Disclaimer - This is not a review of a Just You tour but simply views on a recent, week long, visit to Easter Island by a community member acting as the unofficial 'advance scouting party' for all her JY Forum friends and anyone considering the add-on option for the new Chile tour starting next year. My advice in a word - GO!
:D Well, this was it - my dream trip to my ultimate 'bucket list' destination and Easter Island /Rapa Nui (or Isla De Pascua as the Chileans call it) certainly lived up to my expectations. The place is incredible and well worth the extra six hours of flying from Santiago (It's in a comfortable Boeing Dreamliner).
Logistics first - Absolutely the first thing you must do when you get off the plane is go to the CONAF booth, just before the baggage reclaim area, and buy your National Park entry ticket ($60 per person). Keep it with you for your entire stay as it will be regularly checked and stamped. Without one, you would effectively be confined to your hotel as you need it for entry to all of the sites of interest and archaeology. Also, if you have time, pop into the Island's only Post Office (next door to the Fire Station) with your passport and they will add a unique 'Isla De Pascua' stamp alongside your Chilean immigration stamp - a nice extra souvenir (although they usually expect a small tip for their effort)
I'm not sure which hotel JY are using but I stayed at the Iorana which is a pleasant 10 minute walk from the 'centre' of the only town, Hanga Roa (more of a large village - Rapa Nui is NOT a bustling metropolis...). The hotel had chalet style rooms and was reasonably priced, clean and comfortable but it's main selling point were the incredible views of the wild seas, coast line and Rano Kau. The Island food across the board is average but, you need to bear in mind that everything has to be flown in and so availability and selections are extremely limited. One thing you must try while you are there, however, is the local speciality - an Empanada (a sort of pasty) but don't bother asking what's in it because, unless you've ordered tuna, you'll get a standard reply "Meat"!
One thing to note about the Island - it's pricey (mainly due to all the additional carriage mentioned above). A can of cola will set you back about £2.20 and although I don't drink alcohol so didn't buy any, I think a beer was around £8. A simple hot sandwich and cup of tea for lunch was around £14. Tip - although the Island has a dual currency system, take Chilean pesos rather than USD. The locals much prefer pesos and although they will accept dollars, will murder you on the exchange rate.
A smattering of Spanish is a useful thing to acquire before you go because the majority of locals speak only Spanish or Rapanui. You may get the odd word of English, if you are lucky, but most of my pleas of "habla a Inglés?" were met with a resounding "No".
Wildlife - There isn't any really except a few small lizards and some unusual birds. Mosquitos aren't much of a problem but I would suggest a 'plug in' for your room. There are occasional cases of Dengue Fever but none recently and although you will see posters about Zika, they are for information only as there have so far been no cases on the Island. You may, however, find yourself sharing with a room mate, as cockroaches are common here. My tip is to put your light on before getting out of bed and always check your shoes - I christened my bathroom resident 'Vernon' - he had a lot of personality!
Shopping - The locals have a very relaxed attitude to opening hours so don't leave things to the last minute if you've spotted something you like because the shop may not be open when you go back. The 'normal' hours are 10 -1pm then 'lunch hour' until 5 when they re-open until around 8pm. You'll find a wide variety of handmade local goods (wood carvings in particular) and prices are similar everywhere, but I would recommend the main craft market next to the church, the smaller one at the back of the Fruit market and also the stalls next to the café at Rano Raraku which are good quality and slightly cheaper. And yes - as all my JY friends will be relieved to hear - I was delighted to find a wide selection of fridge magnets 😉 One warning note - if you buy anything large or fragile, do your best to get it into your hand luggage because the LAN check in staff can be really jobsworth about what goes in the cabin. I bought a beautiful hand carved wooden fruit bowl which they insisted on taking off me and putting in the hold because it was a 'dangerous item' that I could use as a weapon. I'm not sure how may cases of passengers going berserk with fruit bowls they have but there you go!
Now...have I forgotten anything....oh, yes... - MOAI ! No photos will ever prepare you for your first encounter with these behemoths. They are extraordinary. It is said that only once their eyes were carved was their 'Mana' or power awakened but trust me, the 'blind' moai still in the quarry are giving off some seriously mystic vibes. The statues that you will see on the platforms (ahu) are all restored, having been toppled during tribal warfare in the mid-19th century. The ones in the quarry are exactly where they were when the carving era stopped around 500 years ago and, as a result, in many ways are more stunning.
In terms of what you will see, from Julia's earlier comments, I believe you will do two full days of tours which will include the Moai quarry (Rano Raraku), the 'top knot' quarry (Puna Pau), the largest Ahu of 15 statues (Tongariki) and the biggest inland Ahu, (Akivi). You will also learn about the 'Bird Man' competition with a visit to Orongo and the crater lake of the volcano Rano Kau. (With any luck you will also get to see the Ahus Akahanga and Vinapu) I think this is a really good programme for your add-on which will give you all of the 'big ticket' sites. As an option, you may also want to consider booking an additional 'sunrise' excursion to Tongariki which, for me, was one of the highlights of my trip. Like the Northern Lights, the 'show' can not be guaranteed but, if you are lucky, you will have the experience of a lifetime. It is also worth trying to be at the Ahu Tehai in time for sunset.
I was extremely lucky because I had the luxury of extra time in which to doing a lot of hiking around the island, seeing some sights that you will probably not get a chance to visit such as the untouched ahu on the isolated North Coast and the peak of Mount Terevaka (my calf muscles are still not talking to me...). But it sounds like JY are planning an excellent programme for you and I hope you will be lucky to be accompanied by some of the brilliant local guides I worked with (James, Chris, Patricia and Cecilia from Easter Island Spirit) who are all lovely and so helpful.
I'm afraid I don't do any of that Facebook malarkey but I will send a few photos to Julia for the website to give you a little taster. Sorry for the 'brain dump' of information but, as you can probably tell, I had the time of my life. As always, happy to help if you have any questions.
All the best
Mandy
I'm very glad you enjoyed your trip to Rapanui, I know it was something you always wanted to do.
Unfortunately the add on is fully booked next November when I hope to go to Chile, but I will book the main tour if there is still room.
