Rapa Nui Stargazing

The beauty of the stars and the knowledge of the guide was remarkable. It was an experience this 67 year old will never forget!

Highly recommend this experience on Rapa Nui. The Milky Way, zillions of stars, constellations, and galaxies are visible. We were taken to two locations on the island--one where we looked through telescopes and enjoyed hot chocolate and a snack, the other where the maoi were silhouetted by starlight and the ocean. Magical...

I really enjoyed this tour. The stars are fantastic and a must see. This tour operator departed ontime. Was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I really enjoyed the knowledge and talks about the stars and the navigation skills of the early sailors . It was a fascinating presentation with humor and captivating stories. The telescopes were a nice touch. We could see Saturn's rings and Jupiter. The tour operator took professional night pictures of us in front to the stars on the beach and they made fir amazing souvenirs. I woukd strongly recommend this tour. Thank you.

Planned in advance. The day of it was canceled due to weather. That is understandable but was not offered any other night. It was stated that the weather would be worse. It was not. There just was no availability. VERY DISSAPOINTED but did get money back promplty hence the 2 stars.

Reserve this experience early in your trip so you have more opportunities in the case of a cancellation due to weather. Also, consider the phase of the moon; if a full moon is taking place the tour will also be cancelled and you may have the chance to do a Full moon Hike instead. Enjoy!

The presentation was very informative and thorough. We were able to review the Rapa Nui history with navigating by stars and see the stars in the sky. We were also able to see the Milky Way and capture some great photos of the southern sky

The tour was great. The sky is beautiful and the pictures with the moai came out great. The tour is also educational as they have a presentation on the stars with the stargazing. My only complaint was that we were given less than an hour notice that the tour would be taking place that night as the tour operator had had to reschedule because of not enough people joining the tour on our original scheduled date. Other than the rescheduling everything else was very good.

Beautiful stars and a great experience. The guides were great and it was fun learning a little about Polynesian navigation.

Great experience. Guide was friendly, knowledgeable and the whole tour was well organized. Communication was great. We saw amazing night sky and our souvenir photograph was fabulous. And the best hot chocolate and cake that I have ever had!

Unreliable.The guides cancelled the tour with the option to move it to the next day, which I took as I only had one more night left. Why they cancelled? No idea. Since last night was a clear night and other guests at the hotel with different guides did the tour. Avoid this company. Will update if today's tour happens - as who knows?

The tour was canceled that evening, 2-3 hours prior to the, because it was going to be cloudy. At 10 pm, the sun had set, the skies were clear and the stars were amazing (as we walked from the hotel). We were very disappointed!!

What an amazing night. This was the second tour we did with Green Island with Yoyó as our guide. You travel to the other side of the island and you get a nice explanation of the stars and navigation. As the stars and planets start coming out, you get to see them through their telescopes. Their diopters were a bit small and upgrading to a screen would have been much better, but it was still great. Once the Milky Way comes out you feel that you could touch the stars. A great night viewing experience.

I advise booking this for the first night you arrive on Easter Island. The tour can be cancelled if the weather isn’t great, but the company are really helpful and will move your booking to the next night if you’re available. This happened to me, and I’m so please I had the flexibility.

Excellent your and history of the Polynesian culture and how they used astronomy to navigate the seas. The guides were very friendly and informative and used a couple of telescopes and binoculars to view several objects in the night sky. Would highly recommend to anyone.

Wonderful experience with our guide. He was very knowledgeable about not just the stars in the night sky but also the history of Polynesian exploration. During the views through telescopes he was extremely accommodating for questions or if you wanted to look at a specific star. Finally, he ended the trip with long exposure photos of us next to the moai on the beach while playing a handicrafts love song, elevating the atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Very fun experience. Looking at the stars on the beach was amazing. And Marc even sang us a beautiful song, he should be a singer. Yoyo got everyone back to the hotel safely. I would go again anytime.

There was a full moon the night after the date I signed up for so they (Green Island Tours) canceled about a week before. They shouldn't make it an option to sign up on date that they know they will end up canceling. They gave me the option to either get a refund or do the full moon hike on Terevaka mountain. I chose the latter and it was pretty disappointing. The guide was great, but the experience wasn't memorable at all. They shouldn't have made it seem like it would've been comparable to the star gazing event.

Stargazing got cancelled because of the sky is too bright in full moon, so I got changed to a night hiking tour on Terevaka, and it turned out to be a very nice experience, and my guide Yoyo also explained some of the stars we saw on that night.

Great tour. They provided telescopes that gave us great views of the craters on the moon. Then they took us to the beach and took some beautiful photos of us with the starts and the Moai.

Amazing experience with Mark, a must-do for all stargazers to see Rapa Nui’s breathtaking night skies! They have exclusive night access into the National Park and we were able to take beautiful photos at Anakena beach, great experience from start to finish and recommend to all who visit Easter Island!

