Rapa Nui Culture!
Easter IslandExtension
November 20 to Nov 25, 2025
Cost: $2500
Leader: Josefina ‘Josie’ Nahoe Mulloy
Group Size: 8
Days: 6
Safari Overview
Absorb the mystery of Easter Island alongside a guide with deep Rapa Nui roots! Explore Ahu Tahai with its three remarkable ahu and visit Ahu Akivi, where seven moai, aligned with the equinox, face the ocean. Discover the cultural treasures of Rano Raraku and Puna Pau and witness the quarry of the iconic moai. Marvel at Ahu Tongariki, the island’s largest restored ahu, and unearth the history at Ahu Akahanga, the burial site of the first king. Climb to Orongo village to see petroglyphs and learn about the Tangata Manu competition. Conclude with a visit to Ahu Vinapu, showcasing incredible stonemasonry.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Learn about the fascinating culture of Rapa Nui.
- Enjoy an incredible blend of manmade and natural beauty.
- Boat trip to the motus (islets).
- Photograph moai with the magical backdrops of sunrise and sunset.
SAFARI OPTIONS
- This is a post-trip extension to our Pumas trip from November 13 to 21.
NOTABLE EXPERIENCES
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Itinerary Updated: June 2024
Print Trip
| Date | Description | Lodge | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20 | Travel to Santiago, Chile. | Santiago Airport Holiday Inn | |
| Nov 21 | Fly to Easter Island and explore Ahu Tahai and Ahu Akivi. | Hotel Altiplanico, Easter Island | D |
| Nov 22 | Explore Rano Raraku, Ahu Tongariki, and Ahu Akahanga, then afternoon take boat trip. | Hotel Altiplanico, Easter Island | B, L, D |
| Nov 23 | Visit Orongo village and Ahu Vinapu. Photograph Moai in the evening. | Hotel Altiplanico, Easter Island | B, L, D |
| Nov 24 | Photograph moai at sunrise and enjoy free time before flying back to Santiago to depart for home. | B | |
| Nov 25 | Arrive home. |
Our Trip Leaders
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Josefina ‘Josie’ Nahoe Mulloy
Josefina ‘Josie’ Nahoe MulloyJosie is the daughter of a Rapa Nui father and an American mother, and granddaughter of American archeologist William Mulloy who is responsible for most of the island’s archeological restoration. She offers unique perspective, insight, and personal history to Easter Island. After growing up and receiving an education in the US, she relocated to Easter Island and shortly thereafter received Top Guide of the Year in all of Chile. She is regarded not only as the one of most insightful guides on the island, but also the most fun, and she looks forward to sharing the mystery of Rapa Nui with you.
Detailed Itinerary
A glimpse into our journey
Fly to Easter Island and explore Ahu Tahai and Ahu Akivi.
Nov 21
Fly 2,360mi across the Pacific Ocean to Easter Island where Josie, your Easter Island leader, will meet you to begin exploring this famous island. The island is compact, taking less than an hour to drive from one end to the other.
Historic sites are abundant around the island, each featuring unique stories and photo opportunities. You will visit the following sites:
Ahu Tahai
Located within walking distance of your lodge, this site contains three ahu (from north to south): Ko Te Riku (moai with restored eyes), Tahai, and Vai Ure.
Ahu Akivi
One of the few ahu built in the interior of the island rather than on the coast, Ahu Akivi’s seven moai look out towards the ocean, directly facing the sun during the spring and autumn equinox. Oral tradition says the moai at Ahu Akivi represent the young explorers sent to investigate the island before it was colonized.
Cultural sites and boat trip
Nov 22
You’ll tour the following cultural sites, and weather permitting, enjoy an afternoon boat trip to the motus (islets).
Rano Raraku and Puna Pau
Rano Raraku is an extinct volcano that contains Puna Pau, the quarry from which all moai were carved. Half-finished or half-buried statues lie all around the site, each with its own unique design or face.
Ahu Tongariki
The largest restored ahu on Easter Island with fifteen moai includes the heaviest ever erected on the island.
Ahu Akahanga
This ahu (platform) is the burial site of the first king of Easter Island. In most ahu, the moai lie face down, but here you can find them both face-up and face-down.
Cultural sites and photograph moai at sunset
Nov 23
You will visit the following cultural sites and photograph the moai in the evening.
