Easter Island:
Maunga Terevaka

Maunga Terevaka, at 512 m of altitude, is the highest elevation on the island. It can be climbed from Akivi, Anakena or Vaitea. We set out to ascent it from Vaitea and go down to Hanga Roa. The ascent takes about 2 hours and the return takes some 3 hours.

How to get there

Coming from Hanga Roa we travel towards Anakena and around half-way we leave the street in Vaitea and turn left on a track signposted as a walking and horse riding path. The fork in the direction of “Aori” is impressive due to its location in an aromatic forest of green eucalyptuses.

Description

The path forks to the left after 10 minutes and then again after another 30 minutes. We will always take the right branch. Before, the track was also open for vehicles, but nowadays this an exclusive privilege for hikers and riders.

As always, there are visitors who do not respect the prohibition and try to get to the summit on a vehicle. CONAF has cut some trees to block the road. Unfortunately, this also make it difficult for hikers to ascend in less than an hour. Once in the summit and after 10 minutes we find a small lagoon on our left that is followed by a bigger one on our right 10 minutes later. A little later, we arrive at a refuge surrounded by green eucalyptuses. If the weather is bad, the refuge is not a pleasant place, but it is a good protection, anyways.

After a total of 1,5 hours of ascent we arrive at our destination and enjoy the wonderful view over the entire island. The Teravaka summit surface is covered with grassland. The harmonic landscape is completed by several small craters that adorn the summit. The highest spot of the island is marked by an interesting rock formation.

For the descent, we go back some two hundred meters on the ascent path. To the right we see another crater, that a few minutes later we will surround walking on its edge. Continuing on the same ascent path, but going down, we find under the same crater a fork to the right. From here, a green shallow grass path leads us down on a smooth slope. After 40 minutes, we pass through a small stone wall and some 30 minutes later we arrive at the impressive moais of Akivi.

Hikers planning the ascent from Akivi find here another reference signposted by a Hawaiian pineapple. This way passes through a private pineapple plantation and it is thought out for riders.

Setting out from Akivi, after walking some 100 meters on the entrance street, we find a trail. Here we turn right and after 10 minutes, we get to a fork to the left that leads to Hanga Roa (Rohio circuit). Anyway, we follow the main trail for another 5 minutes. After leaving behind a sharp curb to the right, the trail carries us to the left again. Pass this point, 20 m ahead we already recognize a grass path that turns to the left. Five minutes later on this path, we pass by a small lava cave. From here, we have an amazing view of the Teravaka. Before us to the left is the Hiva Hiva with its typical white cross. After another 20 minutes, we arrive to a small wood in which there is a small cistern. Some 100 m to the left, we get to a stone wall. From here, a sand trail with a barbed wire fence on both sides leads us in 15 minutes to the next crossing. A signpost shows us the way to Hanga Roa. Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the museum. The total ascent took 2 hours 45 minutes.