10 causes to place Easter Island in your South American itinerary

Some of the distant spots on Earth, Easter Island is a tiny speck of land possessing extra mystical pull than virtually every other spot on the planet. Positioned in the course of the Pacific Ocean, but part of Chile, this Polynesian island is a treasure trove of cultural intrigue, gorgeous landscapes, and historic uniqueness.

Identified regionally as “Rapa Nui,” the island emanates a magnetic, mysterious and otherworldly vibe, all of which make Easter Island one of many all-time highlights of South America. Whether or not you’re a historical past fanatic, an out of doors adventurer, a nature lover, or a household searching for a unprecedented getaway, the island checks all of the bins.

Right here, we discover what we take into account a number of the most fascinating and entertaining points of interest and actions that make this UNESCO-declared World Heritage Web site a must-visit vacation spot.

(As a little bit of trivia, this volcanic island was named by a Dutch navigator who “discovered” it on the eve of Easter in 1722. Nonetheless, the individuals of the island proceed to name their island “Rapa Nui.”) 

1. Conventional Polynesian Performances

By attending a conventional Rapa Nui efficiency, you’ll be immersed within the expressive and vibrant Easter Island tradition. At one in every of these exhibits, your full consideration might be captured by the dwell music, dance strikes and tales that mirror the spirit of the island’s Polynesia previous, which right this moment’s Rapa Nui neighborhood carries on. The advanced drumming, intricate gown and evocative choreography carry to life the island’s myths and tales handed down from technology to technology.

The unique dances of Rapa Nui are often used to inform a narrative, with amazingly energetic dancers usually sporting the normal gown of flowing skirts product of feathers or grasses. The partaking music of Rapa Nui goes together with Easter Island’s conventional dances. The riveting music and fascinating dance mix to create an distinctive expertise that you just gained’t quickly overlook. 

2. An opportunity to marvel on the moai

Not solely is that this volcanic island scenic in its personal proper, however witnessing its legendary “moai” statues up shut stirs a way of awe, thriller and surprise.

Undeniably Easter Island’s greatest draw, these imposing statues had been carved from enormous rocks someplace between 1200 and 1650 A.D. Utilizing a easy stone chisel known as a “toki,” the fingers of little-known historical Polynesians crafted these iconic figures. The statues vary in peak, with some towering at over 30 toes. Every moai is believed to signify deceased ancestors and holds vital cultural and historic worth. Many theories have emerged as to the explanations for his or her varied areas, how they had been bodily transported or certainly carved in any respect.

Every of those commanding figures is alleged to signify the spirit of particular person tribespeople, which is why each moai has completely different traits from the subsequent. Right this moment, it’s estimated that over 900 of those statues are strewn throughout the island, all barely completely different and few being totally understood. For wide-eyed guests, the most effective plan of action is just to see them for yourselves, and with so lots of them peppering the island, you don’t must go far to search out one.

To completely recognize the moai statues, take into account hiring a neighborhood information who can present in-depth historic and cultural insights. Visiting at dawn or sundown affords a magical and serene ambiance, excellent for contemplation. 

3. The subline comforts of luxurious Rapa Nui lodging

Any one of many handful of high-end motels on Easter Island will let you come into direct contact with the historical past, traditions and legends of this mysterious Polynesian paradise. On the similar time, although, you’ll be able to take pleasure in touches of luxurious infused in each component of your elegant lodging.

Throughout your keep, take pleasure in every thing from complimentary minibars to deep-soaking tubs, trendy coloration schemes and personal terraces.

In that guides and varied excursions are offered by top-notch Easter Island motels, as quickly as you’ve had an opportunity to unpack and settle into your room, your skilled attendant will go over your detailed island itinerary that you just’ve chosen.
These excursions embody a whole vary of actions, from diving, trekking, cultural contact, boat rides, and fishing, to visits to emblematic island websites, horseback using, city strolling excursions, scuba diving, crusing and extra. All of that is an invite to resume your soul, be a protagonist, and on the similar time be an energetic spectator of an historical tradition.