Orongo village and petroglyphs
Situated high on a cliff overlooking the motus on the southwest end of Easter Island, Orongo is a stone village, ceremonial center, and traditional site of the Tangata Manu, a dangerous annual competition between the clans of Easter Island. Last held in 1867, the Tangata Manu competition began when the islanders expected sooty terns to return to nest. Each clan leader chose a member to race and be the first to get and return a sooty tern egg. Contestants scrambled down the steep rock face, braved sharks while swimming across to Motu Nui, then waited on the islet, often for days or weeks, until a sooty tern laid an egg. Once the first egg was found, the contestant would take the egg and race back – all while keeping the egg intact in a reed basket attached to his forehead. The winning clan leader gained prestige and power as the birdman, shaved his head, and lived in ceremonial seclusion for a year while his clan gained sole rights to collect the eggs and birds of Motu Nui for the season. Look along the cliff for petroglyphs revealing the famous birdman motif.
Ahu Vinapu
The ceremonial center of Vinapu includes one of the larger ahu on the island, which has extraordinary stonemasonry consisting of large and carefully fitted slabs of basalt, reminiscent of those of the Incas in Peru.
Photograph the moai at sunrise; fly back to Santiago and depart for home.
Nov 24
Wake up early to capture the moai as day breaks. Return to the hotel for breakfast, enjoy free time, then depart onward to Santiago and flights home.
Arrive home!
Nov 25
- Cost & Payments
- Included
- Not Included
- Climate
- Fitness Level
- Flights
Conservation- Conditions
Cost & Payments
Costs (in US$)
| Type | Cost Per Person |
|---|---|
| Trip Cost, double occupancy | $2,500 |
| Single Supplement | $396 |
Costs are per person, double occupancy, not including airfare, singles extra. See Included and Not Included sections for more details.
If you are a single traveler, we will try to find a roommate for you, but if we cannot pair you with a roommate, we may charge you a single supplement. Single rooms cost extra and are subject to availability.
Payment Schedule
| Payment | Due Date | Amount Per Person |
|---|---|---|
Payment is due with your main trip's final payment; see the Pumas itinerary for details.
Cancellations
Until the Final Payment due date, deposits are refundable except for a cancellation fee of $150 per person, which can be applied toward another trip if reserved within six months of the cancelled trip’s departure date. Cancellations are non-transferrable. No refunds are given after the Final Payment due date.
Included
- Carbon offsets for the duration of this trip.
- All leaders, transport, park entry fees, landing fees, and permits for all activities unless described as optional.
- Accommodations (double occupancy) for the nights of November 20 through November 23.
- Meals from breakfast on November 21 through breakfast on November 24.
- On November 20, your hotel is across the street from the Santiago Airport, so you may walk to the hotel and airport.
- On November 24, your transfer is provided from Hotel Altiplanico, Easter Island to the Easter Island airport.
- Trip Planning Materials – information about entry requirements, flights, packing, gratuities, etc.
Not Included
- Carbon offsets for your flights to/from this trip.
- All airfare, airport and departure taxes, and excess baggage fees. Airfare is approximately $50 from Punta Arenas to Santiago, plus approximately $350 for round-trip flights between Santiago and Easter Island.
- Passport and visa fees.
- COVID tests.
- Divergent airport transfers (arranged by us) and extra hotel nights.
- Gratuities – tipping is always discretionary. However, we suggest budgeting about $20 to $30 per participant per day for 4 days with our leaders (about $80 to $120 total per participant).
- Emergency evacuation insurance and trip cancellation insurance.
- Items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, medical costs or hospitalization, room service, alcoholic and other beverages, items not on the regular menu, etc. If you have special dietary needs, please indicate them on your Traveler Form.
Climate
On Easter Island, average temperatures can range from 62°F at night up to 73°F during the day with an average of eight days of rain in the month.
Fitness Level
This trip involves long days in the field, so come with good energy levels! Please contact us if you have any health concerns that may make this trip challenging. Please contact us if you have any health concerns that may make this trip challenging.
Flights
Detailed logistical information is included in the Trip Planning Materials we will send you.
Flights you book
- Arrive in Santiago(SCL) by 11:59pm on November 20.
- Depart from Santiago, Chile (SCL) on after 11pm on November 24.
Flights we book
- We will book your flights to and from Easter Island from Santiago when available and add the cost to your final payment.
FAQ
Accommodations
Seasickness
Transportation
Conservation
Our company ethos has always regarded conservation as inseparable from responsible tourism. We struggle with the dilemma that traveling worldwide expends climate-changing carbon. However, we wholeheartedly believe that traveling with us will cultivate your passion for conserving our beautiful world while stimulating each destination’s local economy. We encourage you to explore the various ways in which Cheesemans’ operates within this context:
- Cheesemans’ Trips are Carbon Neutral.
- Offsetting your Travel to/from our Trip: We ask you to pledge to offset the carbon emissions for your travel to and from our trips. You can purchase offsets with most airlines (Delta includes them automatically), use our handy carbon calculator and donate to Sustainable Travel International, or contribute to your favorite offsetting organization.
Conditions
Read our current Terms and Conditions.