Hanga Roa
Hanga Piko
Anakena Bay
La Perouse Bay
Vaihu
Watch sunrise at Ahu Tongariki
Explore the quarry at Rano Raraku
Hike to the crater rim of Rano Kau
Visit the ceremonial village of Orongo
Swim at Anakena Beach beneath Ahu Nau Nau
Hanga Roa
Puna Pau
Ana Kai Tangata
Ahu Akivi
Ahu Te Pito Kura
December through March brings the warmest, driest weather and the calmest seas around Hanga Roa, making it the easiest window for tender landings. The rest of the year sees stronger swell and more unpredictable wind, which can make the island’s limited anchorages uncomfortable or untenable for days at a time. Because Easter Island has no natural harbour, captains typically build slack into an itinerary here regardless of season.
Mataveri International Airport, one of the most isolated airports in the world, sits a few minutes from Hanga Roa and receives regular flights from Santiago, roughly five and a half hours away, plus a seasonal service from Tahiti. Most charter guests fly in to join their yacht already anchored off Hanga Roa rather than sailing the long ocean passage themselves.
Hanga Roa, the main settlement, offers the only reliable holding, in around eight metres of water with a tender landing at the adjoining small harbour of Hanga Piko. Anakena, on the north coast, is usable in settled weather but turns into a lee shore quickly if the wind shifts, so most captains treat it as a daytime stop rather than an overnight anchorage.
Three to four days allow time to see the main moai sites unhurried, including sunrise at Ahu Tongariki and the quarry at Rano Raraku, without the pressure of a single tight window. Because the island sits so far from any other charter ground, most itineraries treat it as a dedicated stop rather than one call among several, often reached via a longer Pacific crossing or a fly-in charter.
Yes. Entry to Rapa Nui National Park requires a paid ticket, valid for ten days, and an accredited local guide is mandatory at most archaeological sites, Tahai and Anakena beach being the main exceptions. Foreign visitors currently pay around 95,000 Chilean pesos for the ticket, which permits one visit each to Rano Raraku and Orongo, though other sites within the park can be revisited freely.
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