A Hiking Guide To Easter Island

Ask which Pacific Island has the most to offer hikers and I'd probably answer Easter Island. Here on an island 11 km wide and 23 km long you'll find nearly a thousand ancient Polynesian statues strewn along a powerfully beautiful coastline or littering the slopes of an extinct volcano.

The Rano Raraku region. Photo: David Stanley

The legends of Easter Island have been recounted many times. What's less known is that the island's assorted wonders are easily accessible on foot from the comfort of the only settlement, Hanga Roa. Before setting out to see the sights, visit the excellent archaeological museum next to Ahu Tahai on the north side of town (the term "ahu" refers to an ancient stone platform). Aside from the exhibits, the museum has maps, which can help you plan your trip.

The first morning after arrival, I suggest you climb Easter Island's most spectacular volcano, Rano Kau, where Orongo, a major archaeological site, sits on the crater's rim. Rather than marching straight up the main road to the crater, look for the unmarked shortcut trail, off a driveway to the right just past the forestry station south of town. It takes under two hours to cover the six km from Hanga Roa to Orongo, but bring along a picnic lunch and make a day of it. And if climbing a 316-meter hill sounds daunting, you can take a taxi to the summit for around $6 and easily walk back later in the day.

Easter Island’s Ahu Tongariki with the Poike Peninsula in the background. Photo: David Stanley

Once on top, you'll find hiking down into the colorful crater presents no difficulty. It may also look easy to go right around the crater rim, but only do so if you're a very experienced hiker and have a companion along, as sheer 250-meter cliffs drop into the sea from the ridge.

Another day, rise early and take a taxi to lovely Anakena Beach at the end of the paved road on the island's north side, you should pay under $10 for the 20 km trip. A few of the famous Easter Island statues have been restored at Anakena and you could go for a swim, although the main attraction is the chance to trek back to Hanga Roa around the road-free northwest corner of the island.

You'll pass numerous abandoned statues lying face down where they fell, and the only living creatures you're likely to encounter are the small brown hawks that will watch you intently from perches on nearby rocks. If you keep moving, you'll arrive back in town in five or six hours (but take adequate food, water, and sunscreen). This is probably the finest coastal walk in the South Pacific.

Almost as good is the hike along the south coast, although you're bound to run into other tourists here as a paved highway follows the shore. Begin early and catch a taxi to Rano Raraku, the stone quarry where all of the island's statues were born. This is easily the island's most spectacular sight with 397 statues in various stages of completion lying scattered around the crater.

Easter Island vistas showcase rugged beauty. Photo: David Stanley

While each day large tour groups come to Rano Raraku to sightsee and have lunch, if you arrive before 9 am, you'll have the site to yourself for a few hours. When you see the first tour buses headed your way, hike down to Ahu Tongariki on the coast, where 15 massive statues were re-erected in 1994. From here, just start walking back toward Hanga Roa (20 km) along the south coast. You'll pass many fallen statues and enjoy some superb scenery. If you get tired, simply go up onto the highway and stick out your thumb and you'll be back in town in a jiffy.

Another outstanding 13 km walk begins at the museum and follows the west coast five km north to Ahu Tepeu. Keep your eyes peeled for banana trees growing out of the barren rocks as these often indicate caves you can explore. Inland from Ahu Tepeu is one of the island's most photographed sites, Ahu Akivi, with seven statues that were restored in 1960. From here an interior farm road runs straight back to town, but study the maps at the museum carefully, as you'll go far off course if you choose the wrong road.

A shorter hike takes you up Puna Pau, a smaller crater that provided stone for the red topknots that originally crowned the island's statues. There's a great view of Hanga Roa from the three crosses on an adjacent hill and you can easily do it all in half a day. A different walk takes you right around the 3,353-meter long airport runway, which crosses the island just south of town. Near the east end of the runway is Ahu Vinapu with perfectly fitted monolithic stonework bearing an uncanny resemblance to similar constructions in Peru.

Easter Island has some of the best hiking in the Pacific. Photo: David Stanley

Easter Island's moderate climate and scant vegetation make for easy cross-country hiking, and you won't find yourself blocked by fences and private property signs very often. You could also tour the island by mountain bike, available from several locations at $10 a day. If you surf or scuba dive, there are many opportunities here. A minimum of five days is needed to see the main sights of Easter Island, and two weeks would be far better. The variety of things to see and do will surprise you, and you'll be blessed with some unforgettable memories.

David Stanley is the author of Moon Handbooks Tahiti: Including the Cook Islands www.southpacific.org/tahiti.html, which also contains a full chapter on Easter Island. His online guide to Easter Island can be found at www.southpacific.org/text/finding_easter.html