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Easter island


Marianna49
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Are any of my cruise critic friends out there considering an Easter Island excursion from Chile? Have any of you done it? We are traveling to SA March 2017 and we are beginning the planning. Thank you. :)

 

I have been there twice, and did it independently both times. It is my favourite place on earth.. Like anything, you will find it much more economical to do yourself rather than booking a tour with the cruise line. You should spend anywhere between 3-5 days there depending on your interest level and the style of your travel. Both times I just rented a jeep for a few days and drove around, stopped where I wanted to stop, etc. etc. It is a magical place.

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I have been there twice, and did it independently both times. It is my favourite place on earth.. Like anything, you will find it much more economical to do yourself rather than booking a tour with the cruise line. You should spend anywhere between 3-5 days there depending on your interest level and the style of your travel. Both times I just rented a jeep for a few days and drove around, stopped where I wanted to stop, etc. etc. It is a magical place.

How did you get to the island? Was the trip after a SA cruise? We are traveling on Celebrity from BA to Chile.

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How did you get to the island? Was the trip after a SA cruise? We are traveling on Celebrity from BA to Chile.

 

Well coincidentally we just completed a BA-Chile cruise on the NCL Sun, but we didn't go to EI this time. Both times I've just flown to Chile and then gone to the Island for a few days (as well as doing some touring in Chile.) LAN airlines flies there 3-5 times/week depending on the season. The first time I went I didn't book accommodation beforehand. there are lots of locals in the arrivals areas offering their hospitality (for a price). Last time I went we booked ahead.

 

Your trip in March will still be relatively high season, and the weather should be nice.

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I went there over Christmas following a cruise that finished in Valparaiso. My experience was similar to OzCanuck's.

 

There's only one way to get there, and that's on LAN from Santiago (or Papeete). The tickets are *much* cheaper if you buy them from LAN's Chilean website.

 

There's a useful blog starting at

http://www.pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/2015/09/rapa-nui-101-this-time-i-really-did-do.html

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I went there over Christmas following a cruise that finished in Valparaiso. My experience was similar to OzCanuck's.

 

There's only one way to get there, and that's on LAN from Santiago (or Papeete). The tickets are *much* cheaper if you buy them from LAN's Chilean website.

 

There's a useful blog starting at

http://www.pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/2015/09/rapa-nui-101-this-time-i-really-did-do.html

 

Wow. Thank you for the link. It is really helpful. :o

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  • 6 months later...
Are any of my cruise critic friends out there considering an Easter Island excursion from Chile? Have any of you done it? We are traveling to SA March 2017 and we are beginning the planning. Thank you. :)

 

We are visiting EI prior to a SA/Antarctic cruise, January, 2017. We booked with Marc Shields, of green island tours, who comes highly recommended on trip advisor as well as personal friends. He arranges hotel, airport pickup, guided tours and history of the island. We are doing the Birdman tour, Moai tour with lunch (to many locations) and a 6 hr island hike. He came very highly recommended, if you want to really learn about the island and the moai.

 

Yes, Lantam airlines is the way to travel there from Santiago. They depart around 9:15am and return about 2:15pm. 3 nights seemed right for us. Good luck with your planning. Should be the trip of a lifetime.

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We are going there for two nights in December with good friends after a week of hiking in the Torres Del Paine and before our Seabourn Antarctica cruise. My friend did all of the research and booked with Easter Island Spirit tours for two full days. James has been very responsive and helpful in our planning.They are picking us up at the airport land booked our hotel (Taha Tai). We booked our own flights and I can tell you that the flights (LAN) for December are heavily booked -- so if you are going during the peak season book your flights sooner than later. Don't be fooled by thinking Easter Island is "just" off the coast of Chile. It is, as others have posted, a five hour flight.

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EI was a two day stop on our Oceania Marina cruise last March. We never tendered due to rough seas. The earlier stop missed one day of two because of seas. Bottom line, due not count on a ship visit. Fly in.

 

Same thing happened to us at the Falkland Islands in 2010. The Infinity Antarctic cruise missed the port due to seas.

 

It seems Islands south of 30 degrees south latitude have this high probability of poor sea state.

