Easter Island – places to stay, and a fond farewell.

In this, my last post in the series on Easter Island, a few words on day-to-day practicalities: how to get there, where to stay, and how to get around the island.

There are two ways to get to Rapa Nui: either a five-hour flight from Santiago (and getting to Santiago from anywhere on the planet is straightforward – albeit often long-winded:), or a two-week (!) boat trip from Valparaiso, Chile’s main port, which is about 120km from the capital. There used to be flights from Lima, Peru, too, but they stopped during covid in 2020, and somehow they just never resumed after that.

Anyway, back to the Santiago > Easter Island route…

Either one or two large planes do the route there and back daily. But on days when two planes fly, the lines at the airport in Santiago grow to truly inhumane lengths. We ended up queuing for our boarding gate all the way to the very furthest corner of the airport – in a line that stretched at least a hundred meters. Still, one should only ever remember the good stuff (and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise)! So, just read these lines, forget about them – and then go ahead and dream about planning your own Easter Island trip!…

Once there, how do you get yourself to the various tourist spots dotted across the whole island? You can do so yourself in cars, on scooters or bikes you can rent. But if you do, it’s better if you know Spanish, because almost every site charges entry, and there’s no guarantee anyone at the entrance speaks a language you know. We rented a mini-bus with a local guide, who was half-Spanish and half-Rapa-Nui, but unfortunately he didn’t speak the language of his island ancestors. (Curious fact: “Rapa Nui” = the Rapa Nui people, the Rapa Nui language, and the island of Rapa Nui!)

Next – where to stay? There are lots of options. We were apparently booked in at “the best place on the island” – the Explora Rapa Nui hotel, here…

And here ->

Actually, it’s not really a hotel; it’s a lodge, which means no corridors with doors to rooms, but something more spread out. Put another way – there are doors, but no corridors: the doors open out straight onto the outdoors. And there aren’t many rooms – around 30, I think. Anyway – all good, including indoors:

Nice view from the window:

The food… Well, from the perspective of someone used to (and spoiled with) yummy Asian cuisine, I didn’t find it all that great. But it’s certainly edible. There just aren’t any Chinese, Japanese, Thai, or Vietnamese cooks out here in the middle of nowhere! But it was cool: we’re not fussy ).

The bar was fully stocked! Not that we took advantage of it, since every day we’d get totally worn out with our full-on wanderings, and each morning we were up at the crack. Alas – zero drams supped ).

Oh, there’s also a pool, with some kind of little hut next to it…

What is it?

Surely it’s not what I’m thinking…

Yes – it’s a banya (sauna) – replete with the traditional hot stones you splash water on! The real deal! ->

After a long, hard, tourism-till-you-drop day – the sauna was just the ticket! And the plentiful supplies of beer in the fridge – perfecto!

So, what else is there for a tourist to do after looking through the day’s photos, and with nothing really left on the agenda?…

…Shopping for souvenirs! The local arts and crafts here are just wonderfully expressive :)

Interesting! ->

Here’s a smaller version ->

These little stone works – they’ll definitely make a nice present for friends who don’t travel much:

And they’re not expensive either.

Next time I’ll bring a special suitcase just for authentic stuff like this :). And it doesn’t matter if it’s “just a silly souvenir”; the main thing: it really is from Easter Island!

And so our Easter Island stay was coming to a close. Hours before leaving, I was suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia already for Rapa Nui! Yeah, it happens sometimes. I guess it must be a very special place. It sure does have a certain special energy (a bit like Altai) – so much so you don’t want to leave!…

Oh yeah, I forgot to explain this:

It’s a photo shoot in front of a moai! I guess its charm is just irresistible!

He even rolled his eyes toward the sky ) ->

You could just sit and meditate on the ocean endlessly, but I made do with just 20 minutes ) ->

That evening – a farewell sunset, and we were heading back to the mainland the following day. // This photo was taken through glass; those are reflections of the lights – but it turned out pretty cool! ->

Airport, departure hall. And an unusual traveler strutting about impatiently. Hmm – I wonder how she made it past passport control without any documents? Must say – Easter Island’s airport is a memorable one: upon arrival we were serenaded by a fellow passenger with a guitar who’d just landed with us; upon departure – this! ->

Off we fly!…

Did you spot the plane’s shadow in the cloud?

And that, finally, was it. Farewell Easter Island! Dreams really do come true. And, maybe – be seeing you again one day?!…

The best hi-res photos from Easter Island are here.