25 Best Sights in Easter Island, Chile

One of the island's most breathtaking sights is Ahu Tongariki, where 15 moai stand side by side on a 200-foot-long ahu, the longest ever built. Tongariki was painstakingly restored after being destroyed for the second time by a massive tidal wave in 1960. These moai, some whitened with a layer of sea salt, have holes in their extended earlobes that might have once been filled with chunks of obsidian. They face an expansive ceremonial area where you can find petroglyphs of turtles and fish, and the entrance is guarded by a single moai, which has traveled to Japan and back for exhibition.  The perfect morning sunrise behind the moai at Tongariki lasts only from December 21 to March 21.

This small museum, Museo Antropológico Padre Sebastián Englert, is named for the German priest who dedicated his life to improving conditions on Rapa Nui and who is buried beside the church. It provides an excellent summary of the history of Easter Island and its way of life, as well as its native flora and fauna. Here, too, is one of the few female moai on the island and the replica of a coral eye found during the reconstruction of an ahu at Playa Anakena (the original is in storage after an attempted robbery). Texts are in Spanish and English. Note that the museum can easily overcrowd given its small size.

A small museum kick-starts the story of the ceremonial village of Orongo, likely constructed in the late 1600s and used by locals until 1866; the 48 oval stone houses here were occupied only during the ceremony honoring the god Make-Make. Many of these abodes have since been reconstructed. The high point of the annual event was a competition in which prominent villagers sent servants to Motu Nui, the largest of three islets just off the coast. The first servant to find an egg of the sooty tern, a bird nesting on the islets, would swim back with the prize tucked in a special headdress. His master would become the tangata manu, or birdman, for the next year. The tangata manu was honored by being confined to a cave until the following year's ceremony. Dozens of petroglyphs depicting birdlike creatures cover nearby boulders along the rim of Rano Kau. CONAF checks but does not sell tickets here. They are sold at the airport or at the CONAF office near the MAPSE Museu Rapa Nui and are good for all archaeological sites on the island.

Easter Island's earliest settlers are believed to have landed on idyllic Playa Anakena. Legend has it that the caves in the cliffs overlooking the beach are where Hotu Matu'a dwelled while constructing his home. It's easy to see why the island's first ruler might have selected this spot: on an island ringed by rough volcanic rock, Playa Anakena is the widest swath of sand. Ignoring the sun-worshipping tourists are five beautifully carved moai standing on nearby Ahu Nau Nau. On the northern coast, Playa Anakena is reachable by a paved road that runs across the island or by the more circuitous coastal road. For 20,000 pesos (or ask your hotel to negotiate a better price), a taxi will take you from Hanga Roa and pick you up at the agreed-upon time later.  Bring snacks and water from Hanga Roa. Amenities: parking; toilets. Best for: snorkeling; swimming.

This huge volcano on the southern tip of the island affords wonderful views of Hanga Roa. The crater, which measures a mile across, holds a lake nearly covered over by reeds. The opposite side of the crater has crumbled a bit, revealing a crescent of the deep blue ocean beyond. Entering the crater is forbidden, except in signposted areas. It is protected, and the ground is unstable.

When it comes to moai, this is the motherlode. Some 400 have been counted at the quarry of this long-extinct volcano, both on the outer rim and clustered inside the crater. More than 150 are unfinished, some little more than faces in the rock. Among these is El Gigante, a monster measuring 22 meters (72 feet). Also here is Moai Tukuturi, the only statue in a kneeling position; it's thought to predate most others. Look out also for the moai with a three-masted boat carved on its belly; the anchor is a turtle. CONAF checks but does not sell tickets here. They are sold at the airport upon arrival or at the CONAF office near the Anthropological Museum, paid in dollars. The same ticket gives access to all archaeological sights on the island.

It's best to buy your national parks ticket upon arrival at the airport.

Tradition holds that this is the burial site of Hotu Matu'a, the first of the island's rulers. The 13 moai lying facedown on the ground once stood on the four long stone platforms. There are also several "boat houses," oblong, boat-shaped outlines that were once the foundations of homes.

These seven stoic moai—believed by some to represent explorers sent on a reconnaissance mission by King Hotu Matu'a—are among the few that gaze out to sea, though researchers say they face a ceremonial site. Others say the oral history of the explorers has morphed into stories about the moai, and that there isn't an actual connection between statues and explorers. Archaeologists William Mulloy and Gonzalo Figueroa restored the moai in 1960.

Eight fallen moai lie facedown in front of this ahu, the first you encounter on the southern coastal road. Three reddish topknots are strewn around them. Even after the ahu was destroyed, this continued to be a burial chamber, shown by the rocks piled on the toppled moai.

Lying here in pieces is the largest moai ever transported to a platform, measuring nearly 10 meters (33 feet). The finishing touches were never made to its eye sockets, so researchers believe it fell while being erected.

One of the few ahus to be erected inland, Ahu Huri a Urenga appears to be oriented toward the winter solstice. Its lonely moai is exceptional because it has two sets of hands, the second carved above the first. Archaeologists believe this is because the lower set was damaged during transport to the ahu.

