Today enjoy a full day shared tour exploring the Akahanga and Anakena regions of Rapa Nui, with boxed picnic lunch included.
From the capital of Hanga Roa we head towards the eastwern coastline to follow in the footsteps of the first king of the island, Ariki Hotu Matu´a, who disembarked here and founded this amazing megalithic culture. Over the next 700 years, these Polynesian navigators went on to produce the gigantic Moai (statues) for which Easter Island is so famous.
We travel along the south coast to our first stop at Ahu Akahanga – the Platform of the King – as it is believed that the grave of Hotu Matu’a is in a nearby cave. There are four separate Ahu (stone platforms) here with 12 toppled Moai of various sizes and eight magnificent Pukao (topknots). Petroglyphs run along the front of the main Ahu and one Moai can be found behind it.
Afterwards we visit Rano Raraku Volcano, a sacred site where the majority of these stone goants were carved. One of the most interesting archaeological sites on Rapa Nui, here you can find 396 Moai situated in a quarry inside an extinct volcano, with a freshwater crater lake. Some of the statues are still encrusted in the rock of the quarry, others are in the process of getting their backs completed, and some are in a staging area waiting to be moved to their destination. Here we will see the largest Moai ever carved – Te Tokanga (or El Gigante) measuring a staggering 66 ft (22 m) and weighing an estimated 220 tons. We then stop for lunch at the home of a Rapa Nui family.
We continue to Ahu Tongariki, the largest Ahu on Easter Island. Its Moai were toppled during the island's civil wars, and in the twentieth century the Ahu was swept inland by a tsunami. It has since been restored and has fifteen moai, including one that weighs eighty-six tonnes, the heaviest ever erected on the island.
And at Ahu Te Pito Kura we find the sacred stone that marked the 'navel of the world'. It has been said that this stone was brought by Hotu Matu’a from his home island.
Finally we finish our day relaxing on stunning Anakena Beach, with its row of Moai which have their backs turned to the sea. Anakena has 4 Ahu sites, two of which have been reconstructed. The first, called Ature Huki, was restored by Thor Heyerdahl in 1955 and the other, called Nau Nau, was restored by the same archaeologist Sergio Rapu. This site only has one Moai erected, however it measures 10 m (30 ft) and weights 90 tons, making it the largest Moai to be raised on a platform. The topknot alone is worthy of praise, weighing 11.5 tons.
Note: The order of your day excursions may be changed. Wear good walking shoes and pack both sunscreen and rain gear. Shared tours have a maximum of 20 people.