Anakena Beach Easter Island

Anakena Beach is the only sandy beach on Easter Island and also, according to Rapa Nui oral tradition, the landing site of the first Polynesian settlers who arrived roughly 1,200 years ago. Whether or not the specific location is accurate, the beach is unambiguously real: a crescent of white coral sand on the north coast, backed by coconut palms and fronted by clear blue-green water. Behind the beach, the Ahu Nau Nau platform holds seven moai standing with their backs to the sea, their restored eyes of white coral and red scoria looking inland. They were knocked down in the civil wars of the 18th century and re-erected during Norwegian archaeologist Thor Heyerdahl’s 1955 expedition, the first major restoration effort on the island.

The Moai in Context

Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has roughly 900 moai, most still lying where they fell or unfinished in the quarry at Rano Raraku. The statues were carved between approximately 1100 and 1600 CE by a Polynesian population that at its peak numbered perhaps 15,000 people. The construction stopped abruptly; the period of toppling began. The causes are debated among archaeologists, but the environmental degradation of the island’s palm forests and the social collapse that followed are among the most-documented examples of ecological overshoot in pre-industrial history.

Anakena’s seven moai are among the most photogenic on the island because of their complete restoration and the beach setting. Ahu Akivi, on the island’s interior plateau, is the only ahu whose moai face the sea; all other moai face inland to watch over their communities, including the seven at Anakena.

Getting Around Easter Island

Easter Island (Isla de Pascua in Spanish) is 3,700 kilometres off the Chilean coast and serves as a reminder of how isolated it is. LATAM Airlines runs frequent flights from Santiago (five hours). The only settlement is Hanga Roa; accommodation ranges from budget guesthouses to the Explora Rapa Nui lodge. A rental car or guided tour is the practical way to access the ahu sites scattered across the island; Ahu Tongariki (fifteen standing moai in a row) and Rano Raraku (the quarry where most moai were carved) are the other essential visits. Rapa Nui National Park entry permits are required and should be arranged at the airport on arrival or in advance.

Practical Notes

Entry to Rapa Nui National Park currently costs approximately USD 80 (subject to change). Cash dollars are the most useful currency; card acceptance is available but unreliable at smaller establishments. The island is visited year-round; the Tapati Rapa Nui festival in February is the main cultural event, with traditional competitions and performances.