Nearly 1,000 moai statues carved from the Rano Raraku quarry by Polynesian settlers.
Some alternative writers propose that buried moai bodies and the rongorongo script hint at an older lost culture.
Radiocarbon work places settlement c. 1150–1300 CE; experiments by Hunt & Lipo (2013) showed moai could be "walked" upright with ropes, matching oral tradition.
We present both views respectfully and link to the original work so you can judge for yourself.
Megalithomania · 1 Nov 2027 · 22 days
Hugh Newman, Jim Vieira and JJ Ainsworth across Peru and Bolivia in three bookable segments: Nazca & Paracas pre-tour (1–5 Nov, $2,000), main Peru & Bolivia tour (5–17 Nov, $4,500) and Easter Island extension (17–22 Nov, $4,200); $500 off when booking all three. Price shown is the main tour.
from $4,500 Cusco Native (Megalithic Marvels) · 13 May 2027 · 19 days
Derek Olson of Megalithic Marvels hosts a modular Peru expedition: a Paracas and Nazca pre-tour (13–17 May, with the Nazca and Palpa lines and the elongated skulls), the main Cusco tour (17–25 May) with the “megalithic anomalies” of the Sacred Valley, Pisac, Sacsayhuamán and the Q’enqo labyrinth, Ollantaytambo, little-visited Vilcabamba and Machu Picchu, and an optional Easter Island extension (25–31 May). Join one segment or all of them.
from $2,699
Cusco Native (Megalithic Marvels) · 25 May 2027 · 7 days
Seven days with Derek Olson of Megalithic Marvels, from Santiago out to Rapa Nui and back: the ceremonial ahu and Anakena beach, the island’s sacred caves, the Rano Kau crater and the ceremonial village of Orongo, looking at the moai and the precisely fitted stonework for signs of an older story. Also sold as the extension to his Peru tour.
from $3,999 Adept Expeditions · 31 Aug 2027 · 6 days
Six days on Rapa Nui with researcher Anyextee (Adept Expeditions): the moai quarry at Rano Raraku, the 15 moai of Ahu Tongariki, Ahu Akahanga, Anakena beach, the Orongo ceremonial village, Ahu Akivi and the Puna Pau topknot quarry, finishing with a night in Santiago.
from $4,495 GetYourGuide · 1 day or less
Bookable day tour covering Easter Island. A good option for independent travellers who want a guide for the day.
from $70 · price unverified GetYourGuide · 1 day or less
Bookable day tour covering Easter Island. A good option for independent travellers who want a guide for the day.
from $142 · price unverified
8 Oct 2026 · Eastern Polynesia, Chile
Whole-genome sequences from across Polynesia show some of the strongest founder effects known in any population. Hawaiʻi and Rapa Nui are among the most bottlenecked and, despite their distance, are each other’s closest relatives, likely settled by the same voyagers with roots in Mangareva.
Site guide: Easter Island (Rapa Nui) · Source: Shanks et al. 2026, Science ↗
26 Nov 2025 · Rano Raraku, Rapa Nui, Chile
A photogrammetric 3D model of Rano Raraku mapped hundreds of moai and work areas. It suggests separate clan workshops rather than central control.
ancient technologyancient society
Site guide: Easter Island (Rapa Nui) · Source: PLOS ONE 2025 ↗
1 Nov 2025 · Rapa Nui, Chile
Carl Lipo and Terry Hunt combined 3D models of road moai and rope-rocking experiments. They argue the statues were “walked” upright along concave roads, matching oral tradition.
Site guide: Easter Island (Rapa Nui) · Source: Lipo & Hunt 2025, Journal of Archaeological Science ↗
11 Sept 2024 · Rapa Nui, Chile
Ancient DNA from 15 islanders shows no population crash. It also shows mixing with Native Americans around 1250–1430 CE, before Europeans arrived.
Site guide: Easter Island (Rapa Nui) · Derek Olson · Source: Moreno-Mayar et al. 2024, Nature ↗
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Independent researcher known for mapping a great-circle alignment linking Giza, Nazca, Easter Island and Angkor. His site documents the geometry behind his global-alignment hypothesis.
Creator of the Megalithic Marvels and Stargate Voyager series, comparing megalithic construction and symbolism across cultures. He hosts tours to Egypt, Peru, Easter Island and Cambodia.