Kon-tiki is a game that casts players as the crew of a raft as it makes an epic journey across the Pacific Ocean from Peru to a Polynesian island (re-enacting Thor Heyerdahl's voyage in 1947). A competitive atmosphere is in place as the players bid to prove their worth on the journey by accomplishing Duties and navigating through whirlpools.
A network of arrows make up the routes from start to finish. Each player equal numbers of counters (of all colors); they move the raft up to 3 arrows (and only along their direction) on their turns by using up counters of the same color as shown on the last whirlpool traversed (the initial departure from Peru can use counters of any color). When the raft moves onto a whirlpool, it must stop there. The active player receives a Navigational Certificate and changes the direction of the whirlpool's arrows and its color. Aside from these certificates, players can receive Duty cards if they land the raft on an arrow that is connected to the Duty tiles placed on the board.
The game ends when the raft reaches the island of Raroio. The players sum up the points given for their Navigation Certificates and sets of Duty cards. The winner is the one with the most points.