Just AMAZING! Our guide Yo-Yo, native to Rapa Nui with local knowledge and history, brought our tours to life. The first day, we did the full day of the island tour. It went so well, that we booked the stargazing to sunrise tour for the next morning . Both tours are not to be missed. Professional, coordinated and well informed. 👍👍 HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Overall, we really enjoyed our experience and we're glad it was a go even though we had rain literally a half hour before the meeting time. We would have liked more chances to view through the telescope. The hot chocolate was delicious. We lucked out with an incredible sky. We liked Mark's mini-seminar on how the Polynesians used the stars to navigate to all the islands. With our small group of 5 (the tour would have been cancelled if there were only 3 of us), it was easier to view Mark's laptop to view the photos and maps. In spite of the extremely warm day, it was chilly in the evening, so we are glad we brought jackets. We do recommend at least one long-sleeve layer, especially if you get cold easily. Definitely bring a flashlight or headlamp.....you will need it. We got back to our hotel around 1:00 am.

This is a unique experience. I was lucky to have booked a night the conditions were optimal (other participants to the trip had had the trip postponed two nights in a row because of too many clouds etc). The guides are superb, making "stargazing" accessible to those who (like me) know next to nothing about it. Thanks to telescopes brought along, one gets to see stars / planets otherwise inaccessible. Since that night, I never look at the stars with the same look :-)

The tour guides had amazing knowledge and it was such a beautiful experience. Would definitely recommend this!

Excellent astronomers and greatly helpful in finding southern sky objects to view. Wonderful experience. A little too cloudy to see full sky.

Ogling at Saturn’s and Jupiter’s distinctive rings, the craters of the moon, the horsehead nebula, Sirius and all the star clusters like Pleiades through a telescope blew my mind. We also learned about how the Polynesians navigated by the stars and ended up all across the pacific, discovering islands like this one as they went by. We were also given a nice cup of hot chocolate, cake. We got our photo taken at Anakena beach behind the Moiy. Marc sang and played the guitar for us too. All in all, wonderful experience.

This tour consists of two things: watching the stars via telescopes, and the night pictures in front of Moais. The guides are very knowledgeable, super friendly, and they speak English very well! I can certainly recommend this tour to everyone!

This stargazing tour was worth it! It was right before the new year, so we were pleasantly surprised that they were able to add us. Everyone was so lovely! We enjoyed learning more about the history of the island's people and how their ancestors navigated using the stars. It was the best stargazing tour that I have been on. The weather was a little cloudy, but we still could see the plants and the stars. They had telescopes and binoculars set up for us to use. Marc sang and played guitar, which was pretty cool. They also offered hot cocoa and cake. The night photos with the Moai were also a great touch! I highly recommend this tour!

Our guide cancelled the tour less than 2 hours before the 8 pm start, blaming the weather. The weather was nice and the stars were bright. Seeing the stars with a local was one of the main reasons we went to the island. Very disappointed she didn’t feel like doing a tour that night.

I had a great experience knowing the island and the different stars and conjunctions in the cosmos as well as knowing how the ancient peoples were guided to know where they were located in a very interesting way and I totally recommend it.

One of the most adventures experience I have had photographing the night skies. Easter Island offered incredible dark skies as its remoteness had no light pollution. This adventure offered rare access to the Moai’s day and night, that required special permits. The guides were incredibly polite and gave us an opportunity to learn about the history of the Rapa Nui culture. In addition, our day excursions included trips to the beach and a boat trip to to learn about the Birdman Cult, at the Orongo visitor center. The view from the ocean and the top Orogon put into context how difficult it was for a person to scale and swim to an island to retrieve an egg to be the chosen leader for each year. This tip was well orchestrated to experience the Rapa Nui culture and the Moai’s, day and night. The photographs that have shared with friends demonstrate what an opportunity I had to be able to photograph the night skies.

We were so blessed to have a rare opportunity with wonderful guides. Spending nights under the stars and with the Moai was an exceptional and we learned so much history. I hope to do it again some day.

Ocean behind us, moai & Milky Way ahead, we fall silent as Marc’s assistant uses 2 stones to set a beat. He & Marc sing a Rapanui chant. Just their voices, in the islanders’ language, in that setting with the percussion of stones and lapping waves. Magic. I wish my souvenir photo was better; didn’t know where to stand or look. But our group was bigger than most, & time was fleeting. Overall, the sunset excursion, and its stargazing song, gave me a sense of belonging to the island.

