Ahu Vaihu, Hanga Roa
Ahu Vaihu
4.5
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4.5
187 reviews
Excellent
94
Very good
69
Average
23
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0
Sachin K
Plainview, NY5,835 contributions
Dec. 2019 • Family
This site is an offbeat tourist attraction in Easter Island. It is a restored village and gives a good insight into the former lives of Rapa Nui people. Certainly worth visiting with a local tour guide and very highly recommended for the offbeat traveler.
Written 25 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
WImom
Fond du Lac, WI2,338 contributions
Jan. 2020
This are two things of interest here. One is a reconstructed village and the other is a moai platform. To really appreciate the reconstructed village, a guide is needed. Without the guide, one would lack the understanding of how exactly these people lived. The guide showed us how the ancient chicken houses worked. There is a stone that is removed from the wall and the chickens continue to file out. Very amusing. The boat houses were explained in detail, as well as how they farmed and how they cooked. See photos for details. Towards the water is the platform used to support 8 moai, each one with its red topknot. The moai are now lying prone in the exact position that they were thrown over. In front of the platform, you will see a large round circle named paina , after the ceremony that used to take place inside it.
Written 12 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Katrien S
Ghent, Belgium1,982 contributions
Jan. 2020
This site is best visited with a guide, as part of the village has been reconstructed. Here is a reconstructed house (very low, one can go inside), as well as stone structures in which they grew there vegetables and held chickens. The latter is the most elaborate and expensive structure, quite interesting that they spent so much more effort on a chicken coup than on their own houses. They did not eat the eggs, but chickens were priced meat (the other meats were rat and dog).
The site also has, as all villages on this part of the island, an ahu with moai. The moai were thrown over and have so far not been re-erected. Nearby also lie some of the headdresses in red stone. Some of these have carvings in them, but they are of a later date.
The site also has, as all villages on this part of the island, an ahu with moai. The moai were thrown over and have so far not been re-erected. Nearby also lie some of the headdresses in red stone. Some of these have carvings in them, but they are of a later date.
Written 24 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
LookingForFamilyFun
Houston, TX1,523 contributions
Dec. 2019
We visited this site and learned a lot about the moai-building culture and the history of the moai. There is no interpretation, though, so you have to have a guide to really enjoy it...and others were following our guide along listening in!
This site is unique in that it has really good examples of the 'greenhouses' that the early cultures built (and some of the modern citizens still do) and how they used similar understanding to the Incas in their cultivation. There is also a reconstructed boat-shaped 'house'. Original foundation stones are at the Tahai site, but here they have actually reconstructed it so you can see what it would have looked like and even go inside.
The Moai here aren't fabulous to see, but there are a lot of hats and everything is still in its toppled position, which is a reminder of how all of the moai were not very long ago. We also learned about how they were toppled...whether it was from a warring tribe or natural occurrence...the result is the same today and sobering, makes you evaluate how you want to spend your time and what you want to be remembered for!
Nuku was our guide, our lodge, Kona Koa scheduled him for us and we were so very pleased. We spent a full day with Nuku at $120, we provided the transportation, and we felt like we didn't miss anything at Easter Island. Highly recommend a guide for at least one day here!
This site is unique in that it has really good examples of the 'greenhouses' that the early cultures built (and some of the modern citizens still do) and how they used similar understanding to the Incas in their cultivation. There is also a reconstructed boat-shaped 'house'. Original foundation stones are at the Tahai site, but here they have actually reconstructed it so you can see what it would have looked like and even go inside.
The Moai here aren't fabulous to see, but there are a lot of hats and everything is still in its toppled position, which is a reminder of how all of the moai were not very long ago. We also learned about how they were toppled...whether it was from a warring tribe or natural occurrence...the result is the same today and sobering, makes you evaluate how you want to spend your time and what you want to be remembered for!
Nuku was our guide, our lodge, Kona Koa scheduled him for us and we were so very pleased. We spent a full day with Nuku at $120, we provided the transportation, and we felt like we didn't miss anything at Easter Island. Highly recommend a guide for at least one day here!
Written 23 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Gypsyrver
Pinellas Park, FL96 contributions
Nov. 2019
This Ahu is where the islanders destroyed 8 large Moai wh=ith a semi destroyed temple. Interesting to see the statues lying down.
Written 4 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
GlinysW
Witney, UK1,081 contributions
Aug. 2019
We went with Papa Nui Travel and their amazing guide was full of information and anecdotes - such a surprise - those chickens!
Written 3 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
EdoSal
Santiago, Chile239 contributions
Sep. 2019
They recreated a kind of town, where you can understand how did they sleep, how did they collect fresh water, how did they cultivated vegetables. I would recommend to visit this site at the start of your tour, it gave us the basic understanding of their way of living.
Written 15 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Billwtz
Chicago, IL176 contributions
May 2018 • Family
I have always wanted to visit Isla de Pasqua and was not disappointed. The tour guide we had was a local who mad our trip here very memorable.
Written 9 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Montanatraveler312
Ballantine, MT86 contributions
Mar. 2019 • Couples
It was great to see a village restored. You get a much better idea on what the boat houses looked like and how the people lived back then. You had the chicken houses and the areas where the gardens were inside a protected rock fence. Really helped to get a clear picture of how they lived.
Written 1 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Robert D
37 contributions
Mar. 2019
Vaihu is on the southeast coast road of Rapa Nui and a great site that displays not only its ahu and moai but reproduced "canoe" houses and agricultural techniques used by the ancient ones. Very much worth a visit as part of a complete south coast tour.
Written 20 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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