Ancient Civilizations
Chile
887 stone statues, each one unique. A civilisation that vanished. Nobody fully knows why.
The Forgotten Atlas — Field Report
887 stone statues, each one unique. A civilisation that vanished. Nobody fully knows why.
There are 887 moai on Easter Island. Each one is unique. They range from just over a metre to 21 metres in height, the largest weighing 80 tonnes. The Rapa Nui people who carved them used no metal tools — only stone — and quarried them from the Rano Raraku volcano, then transported them across the island using methods that archaeologists are still debating. The most extraordinary detail: nearly 400 of them never left the quarry. They stand at various stages of completion in the slopes of Rano Raraku, as if everyone who was working on them simply put down their tools and walked away.
Easter Island does not ask to be explained. It asks to be witnessed. The statues are not the mystery — the mystery is what kind of people build them and what they mean by them.
The Forgotten Atlas
The Rapa Nui people arrived on the island from Polynesia between 700 and 1200 AD. At their peak they had a sophisticated civilisation with a unique writing system (rongorongo, still undeciphered), complex social structure, and an extraordinary artistic tradition. The leading theory for the collapse of this civilisation — deforestation, resource depletion, the rats that arrived with the settlers eating the palm seeds that would have allowed reforestation — is a story with obvious contemporary resonance. The European arrival in 1722 then brought disease. The population that had once been in the tens of thousands was reduced to 111 people by 1877.
Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is a Chilean territory, 3,700 kilometres off the Chilean coast, accessible only by plane. The main settlement is Hanga Roa, a small town with good restaurants and comfortable guesthouses. The moai at Ahu Tongariki — fifteen statues in a row against the backdrop of the Pacific — is the most dramatic sight on the island. Rano Raraku, the quarry, is the most emotionally affecting. Anakena beach, the only white sand beach, is where the most photogenic moai stand. Three days covers the island well.
Fly from Santiago de Chile (5 hours). Three days minimum. Rent a bicycle or a scooter for the inland sites. The tourist numbers are low — you will sometimes be alone with the statues.
Fifteen moai in a row facing inland, restored in the 1990s after a tsunami knocked them over. The dawn view with the sun rising behind the ahu is the defining image.
The quarry. 394 moai at various stages of completion, still standing in the hillside. The most mysterious and affecting site on the island.
The white sand beach on the north coast. Moai on the ahu above the beach. The Rapa Nui tradition holds this is where the first settlers landed.
The ceremonial village on the cliff edge where the Birdman competition was held. The view down to the islets below is extraordinary.
The best seafood restaurant on the island. The tuna ceviche and the grilled catch of the day are the dishes that the fishing community of Hanga Roa is justifiably proud of.
Traditional Rapa Nui cooking. Simple, fresh, and the best introduction to the local ingredients.
The best breakfast and coffee on the island. The empanadas are outstanding.
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