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And that was the destination I was most looking forward to on my South American adventure: exploring one of the most remote inhabited islands on Earth.
Rapa Nui, "desolate island" in the local language, is a small volcanic island perched precariously in the vast Pacific Ocean. To reach it, tourists usually fly from the capital Santiago de Chile or purchase a lengthy sea voyage lasting months. Many visitors call it Easter Island, commemorating the discovery by Dutch captain Jacob Roggeveen, the first European to accidentally discover the island on Easter Sunday in 1722. But I prefer to call it Rapa Nui because of the impressive visual culture that its inhabitants have built over thousands of years, which still survives today.
A legacy of mystical culture
Despite the relatively high transportation and accommodation costs for a backpacker, I still wanted to set foot in this remote land to witness its mysteries firsthand. I could feel the unmistakable local culture of Rapa Nui the moment I landed at the airport, with its Moai statues representing a mystical culture. Even in modern times, the people of Rapa Nui want to preserve this unique and unchanging culture, despite the increasing number of tourists visiting the island. They have established some "rules" for visitors before they go through immigration procedures. One of the unchangeable rules is not to touch the Moai. The island still has 887 Moai statues standing, untouched by time, most of which lack any protective barriers. Touching them means touching the visual culture of the Rapa Nui ancestors, which they have preserved for thousands of years. Or, more simply, you have encroached upon an invaluable asset that has brought in a large number of tourists, when the resources, climate, and soil here are not sufficient to support the 6,000 residents on the island.
Rapa Nui covers an area of only 163.3 square kilometers, just a quarter the size of Phu Quoc Island, but behind its small size lies a vast and mysterious civilization. We spent several days renting a car to explore the island, a convenient way to discover more of Rapa Nui during our short stay. This tiny island, with its resources consisting only of rocks, forests, and wild fruits, contains exquisite architectural structures and symbols that are admired worldwide.
One of the mysteries is that most of the Moai statues stand in rows facing inwards towards the island, contrary to what I expected—that they would face the ocean to protect the island. Perhaps, since ancient times, the Rapa Nui people did not expect visitors from the ocean; instead, they sought to connect with their roots, their customs, and strengthen the long-standing belief system that protects their lives every day. This is perfectly consistent with the fact that the ancient Rapa Nui people, with their traditional clothing, piercings, large physiques, dark, sun-tanned skin, and numerous tattoos, look at tourists with suspicion—a visually striking expression of their feelings toward outsiders. For them, could these foreign visitors one day sweep away their unique cultural values?
I tried to smile at them a couple of times, but they were mostly met with indifference and wariness. Some tourists who tried to touch the Moai statues, essentially just to feel the mystical nature of the stone figures, were dealt with regardless of who they were. Each time, tourists could be fined up to $500. I appreciate this ostentatious and clear visual culture of the Rapa Nui people, as it allows them to preserve their identity and enduring spiritual values.
We spent two full days exploring the island's most famous Moai statues in a rented car in the town center. Rapa Nui is shaped like a triangle with volcanic peaks, home to the island's only source of fresh water. The pristine nature at the edge of the world made us feel like we were living in a different world from our own. Although the northern area doesn't yet have a road network connecting the entire island, the existing roads were sufficient for us to travel freely, enjoying the refreshing breezes like on other tropical islands in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Moai statues still stand tall, their faces stern, some wearing red hats made of volcanic ash. Many people were involved in their construction, along with significant resources and time. Many archaeologists have tried to understand the building materials and methods used to transport these Moai statues, some weighing tens of tons and still under construction, reaching heights of up to 21 meters and weighing hundreds of tons. How could the Rapa Nui people, on a small island formed by volcanic eruptions in the middle of the ocean, invest so much in constructing such colossal statues?
The increasing construction of Moai statues meant the Rapa Nui people needed more wood to transport the colossal stone statues to their elevated pedestals near the sea. They cut down the forest to the point where not a single tree remained on the island. The lack of resources meant the construction of the statues came to a standstill. Furthermore, the island's population grew, food supplies dwindled, disease spread, bloody civil wars ensued, and cannibalism further eroded the Rapa Nui civilization, leading to its eventual disappearance. This was also a thought that struck me when visiting the statues lying abandoned in the Rano Raraku volcanic quarry on the island. A civilization can disappear simply because its ancestors placed an excessive emphasis on visual elements, something they were unable to control.
