Easter Island (Spanish: Isla de Pascua, Rapa Nui: Rapa Nui) is one of the most isolated islands on Earth. Early settlers called the island "Te Pito O Te Henua" (The Navel of the World). It is a territory of Chile that lies far off in the Pacific Ocean, about 3,600 km away from the mainland and roughly halfway to Tahiti. The island is most famous for its enigmatic giant stone statues or moai depicting oversized heads. Carved centuries ago, they're reflecting the history of the dramatic rise and fall of the most isolated Polynesian culture.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Today's Poike Peninsula in the east was created by a volcanic eruption about three million years ago. Two million years later, Rano Kau came into being, and 250,000 years ago Maunga Terevaka between these, forming the current Easter Island. The English name of the island commemorates its European discovery by a Dutch exploration vessel on Easter Sunday in 1722. After Thor Heyerdahl and a small party of adventurers sailed their raft from South America to the Tuamotu islands, far to the north of Easter Island, a controversy raged over the origin of the islanders.
Easter Island is small, though there are just a few roads, the terrain is hilly and not all paths are marked. Only streets in Hanga Roa and the road to Anakena are paved. There are rental cars, generally jeeps, available from a few rental agencies in Hanga Roa, as well as a few dirtbikes. The most common point of entry is Mataveri airport next to Hanga Roa. There shouldn't be any problems walking to your hotel from there. Indeed there may even be someone from the hotel to meet you at the airport. The other option is taxi, a trip to anywhere in Hanga Roa shouldn't cost more than 1500 pesos, for other locations on the island you should negotiate the price with the driver.
Allow for a week to explore the island thoroughly with the mode of transportation you like – by foot, horse, bike, scooter, car, quad… To visit almost all of the major sites, you need to buy a national park ticket for $80 USD if you aren't a Chilean citizen. You can buy a paper copy at the airport or an online one. The same ticket is valid for all sites that require a ticket to enter, so don't lose it. Most rangers at ticket booths will also ask for a passport for identification purposes – paper copies seem to be sufficient. An official guide is required to enter all sites that require a ticket. Other sites can be visited freely. Virtually all of the ahus are around the coast.
While mostly thought of as a cultural and natural destination, Easter Island features two white sand beaches where you can tan and swim for instance. 1 Anakena beach. on the north side of the island, is an excellent shorebreak bodysurfing location with a bit of north swell. Even the smallest waves barrel. It's also possible to surf in the harbor at Hanga Roa as the locals do. It can be described as a postcard-perfect place with its white sands and coconut palms overlooked by moai. The second beach is a hidden gem called 2 Ovahe beach. .
Eating out is considerably more expensive than in mainland South America because of the island's isolation – many ingredients cannot be sourced locally and need to be transported over long distances. Even in cheap restaurants appetizers start at US$20. There are around 25 restaurants catering to tourists on the island. A few can be found close to the dock in Hanga Roa, with a few others scattered in the surrounding areas. As a result of the increased number of tourists, some of the restaurants may be a kind of "tourist trap," so don't hesitate to ask your guide or your host for advice where to go. Restaurants offer the same food, most of it imported.
The nightlife is not too lively. The principal attraction in this respect is the shows of traditional Polynesian dances in Hanga Roa. Restaurants 1 Kari Kari. on the main street, 2 Vai Te Mihi. near the cemetery and Te Ra'ai (see the Eat section) outside town are places to see these shows during much of the year. There are tourist shows mostly on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. The two discos in town, 3 Toroko. and 4 Piriti. are places to meet locals. Pisco, a hard alcohol made from fermented grapes, is the unofficial drink of the island though it originates on the mainland. Try a pisco sour, which is pisco mixed with lemon juice. There are also versions with papaya, mango or guava.
The island has a pharmacy and a hospital that can treat emergencies and accidents. Serious cases and rare ailments require transportation to the mainland which will take several hours. This means it's even more important to avoid risks and follow instructions. Not all caves and similar places that are dangerous are signposted as such. When in doubt, contact the CONAF staff or don't go there. Being in the middle of the Pacific, the waves around the Easter Island can be very strong. Take extra care when swimming in the ocean especially along the rocky shores. There are stray dogs but they're not aggressive, yell at them or pretend to pick up a rock and they will leave.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Oct, Easter Island typically sees ~19°C daytime highs and 21 rainy days.
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