"M & M" a Easter Island Travel Page by globe_trekker

Many tips about this island have been well written by some of the Vters here. This is my impression/thoughts about this magic island during my stay.
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It is small, remote and everything here is very expensive. Just to give you an example: a spaghetti plate runs about $8500 pesos, and it is not a fancy restaurant; an empanada runs about $1500 Chilean pesos. If you come here on a budget, then budget it out or stock up what you can from Santiago before arriving here. If for some reasons that you’ve stuck on the island, good luck.

On the other hand, it is a place that you can only feel the magic of the Moai, and you can have those archeological sites to yourself. My flight from Santiago to IPC was full, but I wondered where were all the tourists when I visited the sites? They were mostly staying for one night and then off to some other destinations next morning.

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When you are there, rent a car. Gasoline is not expensive as I thought. It ran about 1Us dollar per liter, and to cover all the main points on the island, you probably need 9-10 liters the most. Those little Suzuki don’t drain gasoline like those big monster SUVs. The island is small to cover by car, not by bicycle unless you were a participant in the Tour de France or want to look like a lobster on the grill. Thinking about getting off-road vehicle (re-creation vehicle), bear in mind that the hospital is some two thousand miles away and there are few flights in/out per week. Drive carefully and responsibly. There are many animals (cows, horses) share the road.

Those who is carrying US dollars, well the locals prefer paying in Chilean pesos or Euro (you can still xchange at the bank for a commission). The tide has turned against the green. Check the rental car papers. Scrutinize it. I can give you an example: The amount said in the agreement is marked as $US, so when they put down the $25000 pesos in that block, it can be $US 25000. Once you signed it, you need to spend time to explain it to your bank/institution if whatever happened to your rental vehicle. Cross it out and mark it as pesos to avoid any future complication.

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And don’t forget to go to the Orongo (there is a park administration office) to sign the book and pay the park fee to help preserve the park for future generation, if you do care.

Don't expect much about the accommodation or you will dissapoint greatly. Stay with the local to support them since the Chile gov. did not give any incentive or boost to the economy of this little island (there aren't any big chain hotel on the island, and it looks it will stay that way).

Last but not least, stop bashing against the Japanese as I have heard from some travelers on the island. Without their efforts and time, those Moai statues are probably still laying on or even burying somewhere in the ground.

If you love to travel and have opportunity, you have got to be there once in your lifetime. You will have a great time there.

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One wet departure

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The only way to get there is booking flight thru Lan Chile unless you want to sail with those cargo ships. Lan Chile web site occasionally put a block of tickets from Santiago to IPC for a local price to the non-Chilean citizen. A typical single round-trip ticket can cost the travelers up to or around 1000 US$ if they book within few weeks. Another alternative is working with the local travel agencies in Santiago to get the good price. This is the link to the Chile Yellow Page web site where you can find many local travel agencies. Most of them communicate in Spanish. Good luck in searching for cheap ticket.

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