I went to the stargazing tour and it was truly a unique experience for me. As a metropolitan guy who constantly submerged by neon lights and crowds, to see the Milky Way in bare eyes and counting on metros splashing across the sky on a big wave shore at night was thrilling, and Mike and his buddy guides truly know stuff about galaxy and how to navigate by looking at the sky. The climax is when we were ‘sneaked’ on the beach of Anakena approaching midnight and took that amazing foto. What is a bonus is that I truly have met some fun lads at the tour and ending up having beers on my way back to Santiago. Thanks Green Tour, it is fantastic

A Memorable Experience for the Head and the Heart The Stargazing Tour with Marc and his Partner (wish I'd gotten his name) was beyond words. It was a mix of deep knowledge about the stars, navigation, and Polynesian history and culture and a true passion for the subjects and for Rapa Nui itself. Unexpectedly, they sang and played the guitar for us between stops and at Anakena Beach, where they took amazing photographs of our group at midnight with the Ahu Nau Nau moais and Milky Way in the shot. You'd think they were the result of a professional photo shoot. But that wouldn't have been possible without them factoring in the time and place of the rising of the nearly full moon. On the main part of the tour, we saw Jupiter and some of its moons, Venus, and numerous stars through their sophisticated telescope. The views with the naked eye included the Milky Way and numerous constellations. When I return to the island, I won't hesitate to take the tour again.

The stargazing tour is def one to not miss while on Easter island! You can see so many stars and the guides do a great job of explaining all the different constellations. They also have telescopes set up so you can see the stars more clearly. And the photos they took at the Moai with the sky in the background are amazing

Sometimes things really work out when you wish upon a star. The night started with 30+ knots winds with dark clouds covering the entire night sky. But the guides decided to wait it out with some hot chocolate and an extremely informative lecture on ancient navigation techniques. Almost as if on cue as the lecture drew to a close the sky opened up to some of the brightest stars anywhere in the world. Truly a breathtaking experience.

Our family did the star gazing tour with Marc and Tokerau one evening during our visit to Rapa Nui. The guides were excellent and very knowledgeable about star gazing and showed a passion for the Rapa Nui culture and history. It was a small group tour and we all departed from town in their bus just before sunset. Along they way, Tokerau sang and played Rapa Nui music with his guitar. Definitely a highlight of the tour. Due to the cloud conditions at Anakena beach, we stopped near the shoreline along the south coast where they set up telescopes and gave us a presentation on star navigation and how the Rapa Nui may have used it to travel. We enjoyed some hot chocolate and cake, and after viewing the moon, a few stars and planets, we departed for Anakena beach for some night photography. We stayed there until everyone had an opportunity to have some night photos with the Moai. Unfortunately it was still cloudy, but we managed to get some cool photos. The guides were very helpful, informative and entertaining throughout the evening. At the end of the night, everyone was dropped off at their hotel. It was a great tour and I recommend everyone should do it while visiting the island.

Learnt a lot of interesting things about the stars and pre GPS navigation;) and also got some great night photos with the Moai in the background.

We were the first tour since Covid. Had a great time with Marc and his crew. Saw the rings of Saturn 🪐 and the moon’s craters through telescope amongst other stars. Perfect night pictures of 🗿 . Absolutely loved Easter island and it’s welcoming people. Thank you and best wishes!

We used Green Island tours for our Stargazing experience. We were picked up from our home stay residence and transported to the office for a comprehensive talk on Polynesian history; drinks and cake were provided. A small group of us, then took a mini bus to the Observation site. It was quite a clear night, but to be honest, Ive been lucky enough to sleep under the stars in many countries and this wasn't really any different. Obviously, I wasn't expecting different star views, so in that respect the experience was great and quite romantic. We then moved onto Anakena beach where the moonlit views were very atmospheric. We got back to our bed at about 2:00am, it was an interesting night and great to see the moi under the stars.

Very good tour, lots of history of Easter Island and how they used the stars. Excellent skies. Photo session at the end was a bit long.

We were brought out to an isolated spot to see the stars which was nice but the guide explained them on a small iPad screen that many of us could not even see or read. We were then able to get a picture at Anakena beach and it was a very confusing process with trying to get our emails written down for them to send to us, a little unorganized. Although it was cloudy, we were able to still see the Milky Way, which was my favorite part.

The evening I had signed up for the stargazing 29JAN2020, but manager FEDERICO told us that weather conditions cancelled our event for the evening (though it had been quite dry all day) and would be rescheduled for the following night, 30JAN2020. Unfortunately, rain/weather constantly throughout the 30th made me think it would be another cancellation. Fortunately, what happens at one end of the island is the opposite of what happens at the other end and our two full mini-busses motoring off by (20:45), splashing through puddles of standing water with Federico’s parking remarks about how dry it is dry it is was where we’re going. Sure enough, it was very nearly bone dry with passing scant clouds. We were divided into two groups, one English-speaking and the other Spanish-speaking. Chairs were placed in a semi-circle around a laptop beside a large celestron ‘scope, a scan through mounted “big eyes” (hadn’t seen through those since my Navydays 40+ years ago!) and an effective presentation about the specifics of Polynesian sailing. Regardless of how interesting it was, there us NO WAY I’m going to risk my life, or anyone else’s, after a night of power point presentation. The hit chocolate & bread livened us up, as we transitioned into another more intimate activity of images created between the steadfast Moai and us temporary visitors. All—except me-lay upon the beach to listen to an ancient chant designed to appease the MOAI/fair weather/good Crops. This is the night tour and quite refreshing for all; I highly recommend it, and it certainly has my hearty “iWheel of Approval!!!

