Many of us rely on our phones to get around, not just in our day to day lives, but also when we travel. Apps like Google Translate or Google Maps are essential when it comes to exploring, and travel experts have advised always packing a portable charger to ensure you don’t get lost (or confused) on your travels.
But going away can also be a great chance to disconnect from our phones, turning notifications off and our out of office on in order to get outside and reconnect. If you’re looking to get away and unplug from your devices, one travel influencer has shared a destination that’s so remote it has no phone service, meaning you might need to rely on a real map to get around, and certainly won’t be able to hop in an Uber to get across the island, making for a different kind of travel experience. In a video posted by @celinelinarte on TikTok, the travel influencer shared her trip to Easter Island, the most isolated, inhabited destination on Earth with less than 7000 people living there.
Located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, roughly 2,000 miles west of Chile, flights to the remote island operated by LATAM Airlines leave once a day from Chile’s capital city Santiago.
Known locally as Rapa Nui, or “Big Rappa”, it takes six hours to reach the island by plane. The name comes from the indigenous Rapanui Polynesain inhabitants who first arrived on the island around 700 to 1000 AD.
The name Easter Island was first used by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who arrived on Easter Day in 1722, which is where the name came from and in 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site.
But what makes this destination so special is the collection of enormous Moai statues made from volcanic stone that inhabit it, reaching 13ft in height and drawing in an estimated 100,000 visitors each year.
Carved by the Rapa Nui people and believed to represent the spirits of deceased ancestors, there are over 800 statues of the large heads on the island, although many originally came complete with torsos which have been buried over time.
In the video, Celine explains that you have to pay an $80 national park fee and tour guides are also required to take you. The Rapa Nui National Park covers 40% of the island that’s made up of three dormant volcanoes.
There’s “almost no service on the island” but Celine shared there is WiFi available. Although, if you’re relying on your phone to tell the time, the travel influencer recommended bringing a watch as the time can often switch due to its remote location between time zones.
About 15 miles wide and 8 miles long, the island can easily be travelled in a day by car, but for a longer stay, there’s plenty of hotels, bars and restaurants in the main town Hanga Roa, with fresh local fish, ceviche and empanadas on the menu.
Although classed as a special territory of Chile, you can get your passport stamped for free at the visitor centre too.