How to get to Easter Island

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How to get to Easter Island

The initial act of getting to Easter Island will be the biggest expense of your trip. Although there is still an idea among travelers that it is possible to travel to Easter Island, it is not yet possible to travel to the island. aboard the AquilesThe ship, a vessel operated by the Chilean Navy, actually only departs about twice a year from Valparaiso and is reserved almost exclusively for Navy personnel and others on official business.

The trip to Easter Island aboard this ship also takes seven days through open waters, so it is only suitable for those with particularly strong sea legs.

How to get to Easter Island

How to get to Easter Island

Another way to get to Easter Island is by cruise ship, but be prepared to pay at least a few thousand dollars for cruises that simply take you from Valparaiso to the island or vice versa.

As a result, the only practical way to travel to Easter Island is by plane. Be aware that flights are regularly delayed due to high winds, which means you may find yourself waiting in Santiago or on the island for an extra day.

Best tip for traveling to Easter Island: be sure to reserve a window seat on the left side of the plane on the way there and back for the best views. Fly over the island and turn southeast through the

How to fly to Easter Island

LATAM is the only airlinethat flies to Easter Island. Its aircraft depart from Santiago with a flight time of about six hours one way.

On the way back to Santiago, the flight time is only four and a half hours thanks to the prevailing winds.

Getting to Easter Island from Chile is relatively easy as these flights depart up to three times a day in high season (October to April) and up to twice a day (Wednesdays and Sundays) in low season (May to September).

There is also a weekly flight from Pape’ete (Tahiti) in French Polynesia to Easter Island on Tuesdays (returning the following Monday). For this flight, you can expect to pay around $700,000 CLP ($1,050 USD) on the return.

Airfare – How to get to Easter Island

Airline tickets on Easter Island can be terribly expensive, particularly during high season, although January and February, in particular, see high prices as these are the school vacation months and the best vacation time for Chileans.

However, cheap flights to Easter Island from Santiago are possible, especially if you can be flexible with your dates.

June 2018 is still a good time to go to Easter Island. In 2018, Flights were available for $217,000 CLP ($332 USD), a practically unheard of price.

It is unlikely that you will get flights to Easter Island anywhere within this price range in high season, however, it is not always certain that you will pay more than $800,000 CLP ($1,200 USD).

How to get cheap flights to Rapa Nui

How to get cheap flights to Rapa Nui

Often, the best way to get cheap flights is to book well in advance and this can certainly be the case for Easter Island.

However, if you are flexible and unsure of the exact dates you plan to travel, the cheapest way to get to Easter Island is to download free apps like Hooper.

All you need to do is enter the dates you expect to fly (you can put in several different combinations) and the application will track the prices for those dates.

Using historical flight data, it will allow you to know when to book, as you can indicate whether a price is likely to go up or down based on trends from previous years.

Best advice on how to get to Easter Island: LATAM’s website is known to charge significantly higher prices if you book through the U.S. website. Instead of the Chile site . You may find radical differences between the two, so be sure to test and see which one offers you the best deal. Always check prices at the beginning with Skyscanner and then search the different LATAM websites to book.

What is the best time of the year to visit Easter Island?

If you are interested in seeing the island at its most peaceful and having the opportunity to talk to local people and see daily life here, I recommend September and October or April and May.

Both periods still have good weather, warm temperatures (around 22˚C-25˚C) and relatively few tourists.

While the peak summer months are good for sunbathing onAnakena Beach, if you feel like hiking or any kind of exploration, you’ll find it difficult to do so thanks to the island’s humidity, even if the sea breeze provides a respite.

Anakena Beach
Anakena Beach

How much does a trip to Easter Island cost?

The price of a trip to Easter Island varies significantly.

We can start with a basic overview and then go into detail about the exact prices you can expect to pay for food, transportation and accommodation on Easter Island.

Summary of how much does an Easter Island vacation cost?

Most visitors to the island spend between four and five days here, which is plenty of time to see its highlights and really dig beneath the surface of Rapa Nui culture.

The amount of money you will spend during that period can vary significantly.

To visit any of the sights within the national park (i.e., virtually all of the moai ) requires you to pay the entrance fee of $54,000 CLP ($80 USD). Updated August 2021.

As of May 2019, it is only possible to pay this in cash.

For a four-day stay for two people in budget accommodation, self-catering except for a few meals out and renting a bicycle to get around the island, you can expect to pay:

ExpensesCost (daily)
LodgingDouble room $ 35,000 CLP ($ 54 USD) – $ 59,000 CLP ($ 90 USD)
Food5,000 CLP- $ 8,000 CLP ($ 8 USD- $ 12 USD)
Transportation24,000 CLP ($ 37 USD)
Total$ 66,000 CLP ($ 100 USD)
Total (four days)264,000 CLP ($ 400 USD) + flights
* You can reduce it to $ 16,000 CLP (camping) or $ 30,000 CLP (dormitory).

For a four-day stay for two people in mid-range accommodations, mostly eating out and renting a vehicle to get around the island, you can expect to pay:

ExpensesCost (daily)
Lodging$ 85,000 CLP ($ 130 USD) – $ 92,000 CLP ($ 140 USD)
Food30.000 CLP ($ 46 USD)
Transportation50.000 CLP ($ 76 USD)
Total$ 165,000 CLP ($ 250 USD)
Total (four days)660,000 CLP ($ 100 USD) + flights

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About the author

I am Matias, born in Patagonia, and a lover of my land.

For more than 20 years I help foreign travellers to organise their trip to Patagonia.

I also manage this exotic accommodation on the Atlantic coast.