The Rapa Nui Stargazing Experience

This tour is very special, and unfortunately doesn’t happen without many variables being aligned perfectly. Weather, Moon, clouds - everything should be perfect. We got incredibly lucky, because we booked the tour for the very last night in the Island, and everything aligned perfectly! The tour was absolutely fantastic!!! Don’t remember myself enjoying a tour this much ❤️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 🌟 🌟 We got amazing photos! Thank you!

I never got to do the experiance as the weather was not in my favour - I'm leaving the review as the communication with the company was excellent 👌 They kept me up to date with all the weather issues, offered me rescheduled attempts ,kept me up to date with the new weather and provided me with a very quick refund when needed The customer service was excellent 👌

The guides were excellent. The stars were absolutely amazing. A great experience I would recommend to everybody visit visiting Easter Island.

My friend and i scheduled a star gazing trip months ago for the first night we arrived on easter island which was confirmed. That afternoon we got a message saying that we were the only 2 scheduled for Sunday and could we go Monday night instead. Not great for us Monday night but we said yes. Monday afternoon we got another message saying that we were the only 2 for Monday night. Could we come and join the Tuesday night group? No we could not. And we were scheduled to leave easter island on Wednesday. Instead of offering to just take us we were told that we would get our money refunded. The money was not the point. It was the major disappointment of not being able to do the star gazing because we will never be back to easter island again. I am hoping this is not a common occurrence because wehave many more viator excursions scheduled in South America over the next 3 weeks.

Canceled by the provider. It's too bad. They canceled more than 4 hours before the tour was scheduled and had they waited, the sky was completely clear.

This was a great experience. The sky was beautiful that night and we saw the milky way. The leader gave a talk about navigation using the stars. We enjoyed looking thru the telescopes and seeing the moon and planets. A nice hot choccolate and cake snack was provided. We also went to see Moai and had photoes taken.

Trip was confirmed a few hours to check for weather and we were picked up in the middle of town at Katipare. The pick up was prompt and it was a relatively manageable group of less than 15. We went to two locations, one where we sat on camping chairs to hear the explanations and sip hot chocolate, viewed the stars and planets through telescope and another where our pictures were taken by the Moais. After the whole experience, we were shuttled back to our respective hotel location. Will recommend to bring jacket as it might be quite cold and windy at night and to book your accommodations nearer to the town centre so that you can walk down to the meeting place. Looking forward to the pictures!

This was an extraordinarily FUN event. Mark and his team picked us up at the local library and transported us to a viewing point on the coast. He spent a good amount of time orienting us to the stars of the southern hemisphere. He talked about the Polynesian culture and what GREAT navigators they were. Using different star points he would illustrate how the sailors would get their bearings and determine their direction. Mark and his team had three telescopes set up and would focus them on different planets and constellations for our viewing. After a while of viewing and hot chocolate, we piled back in the vehicles and headed across the island to Anakena, a place where seven moai stand upon an ahu (ceremonial platform). It is completely dark, so with the help of timed photography and a little light which Mark sheds on the statues, we each had a night photo taken in front of the moai----VERY COOL. Rapa Nui Stargazing does a GREAT job. I highly recommend this experience. Summer nights can be cold, so dress appropriately.

Mark and the team were great! Informative and very fun tour. They made sure we were comfortable and provided hot chocolate and cake while sharing stories about the island and how the original Rapa Nui used the for navigation. Seeing Saturn through the telescope was awesome! Highly recommend!

Knowledge guides shared details and access to high-powered telescopes to view stars and planets in great clarity. Visiting the Moai under the stars was unlike anything else.

Awesome experience and I learned a lot! Mark and Yoyo were fantastic and I appreciated the extra touches of a blanket, hot chocolate and song ❤️

This was the first time ever I got to see all the stars in the sky like that. It was such an amazing experience. There was a brief period where it was cloudy, but nothing could be done about that

This was an amazing experience. For the stargazing, they provided chairs for us while Mark explained how the my use to use the stars to navigate. He pointed out many constellations and showed great knowledge in explaining how they used the positions in the sky to know where they were. They had 2 telescopes set up and we were able to view Jupiter and 4 of the moons as well as one focused on our moon. Mark took pictures of us with the night sky. I highly recommend this adventure for anyone headed to Easter Island/Rapa Nui.

