Sightseeing in Hanga Roa - what to see. Complete travel guide

Beautiful Easter Island has only one town – Hanga Roa. The island’s main town is located at a distance from other settlements. Despite such a location away from civilization, the town is quite suitable for living and is a wonderful destination for a vacation. Numerous travelers and holidaymakers visit this interesting town every year in order to explore this area and enjoy its unique culture. Despite being away from big cities, local people do not feel completely alone because of numerous guests and free internet connection.

Hanga Roa is located to the south-west of the island. The main street in the town is called Atamu Tekena after the first leader in the area. It is still not clear when the first settlement on the island was founded. Historians think that first settlers appeared here between 700 and 1100. First Christian missionaries arrived in Hanga Roa in the middle of the 19th century.

Currently, roughly two thousand and five hundred people live on the island. They speak English, Spanish, and the native Rapa Nui language. Local people mostly work in the cattle breeding industry – they usually keep sheep. Besides raising livestock, local men adore fishing. This is also an additional source of income for them. When arriving in Hanga Roa, tourists can be sure that local people will be very friendly and hospitable because this is a tradition on Easter Island. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Aboriginal people in Hanga Roa might look a bit unusual for tourists. They can drink alcohol from morning until evening – such behavior is not rare in this region. Locals prefer hard liquors. The bodies of people in Hanga Roa are almost completely covered with tattoos. Smoking is also very popular on Easter Island. The most astonishing and surprising fact is that virtually everyone smokes here, even women and children, leave alone elderly people. Hanga Roa is mostly a tourist town, so locals usually live in adjacent neighborhoods.

When planning a vacation on Easter Island, tourists primarily hope for tranquility and an opportunity to relax away from urban stress and endless traffic jams. One of the best beaches in Chile, Anakena Beach, is situated not far from the central part of Hanga Roa. It is very comfortable to relax here, and the beauty of the surrounding nature makes beach recreation even more pleasant. Mountains and palm trees make this area look like it is from some kind of a fairytale. As the beach is situated on Easter Island, naturally, there are guardians of this region – the Moai statues – everywhere.

Tourists from Europe and the Americas enjoy visiting this beach. To make it even more comfortable to relax here, there are two kiosks with various snacks and local fast food dishes not far from the beach. The period starting from November and until March is the best time to visit Easter Island. If you plan to visit Hanga Roa in a different month, there is a risk that your vacation will coincide with the rainy season.

The waterfront in Hanga Roa is a pleasant place where tourists can take a stroll, admire the ocean view, and see how waves crash into the pier. The sound of the ocean is so enchanting that many tourists spend hours admiring the view and meditating. The clear blue sky looks particularly attractive from the waterfront because it is possible to see how white airplanes reminiscent of giant birds land on the island’s airport.

It would be a mistake to fail to mention a popular public area – the town’s beach. This is a great place to sunbathe. The beach is almost completely covered with soft green grass. It is never too hot here most of the time because numerous palm trees make the area shadowy. That being said, the area is not suitable for swimming because of sharp stones on the bottom near the beach. Despite this, the area is very interesting to explore. There are quite many large turtles in the coastal area. These are the main oceanic creatures on the island.

Local people traditionally go to church every Sunday in Hanga Roa. This sacred place is one more landmark of the town. Masses on Sundays are an important part of the cultural life of the town. The church looks like a typical building in this area but it has traditional elements of Christian architecture. A beautiful statue of Jesus Christ on the roof of the building is the only thing that amazes tourists. When looking at the statue, it feels like Jesus Christ is about to turn into a bird and fly high to the sky. The church looks quite simple inside, but unique carved figurines add a homelike charm to this place.

There are not many ways of getting to the most distant inhabited island. Naturally, there are interesting routes from the coastal Chilean cities. It is possible to reach Hanga Roa from them by yacht or motorboat. However, such a journey can be very expensive. Apart from this, there is only one way to reach Hanga Roa – by airplane. There is an airport near the town. It serves airplanes coming from Austria, Tahiti, and South America. The flight from Santiago, the capital of Chile, is the shortest. It takes approximately five hours to get to Hanga Roa.