Easter Island Driving Advice and Car Hire Info
Easter Island or Rapa Nui, drives on the right hand side of the road. Officially,as part of Chile, you need an International driving permit plus your own licence to drive here, though few rental companies will ask for one and police presence on the roads is generally low. Speed limits are 30kmh in built up areas and 50kmh out of towns.
The island is roughly triangular, with a volcano in each corner. It’s a fertile, subtropical island about 24 km long by 12 km wideThere are two main roads on the island, one which runs from Hanga Roa to Anakena and the other one on the south coast. These are paved roads and are in good condition. Some roads are unpaved and may deteriorate after rain, and can have a number of pot holes at any time. The roads leading to all major tourist sites are paved up to their parking areas. There are no traffic lights in Hanga Roa and streets can be quite narrow in town and local driving style tends to be quite fast. Out of town there is no street lighting and the potential for livestock to wander in the road so car should be taken if driving at night.There are generally few vehicles on the island though and apart from driving on bumpy gravel roads, the driving is relatively stress free.
Whilst Tristan Da Cunha is widely accepted to be the worlds most isolated, permanently inhabited Island, Easter Island is usually viewed as a close second. And as Tristan Da Cunha has no car rental options, it could be that Easter Island can be classed as the world’s most isolated options for self driving. Visitors who rent a car will encounter the strange “moai” statues scattered around the coast, many partially hidden in long grass, including a row of 15 statues by the sea at Tongariki.
Easter Island Car Rental
None of the big multinational rental companies operate here, but there are a number of local companies offering self drive cars and 4X4s. Many hotels and guest houses can also arrange car rental. If you are a local car rental company on Easter Island and would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com