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  • 5 weeks later...
EI was a two day stop on our Oceania Marina cruise last March. We never tendered due to rough seas. The earlier stop missed one day of two because of seas. Bottom line, due not count on a ship visit. Fly in.

 

Same thing happened to us at the Falkland Islands in 2010. The Infinity Antarctic cruise missed the port due to seas.

 

It seems Islands south of 30 degrees south latitude have this high probability of poor sea state.

 

Thanks for posting this. I have had a cruise that stops here( as well as Pitcairn)on my bucket list for awhile. Good to know probably need to suck it up and fly there next time before or after a SA cruise.

Edited by DipBrat
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  • 1 month later...

We are going there in 2017 on the Sea Princess out of Brisbane, arriving at the Island on January 29.

All we can do is hope that the sea on that day is calm enough for tendering.

We see Easter Island as the main reason to book our cruise, but we realise that we have a 50/50 chance of landing.

My wife and myself have psyched ourselves by to be disappointed beforehand.

We are hoping that if the worse happens that the captain will at least come in very close and circle the island a few times.

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Same here, I went like OzCanuk. Book a flight on LAN, its about a 5 hour flight. Various accommodations you can prebook or just show up. Rent a vehicle. Get to the quarry first thing, you have it all to yourself before tour groups show up. See the caldera, and there's also caves with petroglyphs.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am strongly thinking of visiting EI after our cruise in December 2017. I did a pretend search...looks like the single flight leaves from Santiago at 9:35 am. I take it we would have no chance of catching it from the ship on the day the ship docks in Valpariso. So we would need to spend one night in Santiago?

 

I noticed that while all of the flights going back to North America leave 10 pm or later, I would be better to either book a late flight back to Toronto or go out the day after we get back from Easter Island?

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I am strongly thinking of visiting EI after our cruise in December 2017. I did a pretend search...looks like the single flight leaves from Santiago at 9:35 am. I take it we would have no chance of catching it from the ship on the day the ship docks in Valpariso. So we would need to spend one night in Santiago?

 

I noticed that while all of the flights going back to North America leave 10 pm or later, I would be better to either book a late flight back to Toronto or go out the day after we get back from Easter Island?

 

I think you would be challenged to make a 9:35am flight out of SCL after docking in Valpo. I mean... you *might* be able to do it, keeping in mind you'll need to check in an hour or so before, but that would be way too stressful for me.

 

On some days they also fly later in the day, around 6pm or so but that won't help you if you want to make a connection on the day you dock direct to EI - so it looks like you'd have to overnight in SCL on your way there. Personally I would just stay at the airport holiday inn as I've seen Santiago way too many times.

 

And, unfortunately with the timing of the afternoon flight back from EI you would not be able to catch a flight back to Toronto (on AC, anyway). There is a red eye from EI back to SCL on some nights. That is going to get you into SCL around 7am. Not sure if there are any day flights back up north, I've never looked into it - but if there are you would have a connection for sure in MIA or JFK.

 

Having said all that - it is so worth the effort to see this place...

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We got a great quote from Green Island tours...so I will spend an extra 2 nights in Santiago....we can do a winery tour the day we disembark & a city tour the day we leave[emoji2]. EI looks amazing. Yes I'll stay at an airport hotel. Probably better to relax the day before we go to Easter Island anyway.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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  • 1 month later...

Note that Hanga Roa has no natural protected harbour - there are none on Easter Island (other than a tiny one for small boats). Reason why tendering is a risk and there is no moorage.

 

My wife and I did this trip after our repo cruise a couple of years ago. 2 nts in Santiago then flew to IPC and spent 3 nts there. We did it ourselves (driving is easy- not too many places to get lost). Accommodation there is bsic to say the least.

 

The late flights are on the nights that there are flights to/from Tahiti. Note that the flights to Easter Island have to carry enough fuel to return to Santiago de Chile as there is no nearer airport to divert to.

Edited by cruising cockroach
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  • 1 year later...

Has anyone been more recent than 2016?

I'll be traveling by myself in January 2020 on a cruise from BA to Santiago. would love to spend a couple of days in EI........I would prefer not to drive myself around (so I can enjoy the sites)

any tour companies to recommend? Hotels?

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  • 3 weeks later...

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