Tips for Getting to Easter Island

Easter Island is one of the most remote, inhabited areas in the world, yet offers some of the most breathtaking archeological sites on the planet. The Moai statues have long awed and inspired visitors from every walk of life, as the entire island is essentially an open air museum to these statues. However, due to its desolate location, it is relatively difficult to travel to the tiny island, and only flights from two different nations are available.

Departure Location

When planning a trip to Easter Island (Rapa Nui is the official title of the island, and most Chilean citizens refer to it as this) you must decide what location you wish to depart from. Santiago, Chile and Tahiti are the only areas in the world you can leave from, with each proving two different flights a week (typically one mid-week, the other during the weekend). If money isn't an object and you want a relaxing, tropical vacation, splurge for the Tahitian departure. Santiago is the banking capital of South America and surprisingly doesn't provide much in way of events or activities (stores and restaurants open late and close incredibly early). Santiago is going to be cheaper, with the average round-trip ticket costing roughly $600 (double this for Tahiti), but only stay in the city for a day or two, otherwise you are going to find yourself staring at the wall in your hotel room.

Preparing to Depart

Plan to stay at your departure location a few days before and after your flights are designed to leave and return. This is because occasionally flights have been known to be delayed a full day or so due to weather (when flying to Easter Island you are traveling against the air stream so the flight is rougher and longer than returning). Although this generally does not happen, it is best to plan in a buffer, as you don't want to leave Chile (or Tahiti) without making it to Rapa Nui.

Security

Flying to Easter Island is no different than flying to other areas in the world, but the return flight out of the island is far trickier. With only one flight a day departing from the airport, security has more time to dig through almost every bag running through (you are likely to see a long line of individuals having items confiscated when preparing to board your return flight). Keep this in mind when flying to Easter Island and take into consideration all the items you have packed. If you have souvenirs form your previously visited countries, consider shipping the goods back home prior to flying as it saves you the possibility of losing the content while on Easter Island. As long as you are not mailing any liquids (such as Chilean wine), use the local post office, as shipping a package via UPS or DSL back to the states costs nearly $200.