coastal settlement.

With the Pacific Ocean stretching out behind the ancient stone platform and the rugged coastline surrounding us, Hanga Te’e Vai Hu had a peaceful atmosphere that encouraged us to slow down and appreciate the island’s history.

 

Ahu Akivi

A visit to Ahu Akivi was one of the most unique stops because it is the only ceremonial platform where the seven restored moai face directly toward the Pacific Ocean. According to Rapa Nui tradition, these statues represent the seven explorers sent by King Hotu Matu’a to discover the island before the first settlers arrived.

What makes Ahu Akivi even more fascinating is its remarkable astronomical alignment. The seven moai are positioned so that they face the setting sun during the spring equinox and the rising sun during the autumn equinox, demonstrating the impressive knowledge of astronomy possessed by the ancient Rapa Nui people. Unlike many of the island’s ceremonial platforms that overlook the coastline, Ahu Akivi sits several kilometers inland, making it a unique and intriguing stop that highlights a different chapter of Easter Island’s history and culture.

 

Cueva De Las Dos Ventanas

One of the more unusual places on Easter Island was Cueva de las Dos Ventanas (Cave of the Two Windows), a lava tube cave that offers both fascinating geology and spectacular coastal views. Formed by ancient volcanic activity, the cave gets its name from two natural openings in the rock that frame the Pacific Ocean like giant windows.

As we stepped inside and looked out through these openings, the contrast between the dark volcanic rock and the brilliant blue ocean created one of the most striking photo opportunities on Rapa Nui.

Exploring the cave was a fun change of pace from visiting the island’s many moai sites. A 30 minute walk from the parking lot through the uneven lava rock, rugged interior, and constant sound of waves crashing against the cliffs gave the cave an adventurous feel. Looking through the two “windows,” we could watch the powerful surf below while appreciating just how dramatic Easter Island’s volcanic coastline really is. Depending on the time of day, the sunlight filtering into the cave creates beautiful patterns and makes the surrounding landscape even more photogenic.

 

 
After visiting most of the sights in Easter Island, we headed back to Hanga Roa, dropped off our guide and walked to Moorea Resturant for ceviche dinner.

This was our last full day in Easter Island and the next morning after breakfast, we headed to the airport and said goodbye to this beautiful island.

 

Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate and based on the exchange rate at the time of publishing. Each cost is for one adult. The exchange rate at the time of publishing is assumed to be USD 1 = CLP 915. This does not include international flights to/from Easter Island, including the LATAM flights from Santiago.
 

What	Cost	Notes
Tour guide	$196.72	CLP 180,000 for single day of guide (without car).
‘Completé’ breakfast at Ahu Tongariki	$6.55	CLP 6,000 from food-truck.
Dinner at Moorea Restaurant	$18.72	CLP 17,125 for spaghetti and drink.
Day Costs	$221.99	Per person
Total Costs	$1,067.67	Per person

 

 

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