Poike Walk Easter Island: Remote moai and ancestral caves

The moai here faces backward with its mouth open: the only one on the island built that way.

A private full-day tour of Poike on Easter Island reaches the island's most remote and abandoned area, visiting a hidden cave, volcanic peaks and moai sites that most visitors never see. Your native guide speaks English, Spanish or French and knows the landscape firsthand. The tour takes four to five hours and includes private transportation and bottled water. Moderate physical fitness is needed for walking the terrain.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Poike's remote sites

• Visit mysterious hidden cave
• Climb one of highest volcanoes
• See controversial upside-down moai

The experience

Poike sits at the far edge of Rapa Nui, a landscape most travelers skip. The tour moves through volcanic hills and abandoned ground, stopping at a cave hidden deep enough that even many islanders have never found it. Your guide knows the exact location and the history layered into each site: ancestral kitchens carved into the rock, moai positioned in ways that contradict what you'll see elsewhere on the island, the highest volcano on Easter Island. The sequence lets you piece together a version of the island's story that the main tourist routes don't reach.

Walking is the core of the day. You move across terrain that demands steady footing and a moderate level of fitness. This is not a boardwalk tour. The guide handles transportation from your location, so you start and end without arranging a car. Bottled water comes with you. The group stays private (just you, your guide and whoever travels with you), which means the pace and the stops bend to what interests you, and the guide can answer questions without rushing to the next group's schedule.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your location.
• bottled water.
• certified and experienced native guide who speaks English, Spanish or French.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 09:00, 12:00 and 15:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (10 to 90 years) · Infant (under 10): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and French

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 29 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortInfant seats availablePets welcome

Operated by Kapua Tours & Experience

Is this one for you?The terrain demands steady walking across volcanic hills and abandoned ground, so this tour suits travelers who are comfortable on uneven footing and want to move beyond the main sites, not a guided stroll, but a day that reaches places most of the island never visits.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 10): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is the moai at Poike that faces a different direction from all the others?

The controversial moai at Poike is the only one on Easter Island with its face turned upside down and its mouth open, making it visually distinct from every other moai on the island.

How much walking should I expect on this tour?

The tour covers remote volcanic terrain over four to five hours, so you'll be on your feet moving across hills and through abandoned areas. The operator recommends at least a moderate level of physical fitness.

Does the tour include getting to and from my hotel?

Private transportation is included, so your guide picks you up and returns you at the end of the day.

What makes Poike different from the other moai sites on Easter Island?

Poike is the most remote and abandoned area of Rapa Nui, featuring sites (hidden caves, ancestral kitchens, volcanic peaks) that most visitors and even many islanders never reach, offering a version of Easter Island's story that the main tourist routes don't show.