Beside the swaying palm trees on Playa Anakena stand the island's best-preserved moai on Ahu Nau Nau. Buried for centuries in the sand, these five statues were protected from the elements. Minute details of the carving—delicate lips, flared nostrils, gracefully curved ears—are still visible. On their backs, fine lines represent belts. It was here during a 1978 restoration that a white coral eye was found, leading researchers to speculate that all moai once had them; a replica of that eye is now on display at the Museo Antropológico Padre Sebastián Englert; the original is in storage for safekeeping following an attempted robbery. Staring at Ahu Nau Nau is a solitary moai on nearby Ahu Ature Huki, the first statue to be re-erected on its ahu. Thor Heyerdahl conducted this experiment in 1955 to test whether the techniques islanders claimed were used to erect the moai could work. It took 12 islanders nearly three weeks to lift the moai into position using rocks and wooden poles.

As at Ahu Vinapu, the tightly fitting stones at the unrestored Ahu Te Peu recall the best work of the Incas. The foundations for several boat-shape houses, including one that measures 40 meters (131 feet) from end to end, are clearly visible. From here you can begin the six-hour trail-less hike around the island's northern coast to Playa Anakena. CONAF (national parks service) recommends a guide, as you may walk past many of the archaeological sites without one.

The largest moai ever successfully erected stands at Ahu Te Pito Kura. Also here is the perfectly round magnetic stone (believed to represent the navel of the world) that Hotu Matu'a is said to have brought with him when he arrived on the island.

The appeal of this crumbled ahu isn't apparent until you notice the fine masonry on the rear wall. Anyone who has seen the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru can note the similar stonework. This led Norwegian archaeologist Thor Heyerdahl to theorize that Rapa Nui's original inhabitants may have sailed here from South America. By now it has been established that the first settlers were Polynesian, though evidence points to contact with South America early on. The moai here still lie where they were toppled, including one face up, which is unusual, as most were knocked facedown.

A small sign just past the entrance of Hotel Iorana points toward Ana Kai Tangata, a seldom-visited cavern on the coast that holds the island's only cave paintings. Directly over your head are images of red and white birds in flight. Dramatic cliffs shelter the cave from the crashing surf.

Legend has it that young women awaiting marriage were kept here in the Caves of the Virgins so that their skin would remain as pale as possible. You need an experienced guide to find the caverns, which are accessible only on foot and hidden in the cliffs along the coast. Take a flashlight to see the haunting petroglyphs of flowers and fish thought to have been carved by these girls.

A grove of banana trees marks the entrance to these underground caverns that once served as dwellings. Partly shielded from the blazing sun, a secret garden of tropical plants thrives in the fissure where the caves begin. Below ground is a passage leading to a second cave where the sunlight streams through a huge hole.  Bring a flashlight, and be careful of dripping water if it's rained in the past week.

Colorful fishing boats bob up and down in the water at Hanga Roa's tiny jetty. Here you may see fisherfolk hauling in the day's tuna catch, or a boatload of divers returning from a trip to neighboring islets. Nearby is Ahu Tautira, a ceremonial platform with a restored moai.

Hanga Roa's colorful walled cemetery occupies a prime position overlooking the Pacific and is visually unlike most. With artificial flower arrangements, white tombstones, and even some replica moai, the cemetery has a cheerful feeling. The central cross is erected on a pukao, the reddish topknot or hat that likely topped a moai at some point. The cemetery keeps expanding toward the ocean, but by 2022, the newly deceased will have to be buried elsewhere, as it will likely be full. Some Rapa Nui bury family members around the island, such as near Playa Ovahe, so be respectful should you come across burial sites.

Missionaries might have brought Christianity to Easter Island, but the Rapa Nui people brought their own beliefs to Christianity. Find the two intertwined in this white church on the hill overlooking Hanga Roa. The paintings of the Via Crucis on the walls are what you would find in any Catholic church, but the wood figures have a clear Rapa Nui flavor, and one of the altars rests on a block of local volcanic stone. At the first Mass on Sunday morning at 9 am, hymns are sung in Rapa Nui.

A lovely strip of pink sand, Playa Ovahe isn't as crowded as neighboring Playa Anakena. The fact that most tourists pass it by is what makes this secluded beach so appealing. Families head here on weekends for afternoon cookouts, but swimming is dangerous because of strong undercurrents. The cliffs that tower above the beach were once home to many of the island's residents. Locals proudly point out caves that belonged to their relatives.  Come in the morning if you want to sunbathe; the position of the sun means that by afternoon, you'll be sitting in the shade. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; sunrise.

Hanga Roa has only two tiny beaches: Playa Pea, a stretch of sand near the bay where surfers go to catch waves, and another small beach on the northern edge of the town with a sea pool for swimming. Both are popular among local families with small children. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: snorkeling; sunset; swimming. 

Scoria, the reddish stone used to make topknots for the moai, was once excavated at this quarry. About two dozen finished topknots are still here.  The views of the island from the top of the hill are worth the short climb.

The ancient ceremonial center of Tahai, where much of the annual Tapati Rapa Nui festival takes place, was restored in 1968 by archaeologist William Mulloy, who is buried nearby. Tahai consists of three separate ahus facing a wide plaza that once served as a community meeting place. You can still find the foundations of the boat-shape dwellings where religious and social leaders once lived. In the center is Ahu Tahai, which holds a single weathered moai. To the left is Ahu Vai Uri, where five moai, one little more than a stump, cast their stony gaze over the island. Also here is Ahu Kote Riku, with a splendid moai and red topknot intact; this is the only moai on the island to have its gleaming white eyes restored.

This is an especially good place to come to see the island's blazing yellow sunsets.