In summary, a really great tour that was even better than we could have imagined. Everyone at Rapa Nui Stargazing was very responsive and helpful. They knew exactly where to take to us for the best experience and had access to some special places. Professional, knowlegeable and friendly guide. Couldn't recommend them more! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We arranged with Rapa Nui Stargazing to take myself and my wife for a night photo tour where we could do some stargazing and take some photos of the Milky Way. We booked the tour from the UK several months before our trip. We paid a deposit and agreed to contact them upon our arrival, when we could see which night would be best for clear skies, to confirm the date. After we had arrived, our guide Tokerau contacted us to agree the best day and time. Tokerau collected us from our hotel at 10 pm and drove us to our first stop not far from Hanga Roa where we walked about 50 metres to a spot in front of a large Moai with the Milky Way shining behind - a wonderful setting. There was no-one else there and we had the place to ourselves. Tokerau is very knowledgeable advising on night sky photography techniques and pointing out interesting sights in sky - planets, constellations and galaxies etc. His English is excellent and was he able to explain things very clearly. I was able to take some great pictures. After about an hour and a half we set off to our second site at Anakena. Because Tokerau is Rapa Nui, he is allowed access to this site at night. We had been there earlier in the day, but at night this really was something special. We spent a longer time here listening and chatting to Tokerau looking up at the sky and taking more great photos. Tokerau was a great professional but by the end we also felt that we had made a new friend. We learnt such a lot from him - not just about stargazing and night photography but also about the Island and the Rapa Nui culture. We were out with Tokerau for around 4 really memorable hours. We'd love to return one day and do it all again. Thanks

My husband and I were on a trip in Chile to see the total solar eclipse and star gazing was one thing that we definitely on our itinerary... This was our first star gazing tour in Chile and it was a fun experience. We had to walk to their office at night and they first showed us a slide show about the stars and how the Polynesians used the stars to navigate. It was very interesting and we learned some new things that we had no idea were actually true. They did rush through some of the presentation as the moon was going to come out early that night and they wanted to get us to the stars as soon as they could before the moon came up. We had a group of around 10 people and we then went off in 2 cars to a very remote place on the island to star gaze. Once we got to the location, we were given headlamps and binoculars. And the 3 guides set up only one telescope (it would have been nice to have another telescope, but this is a new tour and I guess they are still working out things). It was a bit of a cloudy night so we did need a bit of patience to wait for some clouds to move around to see everything. But we did learn about the southern sky, which was really cool (especially since we only see the northern sky at home!). We were given some hot coco and some really good home made banana bread. Then they did take some pictures of us under the stars. But I still have not received the pictures... Anther thing that was cool, was that we did wait for the moon to come out and then we were able to see the moon through the telescope and get a picture of the moon on our cell phones. After that, we went to the beach were the Moai where and one of the tour guides sang a local song with some rocks and it was really peaceful. It liked that they took some time to share some local culture with us. Then they drove everyone back to their hotels since is was after 1am. But it was worth it. It was a great experience and glad we went but I see where they could improve it a bit.

This trip is expensive but well worth every penny!! We had a small group, around 8 of us, and we traveled to a spot with no light and enjoyed the stars. There were 3 people from the company who were very knowledgeable and taught us a ton on the stars and how the Rapa Nui people used the stars to navigate. We saw Jupiter, Saturn, the moon, milky way, and more... highly recommend

I really enjoyed the stargazing experience. We had a great night for it and could see a ton of stuff. I really liked the guides. I did drag on a bit at the end but otherwise I really enjoyed it.

Although it was a really late night - it was an experience not to be missed! We got picked up about 8:30 and went to the office for a 'chalk talk' on stars, navigation, constellations, etc. Once dark, we headed out to a remote part of the island. The clouds would come and go - but it was clear enough to see the southern cross, milky way, orion, and much more. They had some high powered telescopes set up and the views of the moon were amazing. The icing on the cake was a trip to a beach where 7 statues stood. They had a professional photographer who got us, the Moai, and the stars in a spectacular picture. We could not get one that good with our camera. We got back to the hotel at 1:30am. We were really tired but it was worth every minute!