My Wife and I are travelling to South America to start a 12 month circuit of the continent with the aim of embracing the culture and learning the language, whilst having loads of fun along the way. We are budget travelers who operate on a very tight budget and would appreciate any hot tips for the start of our trip which we feel may be the most expensive. We are flying from Australia with a 5 day stop over in Tahiti, then 7 days on Easter Island before arriving in Santiago.
So we are seeking any advice on good cheap accommodation on Easter Island and any advice on the best places to hire bikes, cars etc in order to travel the island . Any tips on good budget accommodation upon arrival in Santiago will also be appreciated.
Look forward to your replies.
Reply to this Hi, you are not going to get a roof over your head for under $US20, unless you camp. Most of the local residencias will allow you to camp - you should be able to find them on the net. I stayed at Residencia Chez Cecilia which cost me $US40 for a room. I had the room to myself although it had 3 beds in the room. That's for a room with a bathroom. You can get cheaper rooms if you stay in a dormitory, or camp. The cheapest option is to camp. The place where I stayed had an area where you could camp, as do most of the locally owned residencias.
Easter Island is not cheap, whatever you do. The prices of bikes and cars for hire seems to be very much the same wherever you go on the island. Your best bet is to get talking to other visitors and try to share a 4 wheel drive. 4 or more people sharing a vehicle brings the cost down a lot. In terms of eating out your best bet is the little street stalls that set up in the one and only town. They are the only cheap option. The restaurants are all expensive. Even the prices in the few supermarkets are inflated (everything has to be flown onto the island). I hope that helps. For more see my blog
...then the ancestors came back and sat down for a chat
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