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Chile
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Valparaiso Region
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Easter Island
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Hanga Roa
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Tours & Activities
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Easter Island Moai Archaeology Tour: Ahu Akivi, Ahu Tahai and Puna Pauâ Quarry.
3h30
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Rapa Nui National Park, a wildlife sanctuary spread across most of Easter Island and a UNESCO World Heritage site, contains about 900 moai sculptures as well as 300 ahu, or ceremonial platforms, on which the carved figures stand. Sculpted from solidified volcanic ash, these statues are believed to represent the spirits of ancestors and high-ranking members of each tribe.
After hotel pickup from Hanga Roa, travel south with your guide into the park to Ahu Tahai, a ceremonial platform that has a unique moai, a stone giant that stands alone, but which is protected by its more than 4 meters high and its imposing figure.
Continue north to Puna Pau to see how some moai sport a different look. You'll notice they have pukao, or topknots made out of red scoria on their heads. It's believed the volcanic rock was used to impress rival tribes. Roughly 30 pukao are located in or near the Puna Pau quarry, the source of the red scoria.
Then head to Ahu Akivi, where you’ll see a line of seven moai looking out toward the ocean. The moai here each stand 16 feet (5 meters) tall and weigh about 18 tons (16 metric tons). What's mysterious about these sea-facing figures? It's an unusual sight considering the other ahu moai stand with their backs against the water.
One theory behind their unusual position: These moai symbolize the seven explorers from the Polynesian homeland of Hiva sent by the chief to find the island of Rapa Nui. According to this hypothesis, these statues face the ocean in the direction they came from.
Our last point will be The -Ahu Huri a Urenga- one of the 25 platforms that are not on the coast, but in the interior of the island and corresponds to an agricultural area, human settlements.
After your engaging exploration of ahu moai, you’ll be taken back to your hotel.
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After hotel pickup from Hanga Roa, travel south with your guide into the park to Ahu Tahai, a ceremonial platform that has a unique moai, a stone giant that stands alone, but which is protected by its more than 4 meters high and its imposing figure.
Continue north to Puna Pau to see how some moai sport a different look. You'll notice they have pukao, or topknots made out of red scoria on their heads. It's believed the volcanic rock was used to impress rival tribes. Roughly 30 pukao are located in or near the Puna Pau quarry, the source of the red scoria.
Then head to Ahu Akivi, where you’ll see a line of seven moai looking out toward the ocean. The moai here each stand 16 feet (5 meters) tall and weigh about 18 tons (16 metric tons). What's mysterious about these sea-facing figures? It's an unusual sight considering the other ahu moai stand with their backs against the water.
One theory behind their unusual position: These moai symbolize the seven explorers from the Polynesian homeland of Hiva sent by the chief to find the island of Rapa Nui. According to this hypothesis, these statues face the ocean in the direction they came from.
Our last point will be The -Ahu Huri a Urenga- one of the 25 platforms that are not on the coast, but in the interior of the island and corresponds to an agricultural area, human settlements.
After your engaging exploration of ahu moai, you’ll be taken back to your hotel.
Included
- Professional guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transport by air-conditioned van or bus
Not included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fee to Rapa Nui National Park (56,000 Chilean pesos or 80.00 USD)
- Transfers from the pier (Please note there's an special option called Shore Excursion trip for this case)
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Remember that this excursion is not a private tour
- It is recommended that you wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and bring water and snacks
- Note: Port pickup is not available
Features
Tourism
80%
Original
60%
Sport
50%
Adrenaline
40%
Reviews
Great service from the team. Reached out to me as I was running late and caught me up to the rest of the group
Of the three tours on the island we took, this was the least satisfying.
Excellent tour, the ship had to land on the other side of island but still the tour bus met us. Did not charge any park entrance fee and an excellent multilingual guide.
The Moais are all over the island, but the guided tour was the best we could have done. My only regret was that I didn't book the full day. Awesome experience. My girls loved it and want to return to Easter Island for Christmas again.
Wonderful trip. great guide
This tour was a good introduction to the many archaeological sites on Easter Island. I realised, however, that I had paid much more for the three tours that I went on than I would have done had I waited until my arrival on Easter Island to book them. That's my fault, of course, and I would have been bitterly disappointed if I'd arrived on the island and found that there were no tours available.