On the finish of any full day of exploring, you’ll be able to select to spend a lazy afternoon at your eco-outdoor pool or your lodge’s pleasant spa. At your spa, massages and coverings are supplied with pure elements from the island that can make it easier to renew your physique and spirit after a protracted day of exercise.

Your keep could be on the Hangaroa Eco Village & Spa, one of many main motels on Easter Island. Hangaroa goals to be a sustainable lodge, whereas the structure of its buildings pays homage to a longstanding tradition that defines this magical island. For instance, its grass-roofed items are erected with larch-wood pillars and stone partitions that mimic the traditional huts that had been as soon as scattered all around the island and that the Rapa Nui individuals known as dwelling 

4. Delectable Rapa Nui delicacies

In the event you journey hundreds of miles to get right here and wish to take within the full expertise, be sure you deal with your palate. You possibly can actually style Easter Island’s distinctive tradition by savoring its distinctive delicacies, studying extra concerning the native traditions and recent produce.

Because it’s an island, it’s logical that the delicacies of Easter Island relies on fish and different seafood. Fishing has been one of many principal and conventional actions of Rapa Nui. Easter Island’s staple elements, subsequently, embody seafood corresponding to tuna, mahi mahi, lobster, and rape rape (a small lobster), in addition to agricultural produce like candy potato, rooster, tarots and yam.

For cultural explorers, foodies, and people looking for an immersive sensory expertise, Easter Island represents an opportunity to relish genuine Polynesian fare. Exploring the culinary choices of the island is a necessary a part of experiencing its wealthy Polynesian tradition and traditions.

For an much more genuine island expertise, we encourage vacationers to enterprise exterior their motels and past the primary vacationer areas to find native eateries and family-operated eating places that provide real and unpretentious Polynesian dishes. There, you’ll be able to work together with the cooks, proprietors and even native patrons to realize insights into the elements and cooking methods utilized in conventional Rapa Nui delicacies. 

5. Astounding Rapa Nui stargazing

The distant location of Rapa Nui makes it probably the most phenomenal locations to admire the evening sky. When the solar units the celebs come out in all their glory!

In the event you dwell in a metropolis and don’t have the prospect to get out into nature all that usually, you’ll be completely blown away by the readability and clearness of the evening sky on Easter Island!

The very best half is you don’t even have to go away your lodge to see the Milky Approach. Even should you occur to be on the island throughout a brand new moon, the lights from the city of Hanga Roa have solely a small impact on the sky, which means you’ll be able to see every thing from proper there. 

6. Eye-opening trekking excursions on this magnetic island

Mountaineering — strolling — trekking… regardless of the time period used, it’s a method — if not the most effective — to find Easter Island. The island is a paradise for mountaineering lovers! In the event you’re captivated with nature, tradition and journey, you’ve come to the appropriate place. Off the crushed path, every thing contributes to unbelievable walks: the local weather, the landscapes, the historical past and the geography. Guided walks offer you entry to areas of the island and its archaeological stays that may’t be seen aside from on foot.

Think about strolling alongside historical paths, surrounded by the monumental moai statues which have made Rapa Nui internationally well-known. Strolling excursions let you get nearer to those enigmatic witnesses of the previous and uncover their fascinating historical past. In fact, merely taking a strolling tour of Easter Island is without doubt one of the best, most pleasant and memorable experiences whereas there. 

7. Unwinding on Anakena Seaside

Venturing throughout the tiny island, you’re more likely to end up amazed by the appeal of paradisiacal Anakena Seaside, a picturesque and welcoming oasis nestled alongside the northern coast of Easter Island.

Together with the seashore’s white sands, heat turquoise waters, and exquisite palm timber are moai statues are set on two ceremonial platforms. This can be a excellent place the place archaeology, panorama and recreation all meet, making it an excellent retreat for leisure and rejuvenation. Along with its pure magnificence, Anakena Seaside holds historic significance because the touchdown web site of the island’s legendary founder, Hotu Matu’a.

Nature fans, sun-seekers, and households searching for a tranquil and family-friendly seashore expertise will discover Anakena a pleasant tropical escape. The light waves and shallow waters are appropriate for youngsters and fewer skilled swimmers. 

