Discover the incredible megalith engineering of the ancient Rapa Nui society on a guided tour of the south coast and east side of Rapa Nui. See the most important highlights of Easter Island, including the abandoned moai statue factory and the largest monument on the island.
This tour is highly optimized to visit the sites when the light conditions are as good as possible for photography, and when there are less crowds.
Begin your tour with a visit to the most perfectly fit rock wall, Ahu Tahira, in Vinapu. Next, head to Hanga Poukura, a beautiful coastal area with interesting, rough lava rock formations. See several statues in a strange and mysterious manner buried in a line, with only the backs being visible.
Continue to Vaihu, a reconstruction of an ancient village that gives a great idea of what a small community might have looked like a long time ago. Then, visit Akahanga, the biggest village in ancient times, according to oral tradition.
Stop for lunch (not included) at a local restaurant. After lunch, head to Rano Raraku, the volcano that was converted into a mass production factory of gigantic megaliths. Virtually all statues were carved here. One day the workers stopped, and the hundreds of statues that were left behind haven't moved since.
Finally, visit the biggest and most impressive monument of Rapa Nui, Ahu Tongariki, with its 15 mighty moais.