The world of nature lovers
I consider myself a nature lover, and choosing Rapa Nui to relax after a long journey exploring South America was a well-deserved reward. Four days on the island allowed me to immerse myself in pristine nature, largely untouched by modern life. I spent afternoons relaxing on Anakena Beach, surrounded by coconut groves laden with fruit, winding along the white sand dunes. Legend says this is where the ancestors of the Rapa Nui people first set foot on the island after an almost impossible migration across the vast and perilous ocean. This place also seems to be the final leg of the migration journey of modern humans tens of thousands of years ago to the distant lands of South America. A small, tranquil bay facing the Pacific Ocean helped me dispel my fatigue, feel at peace, and imagine the peaceful life of the island, guarded by majestic and mysterious Moai statues.
Everything on Rapa Nui is quite expensive because it has to be transported from the mainland. This is understandable, as airplanes are the most common means of transporting products and consumer goods to the island. We stayed at a beachfront campsite near the town of Hang Roa. The campsite shared living quarters with the host family and had a shared kitchen area. If you go to the local market, where a few pickup trucks are parked in the town center in the mornings, and cook your own meals instead of eating out, you'll save a lot of money.
Seafood, especially fish, is a relatively inexpensive food source on the island, as it's also a source of income for the islanders, after tourism. After a day of driving around Rapa Nui, we might have a quick lunch of sandwiches and cheese bought from Santiago, but in the evenings we could enjoy hearty meals that we cooked ourselves. One day, we even prepared a homemade salad after getting a large banana blossom from a nearby house.
Rapa Nui's wild nature means that the seeds brought by birds have given rise to dense forests of wild guava trees along the roadsides, laden with ripe fruit in the spring. Sometimes, our lunch consisted of just a few chocolate bars and some guavas—a kind of red-fleshed guava, not very big but incredibly sweet. We had read about this beforehand when we decided to seek out these free guava forests on the island. Indeed, nature here is very generous to travelers.
I also had the pleasure of watching the sunset until the golden lights began to flicker on some of the streets around the town center. At night, the island was tranquil and peaceful, with only the gentle sound of waves lapping against the volcanic cliffs. On moonlit nights, the Moai statues stood out like enduring cultural beacons at the edge of the world.
Additional information:
+ Journey: From Vietnam, you can use the services of several airlines to reach Santiago, the capital of Chile, with 1 to 3 layovers in Sydney, Auckland, Doha, or Sao Paulo... The price for this round-trip flight ranges from 1500 to 2200 USD depending on the time of year. From Santiago, you continue your journey directly to Rapa Nui Island with a domestic South American flight operated by Latam Airlines, with prices ranging from 300 to 600 USD round-trip.
+ Activities: You should spend at least 1 to 2 days cycling around Rapa Nui. This will be a fantastic experience as you witness herds of horses grazing peacefully on the pristine Pacific coast, and the scattered Moai statues that have stood for centuries, seemingly protecting this mysterious island. Rent a bike at the campsite or in the town center of Hanga Roa.
+ Souvenir: Visit the post office on Rapa Nui island to get the Moai symbol stamped in your passport.
+ Experiences: And here are some things you shouldn't miss at Rapa Nui:
- Enjoy swimming and picking coconuts yourself at Anakena Beach, where legend says the ancestors of the Rapa Nui people came here from the West.
- Watch the magical sunset from the summit of Orongo volcano.
-Visit the natural Rano Raraku volcanic quarry, which the Rapa Nui people used in ancient times to create the mystical Moai statues.
-Enjoy the wild guava, with its red flesh, that grows along many roadsides on the island.
-Cook your own meals to save money and stay in a homestay with the Rapa Nui people.
-Watch the local people dance as they gather in the afternoons.
- Kayak around the island,
-Join the Rapa Nui people in fishing on the Pacific Ocean.
+ Currency: Chile uses the Peso (CLP) for transactions. Tourists are advised to exchange USD to CLP on the mainland, where you will get an exchange rate of approximately 1 USD to 650 CLP. However, if you exchange USD on the island, the exchange rate will drop to 1 USD = 500 CLP. There are several state-owned banks in the town of Hang Roa; you can exchange money with your passport during business hours on weekdays.
+ Accommodation: Hotels and resorts on the island are quite expensive, costing from 250 - 300 USD per room. However, you can also find camping areas around the town and rent tents for 15 - 20 USD per tent, or rent double rooms in these areas for 50 - 55 USD per room.
Text and photos: Nguyen Hoang Bao