We were only in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) a relatively short amount of time. The evening of our original viewing was cloudy and these wonderful guides let us know in advance and offered to accommodate another evening or refund our money. The honesty is much appreciated!! We opted for the next evening which ended up getting a bit cloudy than any of us would have liked but they cannot control nature. We were able to see a handful of nebula, stars, planets, and other technical names I do not recall. It was fascinating! Marc and Yoyo also gave a nice educational overview about the stars, solar system, Earth rotation around our star, and so on during the periods of clouds. The photos on the beach with the Moai were an excellent touch. Thank you for sharing your beautiful island with us!

This was one of the tours that I had strung together through Green Island Tours. I enjoyed all of them. They were personable and didn’t feel like I was with a tour company but with a set of locals. All of the tours were with small groups which was the perfect size for me being a solo traveler. Loved the stargazing experience. We were able to see Venus, Saturn, Sirius, and a nebula through the telescopes. Bonus was getting a professional photo of us with the night sky and Moai in the background.

Upon arriving at the site, the evening began with a talk about some pertinent related astronomy/mythology stories. (Which was also a great way to allow time for eyes to adapt to the darkness, so as to be better able to view the skies.) Then it was time to view the heavens with the aid of telescopes. There is something special to be able to see the skies away from all the light pollution that permeates much of where we all live today. Later we stood in front of the maoi at Anakena beach. It is awe inspiring to see those giant standing sentinels in the dark of the night. Much of the detail will be forgotten as the years roll on, but some of the magic of the night is preserved with the night photo taken by the guides and e-mailed a few days later. This did not feel like just "some tour" for the guides; both were very interested in the subject matter, helpful, and enthusiastic. Certainly a great night for those visiting Rapa Nui. (Oh, and they had good hot chocolate too.)

Not to be missed. Seeing it all at night is magic and the photos are beautiful! We were served hot chocolate and serenaded by guitar. Please note there are no bathrooms and it is cold at night so dress warmly - you’ll be outside like camping style so your own tissues and maybe a blanket.

We had 16 days on the island which everyone local was shocked on how long we were staying but for exploring the island and having relaxing days. It was a fantastic time period. We nearly had a full weeks worth of tours, . All the tour guides we had for different days were fantastic. We mainly had a guy called YoYo and I could not fault the knowledge of this gentleman. If you're looking to do extra stuff on the island like hiking etc and not just the monuments tour this is a company for you. I wanted to see stuff off the beaten track and I was shocked with how much extra they're is to see around on this island. Green island tours was an excellent choice and I'm so thankful i booked with them. You could get hold of them on WhatsApp whenever you wanted which was helpful. On the stargazing evening we was offered cake and hot cocoa which was very nice and luckily we had a lovely clear night. So with that all said we would like to say a massive THANKS to the team at Green Island tours Rapa Nui .Iorana

This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Marc and Yoyo were so knowledgeable, so kind, and so cool. It was amazing to see the stars so clearly and to learn more about them in the Southern Hemisphere. Seeing the shore and Moa at night was also incredible! Would 👏 Not 👏 Miss 👏 This 👏 Option!

I booked my Star Gazing experience far in advance because this was one of the top things I wanted to make sure and have a chance to do when I visited Rapa Nui. This experience ended up being absolutely incredible, I was so glad to have been lucky enough to be a part of it. I highly recommend this if you want an opportunity to learn about the stars and how the ancient Polynesians navigated with the sky, see the skies like the Rapa Nui people would have hundreds of years ago, and enjoy a truly unique and warm experience. From the moment we met up in town, to the drop off at our hotel at the end of the evening, we were treated so well, learned so much, and had a chance to experience the night sky with the moai in a magical setting with thoughtful surprises & special touches from the host/guide throughout. Highly highly recommend this and also their sunrise tour!! This was a highlight. Thank you so much!

