HOW TO GET THERE
The only airline going to Easter Island is LAN CHILE, national airline of Chile, either via Santiago de Chile or Tahiti, French Polynesia. Unfortunately we cannot sell airfares directly from Easter Island, but all LAN CHILE-offices and your travel agent will be able to assist you. You might be able to obtain a cheaper airfare traveling from the nearest airport to your city covered by LAN CHILE, like Miami or Los Angeles in the United States, Frankfurt inGermany, etc., or connecting with airlines being member of One World Alliance.
NECESSARY DOCUMENTS
From Europe and North America you can immigrate with a normal tourist visa, valid for 3 months. Vaccinations are not necessary, you might need an International Driver's License in case you want to rent a car or a motorbike.
BEST TIME TO COME
It's not quite easy to recommend the best time of the year to visit Easter Island. Spring (Oct.-Dec.) and autumn (March-May) are a very good time to travel; temperatures never go higher than aprox. 24°C, only some rainfall. In winter (May-Sept.) more rain, still temperatures between 18-21°C during the day. These seasons have the advantage that there are not so many tourists on the Island. In summer (January-beginning of March) the temperatures could rise up to 28-31°C and the Pacific Ocean invites for a swim in its warm waters.
MONEY
The best recommendation we can give is to bring US Dollars or Chilean Pesos from mainland Chile. Do not count on paying with credit cards, only a few restaurants and stores; mostly hotels accept VISA and AMEX. At the local bank one can charge 200.000 Chilean Pesos (approx. 300 USD) per day on a VISA credit card, do not try to change Traveler Checks in the local bank, they charge a considerable commission. Most people prefer US Dollars cash; even accept US Dollar Traveler Checks in small denominations. No other currency is accepted or changed on Easter Island, not even at the bank.
The price structure on the Island differs very much from mainland Chile. Prices are 40 - 100% higher because of the high freight costs; almost everything you buy is brought over from mainland Chile by plane or ship.
