Recommended Easter Island Tours from Lima, or Santiago, or once I arrive on Easter Island

Posted by Mari (Columbus) on 11/06/22 01:42 PM

Hello -

Thank you for the suggestions I've received for tours in Peru. Peruagency.com seems to be the company that includes all the sites that I wish to see in Peru (as it included Rainbow Mountain, in addition to Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, and Cusco). Now, I'm looking for suggestions of tours for Easter Island. It looks like the best way to get there is from Santiago, so my intent is to finish the tour of Peru and then fly to Santiago from Lima. From there, I'll fly to Easter Island, however, I would appreciate suggestions on reputable Easter Island companies. The time I'm planning for the whole trip (Peru and Easter Island) is from mid/late April to early May 2023. Thanks so much!

Posted by Suki

11/12/22 10:11 PM

11569 posts

Look at Lindblad for Easter Island. We have not gone to Easter Is but have gone on several trips with Lindblad, all excellent.

Posted by Judy

Long Beach, Ca, usa

11/13/22 05:33 AM

1327 posts

In 2015, on a trip to Chile, we flew from Santiago to Easter Island and did not need a tour. The flights to/from Rapa Nui almost seemed like a commuter flight because most of the passengers seemed to be Easter Islanders returning from family or shopping visits to Santiago. We stayed at a B and B called Arukara, owned by a couple who are artists and who have their studio on the property. There are a couple of small "cabanons" for rent, and breakfast is in the main house. The property has a lovely garden to relax in and is calm and low key. As far as tours go, we took a short walk to the main street and signed up for an all-day van tour around the island, visiting all the main sights that were not in the town. The other days we were there we could walk to see everything. The island is a peaceful place to relax and relish the unusual history it has. Our hosts at Arukara were friendly and helpful. They picked us up at the small airport in their truck and returned us when we had to leave. I would say that three full days is enough time to see everything, unless you want to use some time to go fishing. It was on our bucket list and we are SO glad we went! Just know that you don't need to sign up with a tour group to get the most out of Easter Island.
(By the way, we are not hikers or walkers, so you needn't be intimidated by all my talk of walking to most places.)

Posted by Judy

Long Beach, Ca, usa

11/13/22 05:36 AM

1327 posts

I just remembered. We did hire a taxi to take us to some old fortifications one day, and had him return to pick us up. It was very inexpensive.

Posted by Mari OP

Columbus

12/09/22 02:53 AM

98 posts

Thank you for these suggestions! I have not been able to find any tours of Easter Island for the time that I have there (3 days).

Posted by Judy

Long Beach, Ca, usa

12/09/22 08:18 PM

1327 posts

Three days is enough. The island is small, and our van tour covered the sites outside the town was sufficient, and in town all was close by. Your hosts/hotel or TI should have an easy map to follow.
Have fun!