Easter Island holidays- how much?

Question

How does one get to Easter Island and how much does it cost? Does anyone know of any reliable companies that do tours there?

Answer 1

An alternative would be to book everything independantly. I booked my flights through Trailfinders and, because I flew to Santiago with Lan Chile, my flight to/from Easter Island was slightly cheaper too.  It was easy enough to sort out accommodation (guidebooks and the internet are wonderful). Once there, I then joined up with a Polish couple who were staying at the same guest house as me - we hired a jeep between us and spent a few days driving ourselves around. If you don't want to drive yourself, there are island tours available too.

I went 7 years ago and paid $30p/n (incl breakfast) but the currency has devalued since then, so you're possibly looking at around $50-60 per day for comfortable (but not luxurious) lodgings. Jeep hire was around $50p/d.

For more up-to-date info on independant travel (or anything else you want to know about the island) you might get more responses if you go to the Lonely Planet website and visit the Thorn Tree section.

Answer 2

It is possible to put together your own trip. However, a major hurdle is that there is no competition on the route between Chile and Easter Island. The four flights a week from Santiago are operated by Lan Chile (www.lanchile.com) and booking them independently can be very expensive. Tour operators can negotiate better deals, and with the help of local ground agents, it means that you'll have some back up while you're away.

Several good tour operators offer small group tours to the island, or tailor made trips. In either case, you don't need to do a big trip round the rest of Latin America, or even the rest of Chile, to see it.

Last Frontiers (01296 653000, www.lastfrontiers.com) can organise a private tour of the island . This includes flights from Heathrow to Santiago (via Madrid), one night in Santiago with transfers at each end of the island stay, flights to Easter Island and three nights B&B accommodation.

You'd be met on arrival in Easter Island and transferred to your hotel, and included are daily tours with an English-speaking guide. Three nights is about the right length of time to take in all that this small and intriguing island has to offer. You'd stay at the Hotel Iorana, just outside the main town of Hanga Roa, and would visit the Rano Raraku volcano and stone quarry, La Perousse Bay, Ahu Hekii, Te Pito Te Kura, the archaeological site of Anakena, and the ceremonial city of Orongo.

If you prefer an escorted tour with other tourists, the Explora Lodge on Easter Island is a good option. It offers a choice of daily walking excursions, accompanied by an English-speaking guide. It's a comfortable, but not luxurious hotel, and all meals are included, also available through Last Frontiers. Or try Tim Best Travel (0207 591 0300, www.timbesttravel.net), Sunvil (020 85684499, www.sunvil.co.uk), or Audley Travel (01869 276 210, www.audleytravel.com).

For further information on the island, visit http://www.netaxs.com/trance/rapanui.htm... or www.easterislandstatueproject.org