kaley1kt

I am looking at a trip to Easter Island in either October or November. Ideally we would like a 5 or 6 day/6 or 7 night trip. A stay in Santiago is not really necessary.

I would like to know if anyone can weigh in on the following:

1. Best time to go - Oct or Nov? We would do minimal snorkel and focus mainly on the land portion.

2. Tour company advice - a few I have found:

chiletourism.net - 8 day tour to Easter Island and Santiago
visitchile.cl - 7 day/6 night to EI only
**tried to email via the site and did not work!
visitchile.com - 7/6 night trip to EI only
**have seen spotty reviews, but seem to be older; company did email back to me quickly
easterislandtourism.com - seems to be a travel "consolidator" vs an agency that sells its own trips

3. Any and all feedback appreciated - I really want to ensure we have a reputable agency to deal with.

Amy

I can't help with best time to go, as I went in July and had beautiful weather, but I am wondering if there is a particular reason that you want a tour company? I went on my own with no problem; LAN now flies out of Lima, I believe, to Easter Island (since January 2011) as well as out of Santiago.

It's easy to arrange accommodation and tours; here's my trip report with a bit of information on how I visited Easter Island/Rapa Nui: http://www.fodors.com/community/sout...rip-report.cfm

Huentetu

The flights from Lima to Easter Island have been suspended with a possible reinstatement in late January 2012.

Amy

Thanks so much for the update, Huentetu. The Lima flight was a really big deal at the time that I traveled (last year) as, of course, a flight into Lima is generally less costly to US travelers. But I think it's a good thing to spend some time in Santiago, anyway!

qwovadis

Find a cheap flight to SCL

book internally cheapest best

Taura's Hotel is fine there many others

easy cheaper to self guide there tours expensive

so cut out the middleman.

weather2travel.com Climate guides for weather.

Personally underwhelming for me enjoyed Galapagos

far more with Guangultagua.com better cheaper

FAR more interesting wildlife etc.

Have fun,

jZack

1. I think Nov would be better, since it's 1 month closer to the summer. Could also be part of the high season though, so prices might be slightly higher.

2. www.easterislandtraveling.com - another agency I found, EI only. Seems to be offering tours and hotel in 1 package.