Marc & his wife were amazing. Great hospitality and they had chairs for everyone. Very knowlegeable and had telescopes sent up for the group. Went for a short hike and then he took photos for all those who wanted, in front of the Moai at night. Looking forward to seeing the final photos. If you love astronomy, you will love this excursion.

It was an amazing experience. Really smooth process. The company kept me posted about my tour and confirmed the weather well ahead of the tour start. Tour guides were amazing and made it fun and interesting. You will have a nice picture taken with the stars and Moais.

We got very lucky as the night we booked was the only evening we had on the island that wasn’t raining/cloudy. It was incredible! Highly recommend. Also we booked directly via WhatsApp and would suggest to do the same. :) happy stargazing!

We drove to a dark part of the island - with amazing views of the Milky Way and the stars. The guide gave a short but interesting lecture about navigating by the stars and how the Rapa Nui people would have navigated to the island long distances over the pacific. We looked through a telescope and saw Saturn with the rings visible. I brought my own tripod to take long exposure pictures. We also visited the Moai by the beach for additional pictures. Very cool and well worth the money. We had perfect weather.

Wow! Mark from New Zealand is an amazingly passionate and talented guide! He loves what he does and has so much fun doing this! A totally unique and wild experience! Thanks Mark!

I only rated it a 1 as it was cancelled due to cloudy weather (they warn you that it might happen). So to be fair “terrible” is not really an accurate description - just terrible that it didn’t happen. They were good about communication regarding the cancellation.

We had a fantastic experience learning about the stars,the ancient navigation techniques and watching the constellations trough the lenses. Even though nights can get quite cold we were comfortably seated with blankets and have been served cake and hot cocoa before being brought back to the hotel . The sky and the impressive Moais in the backgrond of Anakena beach make for an unforgettable night.

The idea and concept is beautiful, but it’s very vulnerable to weather conditions. We booked and tried for 3 nights. We even went out but couldn’t see anything. We got our money back. They were very polite. The problem is that seems to be only a summer activity during certain periods of the moon. Makes it really hard to actually do the experience. Nevertheless, they were amazing, polite and redound us immediately.

Words cannot express what an incredible experience this was. The guides, Mark and Toke, were phenomenal. I’ve never laughed so much on a tour. There was instant rapport and the two of them were a great buddy-buddy comedy act. The storytelling, the ocean nearby, hot chocolate and cake and pictures of an amazing night sky to round it off. I will never forget this.

Iorana! I really enjoyed stargazing trip with you! Your team put their heart into it with all equipment and sky stories. Your singing performance and a local snack were a very nice addition! Also your customer service chat person and the driver were professional and so friendly too. Mauruuru everyone!

My Dad and I really enjoyed this experience. From the lovely music, hot chocolate, cake, looking at the moon, planets and stars through the telescope and meeting new friends, we made beautiful memories to last a lifetime! Mark also took our photo with the night sky at Anakena Beach and it turned out amazing! Highly recommend! Thanks for the presentation at the beginning too. It's interesting that the Polynesians used the stars to navigate thousands of miles. Excellent tour to start or end your trip to Easter Island!

We booked four tours with this company, and each one was spectacular. Our guide, Yo-Yo, was welcoming and well educated when it came to both the Moai Monuments and Historic Pathways tours. The stargazing activity with the owner, Mark, and his associate Toby was out of this world, pun intended. Lastly, we saw Ahu Tongariki at sunrise with Mark’s son Hikiye (sic) driving the vehicle and offering us warm drinks upon our arrival. I cannot speak more highly of this tour company and the incredible experiences we have forever because of them.

Mark and team did a great job. We started the night with the bad luck of a major storm cloud covering the sky, but Mark improvised and had us take some great photos with Moai and the states as a backdrop. Soon the sky cleared to unveil an amazing tableau. Great telescopes even revealed Saturn’s rings. Most of us can’t see but a few stars where we live. From the great State of Texas, thanks Mark.

Marc is an excellent guide. He has a lot of knowledge and clearly loves what he does. The explanations are very cool, and then seeing the stars by the telescope, in a sky like that of Rapa Nui, is amazing. There is a delicious hot chocolate to enjoy and the cherry cake is to take one of the most beautiful photos of your life. I recommend.