Hanga Roa
The only town on Easter Island, where the harbor, craft market, museums and seafood restaurants are concentrated. It is the base for most visitors.
Hanga Roa is where almost all of the island's residents, hotels, restaurants and shops are located. Atamu Tekena Avenue, the main street, is lined with car rental agencies, travel agencies, supermarkets and souvenir shops. Places worth seeing: ① The harbor (Caleta Hanga Roa), where fishing boats moor and sea turtles often swim near the pier. A moai facing inland stands beside the harbor, and nearby Poike Bay is a surfing spot. ② The craft market (Mercado Artesanal) and the local market, selling wooden moai, replicas of Rongorongo wooden tablets and shell jewelry. ③ The Church of the Holy Cross (Iglesia de la Santa Cruz), which blends Catholicism with Rapa Nui art. Its wooden religious figures show Polynesian features, and Sunday Mass is sung in Rapa Nui. ④ The Sebastián Englert Anthropological Museum, which displays the only female moai, the original eyes of a moai and more. In the evening, you can watch a traditional Rapa Nui song and dance performance (such as Kari Kari or Ballet Cultural Vai Te Mihi) and try tuna ceviche and umu, food cooked in an underground stone oven. During the Tapati Cultural Festival in February, the town hosts traditional competitions such as banana trunk sliding, triathlon and body painting. Supplies reach the island by air and sea, so prices are 30-50% higher than in mainland Chile. Bring cash, as some businesses only accept Chilean pesos or US dollars. The coordinates are taken from the town center.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Ahu Tahai
- Father Sebastian Englert Anthropological Museum
- Ana Kai Tangata
- Puna Pau
- Ahu Huri a Urenga
- Ahu Vinapu
- Ana Kakenga (Two Windows Cave)
- Rano Kau