← Volcano Marathon Easter Island·2 nights

Rapa Nui: Two More Nights on the Island

Two nights in Hanga Roa after the package ends, with the museum, the Tahai sunset walk and the sites the course ran past.

Duration2 nights
TransitStay in Hanga Roa and use short hire-car or taxi trips
DepartsHanga Roa

After the Volcano Marathon: Two More Nights on Rapa Nui

The Route: Hanga Roa → Tahai → Rano Raraku and Ahu Tongariki → Mataveri Airport Logistics: Stay in town, walk to Tahai, hire a car or driver for the rest. LATAM flies to Santiago from Mataveri. Marathon Month: June Duration: 2 nights

Hanga Roa ──(20 mins on foot)──> Tahai ──(day by car)──> Rano Raraku / Ahu Tongariki
    │                                                              │
    └──────────────(5 mins by car)──> Mataveri Airport (IPC) ◄────┘

The race package runs for four nights, with the race on the third day, and ends with a drop-off at the airport. Anyone who wants more than one rest day has to arrange extra nights independently. The island is expensive and small, flights are limited and the next one out may not be for a day or two, so stretching the stay is cheap insurance against the island's slow logistics. Extra hotel nights are not part of the package, so book early.

June in Rapa Nui: winter, with the organiser's average of 17 to 22°C and occasional rain. Days are shorter than in the northern summer, so sites close earlier than the clock suggests. Plan sunsets rather than long afternoons.

Nights One and Two: Hanga Roa

Hanga Roa is the only town on the island, a short grid of streets running down to a small harbour. It is flat in the centre and slopes gently in places. Walking is easy.

The first outing is the walk north to Tahai, about 1.6 km straight line from the finish hotel along the coast. The path is flat and paved or packed earth, with a few gentle rises, and passes the cemetery before reaching three ahu. One holds a single moai with restored eyes, which are white coral with dark pupils, and another holds five. Go for sunset. At post-marathon pace allow 30 to 40 minutes each way, or take a taxi back.

The Father Sebastian Englert Anthropological Museum is in the same sector, at the north end of the town. Collections include obsidian tools, fish hooks and a moai face with a coral eye. One third-party guide lists opening hours as Tuesday to Friday 09:30 to 17:30 and weekends 09:30 to 12:30, with Monday closed, and entry of about CLP 1,000 (under £1.50). Confirm the hours with the museum or the hotel before walking over. The building is mostly on one level.

A full day by vehicle covers the two sites the course touched. Ahu Tongariki, the long row of restored moai, is about 16 km straight line from the finish, and the quarry at Rano Raraku, where the statues were carved, is about 15 km. Both are covered by the Rapa Nui National Park ticket, which costs USD 100 for adult foreign visitors (about £75) and allows one entry to Rano Raraku. The road between them is short, so the pair fits comfortably into a day with a driver. The organiser's island tour on the day before the race covers both, so many runners will have seen them already. A second visit with unburdened legs is worth it for Rano Raraku in particular, where unfinished moai lie in the hillside.

Where to stay. Hare Nua in central Hanga Roa has a 4.9 rating on Tripadvisor from 868 reviews and sits about 0.7 km from the finish hotel. Taura'a Hotel, a similar distance away, is rated 4.5 from 518 reviews and is described there as quiet. Hotel Taha Tai is the closest independent option, about 0.5 km from the finish. Check rates and availability directly, as the island has few rooms.

Where to eat. The Nayara Hangaroa has two restaurants, Poerava and Kaloa. Check whether they are open to non-guests and what the menus offer. Small restaurants in the town centre serve fresh fish and are generally open for lunch and early dinner; hours shift with the season, so ask the hotel which are open on the night.

Getting Home

Mataveri Airport (IPC) is about 2.3 km from the Nayara Hangaroa, a five-minute drive. LATAM operates the only nonstop route, from Santiago, in about 5.5 hours out and 4.5 hours back. Frequency is daily according to the organiser's FAQ, but check the timetable for your dates before booking hotels. Most onward connections to the UK or Europe pass through Santiago, so a night there is worth considering (see the Santiago stopover itinerary).