Private guiding
An accredited Rapa Nui guide is legally required for every archaeological site on the island. Ours comes with a vehicle, an itinerary built around your flights, and planning help in English before you leave home.
Private versus group
This is not a general argument for luxury. It is specific to how the park ticket and the flight schedule work on Rapa Nui.
Your park ticket admits you to Rano Raraku and Orongo once each. A group tour gives you the time the schedule allows. Private means you leave when you are ready.
Arrivals land at midday and departures leave mid-afternoon. Fixed group departures ignore that; we build the first and last day around your actual times.
Tavake Rapu grew up here. In a group of twenty you get a script. In a group of two you get a conversation, in your own language.
No forced lunch stop with a markup, no souvenir workshop detour. You pay for guiding and transport, and that is all.
What a day looks like
Mix and match these across your stay. Nothing here is a fixed departure — the order is decided once we see your flight times.
Full day, 7–8 hours
Ahu Tongariki, Te Pito Kura, Papa Vaka, and an unhurried stretch at Rano Raraku. This is the day your single quarry entry is spent, so it gets the best weather window we can find.
Half or full day, 4–7 hours
The Rano Kau crater rim, the ceremonial village at Orongo, and the precision stonework at Vinapu. Best in the morning before cloud settles on the crater.
Full day, 6–7 hours
A walking day along the quieter north shore — caves, fallen moai, and long stretches where you will see nobody. Requires reasonable fitness and good shoes.
2–3 hours
Ahu Tongariki before dawn, or Tahai as the light goes. Short add-ons rather than full days, and usually the photographs people keep.
Rates
A private guide's day costs the same whether two people turn up or four, so we charge per group rather than per person.
| Party size | Full day | Half day | Per person, full day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 traveller | $180 | $110 | $180 at 1 |
| 2 travellers | $240 | $145 | $120 at 2 |
| 3–4 travellers | $320 | $190 | $80 at 4 |
| 5–6 travellers | $400 | $235 | $67 at 6 |
Priced in US dollars. A $240 day is roughly CA$330 or €220. Conversions are indicative only, updated 2026-08.
Indicative rates. Your quote is confirmed by email once we have checked the guide's calendar against your dates. We do not take payment through this website.
Your guide
Accredited Rapa Nui guide · 12 years on the island · English, Spanish, Rapa Nui
PLACEHOLDER BIO — I was born and raised in Hanga Roa, and I have been guiding visitors around Rapa Nui for over a decade. My grandmother grew up in the shadow of Rano Raraku, and the stories I tell at the quarry are the ones I grew up hearing at home, not the ones printed on a laminated card.
We check the guide's calendar before quoting, so the dates you are offered are dates you can actually have.