Easter Island Self-Launched Add-On
5 days · Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile
Exodus charges £1,299
No-markup version: ~£620 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched, backpacker-friendly take on Exodus's 5-day Easter Island add-on. Fly into Hanga Roa, base yourself in a good guesthouse or budget hotel, and book the same moai highlights — Ahu Akivi, Orongo and the Rano Kau crater, Rano Raraku quarry, Ahu Tongariki, Anakena beach — independently through local guides or shared minibus tours. All figures are approximate per person in GBP and assume you arrange your own Santiago–Easter Island flight (booking it as a LATAM add-on to your international ticket is far cheaper than a standalone return).
Day-by-day
Fly to Easter Island • Free time in Hanga Roa
Hanga Roa, Easter Island
Fly from Santiago to Hanga Roa (Mataveri airport) on the morning LATAM flight — around 5.5 hours, and cheapest if booked as an add-on to your international LATAM ticket rather than a standalone return. Complete your Rapa Nui Entry Form (FUI) online within 20 days of arrival. Many guesthouses and small hotels in Hanga Roa offer free or cheap airport pick-up — confirm in advance rather than paying for a private transfer. Settle into your room, then spend a relaxed afternoon walking Hanga Roa: the small harbour, the fishermen's moai at Ahu Tautira, and the excellent Museo Antropológico Padre Sebastián Englert (entry ~£4), which gives context for everything you'll see later.
🚌LATAM flight Santiago–Easter Island (booked as a ticket add-on, ~£400-600 return; a standalone return can cost ~£800). No local transport needed today — walk Hanga Roa.
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Hanga Roa (e.g. Hostal or Hotel Otai-style, ~£55/night double, ~£30-40pp)
- →Museo Antropológico Padre Sebastián Englert
- →Ahu Tautira and Hanga Roa harbour walk
Ahu Akivi, Puna Pau, Orongo and Rano Kau crater
Hanga Roa & Orongo, Easter Island
Book a half-day shared minibus tour (~£25 with a Spanish/English guide) or, if you want it in English and at the best times of day, a private guide for around £100 a day split between a few travellers. Morning: Ahu Akivi, the seven inland moai aligned to the equinox, then Puna Pau quarry where the red scoria topknots (pukao) were carved. Afternoon: Orongo, the ceremonial village of the Birdman Cult perched on the rim of the Rano Kau crater, with its stone houses, rock paintings and sweeping views over the crater lake and the three Motu islands.
🚌Shared minibus tour (~£25 half day) or private car/guide (~£100/day split between travellers). Local road network is short and in good condition.
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Hanga Roa
- →Ahu Akivi
- →Puna Pau quarry
- →Orongo ceremonial village
- →Rano Kau crater rim walk
South coast ahus, Rano Raraku quarry and Anakena beach
South & north coasts, Easter Island
Take a full-day shared tour (~£70 including lunch) covering the island's headline sites. Stop at Ahu Vaihu and Ahu Akahanga on the south coast, then Rano Raraku — the quarry where the moai were carved, with around 400 statues still standing or lying in various stages of completion. Continue to Ahu Te Pito Kura and the 'Navel of the World' stone, then Ahu Tongariki with its 15 restored moai (worth timing near sunrise if you can arrange it). Finish at Anakena beach, with its Ahu Nau Nau moai backed by palm trees and a genuinely swimmable Pacific beach. DIY alternative: rent a car or scooter (~£50-70/day) and buy the Rapa Nui National Park ticket (~£60, covers all sites) to explore at your own pace.
🚌Shared full-day minibus tour (~£70 incl. lunch) OR rented car/scooter (~£50-70/day, fuel extra) plus national park entry ~£60.
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Hanga Roa
- →Rano Raraku quarry
- →Ahu Vaihu & Ahu Akahanga
- →Ahu Te Pito Kura
- →Ahu Tongariki
- →Anakena beach & Ahu Nau Nau
Free morning • Fly back to Santiago
Hanga Roa → Santiago, Chile
Use the free morning for anything you missed: a swim at Pea beach, a walk up Maunga Terevaka or the Rano Kau viewpoint, or last souvenir-hunting in Hanga Roa. Check whether your guesthouse offers a free airport drop-off (many do) before booking a taxi. Afternoon LATAM flight back to Santiago, arriving late evening. Check into a central Santiago budget hotel or hostel.
🚌Airport drop-off (free via guesthouse, else taxi ~£4-8). LATAM flight Easter Island–Santiago (part of your flight add-on). Santiago airport to city centre: Centropuerto/Turbus airport bus ~£2 or shared taxi ~£25-30.
🛏Budget hotel or hostel in central Santiago (~£30-45pp)
- →Free morning in Hanga Roa
- →Optional Anakena or Pea beach swim
Adventure ends in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Breakfast at your hotel, then onward travel — either your international flight home or the next leg of your Chile trip. Keep the PDI tourist card you were given on arrival and hand it back to migration on departure. Santiago's metro and airport buses are cheap and easy for getting to the airport independently rather than paying for a private transfer.
🚌Santiago metro + airport bus to Arturo Merino Benítez airport (~£2) or shared taxi (~£25-30).
🛏None (onward travel)
- →Onward travel
Self-launched vs. Exodus
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Exodus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£620 | £1,299 |
| Duration | 5 days | 5 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £679 per person (52%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Exodus-style trips? Check them out here.~£620
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Easter Island Self-Launched Add-On cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £620 per person for 5 days in Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Exodus?+
Yes — Exodus charges around £1,299 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £620 — a saving of roughly £679 (52%) per person.
How long is the Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile trip?+
This itinerary runs 5 days, covering 5 day-by-day stops through Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, slow-travel trip through Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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