Best Time to Visit Easter Island

The shoulder seasons between April and June and October and December are the best times to visit Easter Island. The warm climate of the Southern Hemisphere combined with the light crowds during these months makes them an ideal time to discover the many highlights of the island. 

Between January and March is summer in the Southern Hemisphere and high season, when visitors flock to the island. The Tapati Rapa Nui Festival takes place every year at the beginning of February, a celebration that brings the Rapa Nui culture to new generations of the island’s people and tourists. Activities during this festival include horseback races, dancing, a triathlon, swimming, and canoeing.

Exploring Easter Island on exciting outdoor adventures can include biking in the interior of the island, hiking up volcanoes, and, of course, venturing around the ancient giant statues that put the island on the map when it was discovered in 1722.

There are around 1,000 statues located all around the 63 square mile island (163.2 square km), weighing as much as 80 tons and standing at about 26 feet tall (9.8 m). Recently, archeologists have discovered that the statues had lower bodies that were buried under the ground.

April, May, and June

The months of April, May, and June are between fall and winter when the weather isn’t too hot as tropical breezes keep things cool. While there are the chances of rain, the temperate climate affords travelers the opportunity to get out and explore the island’s archeological sites as well as get some beach time or a horse ride along the coastal cliffs. 

Rapa Nui National Park covers almost half of the small island. The protected area was established in 1935 and is home to the Rano Raraku quarry, where the Rapa Nui people carved these giant statues for five hundred years until the 18th century. There are statues at different stages of completion in the quarry that show the stunning examples of the work that went into creating them.

October, November, December

Falling between winter and spring, October, November, and December are pleasant months to travel to this remote Chilean outpost as they give you the best of the winter months and the room to stretch your legs while exploring the manmade and natural wonders of the island while the crowds are at bay.

Popular activities during this time include surfing, snorkeling, and diving in the crystal clear waters of Easter Island’s shores. For those that would rather explore by land, the Ana Kakenga Cave is part of the island’s underground complex of taverns where spelunking gives you great views from cliffside vantage points out over the sea. This activity can also double as an excellent rainy-day activity.

While there is a small but healthy population of descendants of the original inhabitants of the island living on Easter Island today, little is known about what happened to the first settlers. Some think that they lost their way by cutting down the island’s trees for farming projects, and subsequently faced starvation as a result.

For more information about your options for travel to Easter Island, contact one of our travel experts so they can set you up with a trip that fits both within your schedule and budget.