8. Rapa Nui’s volcanic wonders

The triangular form of Rapa Nui is the results of three principal volcanoes that merged to kind the current island, with every volcanic web site now offering compelling experiences for adventurous vacationers.

The primary of those websites is the expansive Rano Kau volcanic crater, the place a hike to the highest rewards adventurers with a way of accomplishment and unparalleled vistas. Climbing some 300 ft (100 m) above sea degree, you’ll see virtually a mile throughout the crater and get an amazing panoramic view of the island as an entire.

Peering down 200 meters beneath Rano Kau’s ridge, you’ll additionally see a crater lake practically coated in a lavatory of floating totora reeds. Resembling an enormous witch’s cauldron, Rano Kau is a wild greenhouse of endemic biodiversity.

However there’s much more right here. On a skinny strip of land between the crater and a sheer cliffside that drops right down to the cobalt-blue ocean beneath, teeters the ceremonial village of Orongo. Right here, you’ll uncover ingenious historical constructing methods which have stood the check of time, in addition to probably the most full units of petroglyphs within the area. These petroglyphs, also called kohau rongo-rongo, function symbolic motifs, anthropomorphic figures, and geometric patterns, every holding vital which means and reflecting the ancestral beliefs of the Rapa Nui individuals.

Wandering between and contained in the constructions is a superb Easter Island expertise and one thing to not be missed.

A second volcanic web site that vacationers can go to is the Rano Raraku volcanic crater, which was the digital “birthplace” of the moai, because it was a quarry of statues. Right here, some 400 good-looking heads and torsos relaxation in varied phases of carving, nonetheless ready to be transported throughout the island to their varied ahu (the flat mounds or stone pedestals upon which the moai stand). Whereas the heaviest erected moai statue weighs 86 tons, one of many quarry’s unfinished sculptures would, if accomplished, weigh between 145–165 tons and stand an astounding 69 ft (21 m) tall.

The third volcanic web site, the Poike Volcano, is in a extra remoted location with harder entry, which makes it a much less visited spot. Nevertheless, this mysterious volcanic space holds secret corners and historical legends that invite vacationers to find and study extra concerning the island’s previous.

Round Poike are three archeological websites together with the “Cave of the Virgins,” inside which one can view intricate rock carvings that provide a fascinating glimpse into the island’s Indigenous artwork and cultural heritage.  

9. Preferrred scuba diving circumstances and experiences

Whereas visiting the island, you’ll be able to select to go on a scuba diving tour, which is a magical Rapa Nui expertise. Few locations on this planet have such extraordinary diving circumstances as these of the island, with waters that vary in temperature between 64˚F and 78˚F levels, the chance to study marine species that can’t be discovered wherever else, and visibility as much as 196 toes deep. The unimaginable visibility underneath the ocean that bathes the island’s coasts lets you benefit from the corals and swim with sea turtles.

(As a bit extra trivia, the underwater moai off Easter Island isn’t an authentic one. It was dropped there for a film titled “Rapa Nui,” produced in 1994 by Kevin Costner however by no means launched) 

10. Scenic horseback using adventures

Exploring Easter Island on horseback presents a singular and immersive solution to expertise the island’s landscapes, shoreline, and lesser-known points of interest. Using fans can traverse the island’s community of meandering paths and coastal routes, encountering breathtaking vistas, hidden coves, and verdant environment alongside the best way.

For skilled riders, novices or anybody in between, Easter Island equestrian excursions provide the final word alternative to discover the magnificent landscapes and historical websites of the island.

Saddle up and put together for a security briefing and an tools test earlier than heading within the course of well-preserved moai statue websites, historical still-intact indigenous villages, or petrified lava caves fashioned many millennia in the past and as soon as believed to be a hiding place for fleeing locals throughout occasions of battle.

With no such troubles on Twenty first-century Easter Island, there’s nothing left however to easily demount and revel in each the view and sense of isolation earlier than using again to your restful lodging. 

In the event you actually wish to get away…

For these eager to get away from all of it, Easter Island clearly matches the invoice. Thought-about probably the most distant and remoted inhabited island on this planet, Easter Island is a few 2,300 miles from mainland Chile and over 1,000 miles from the closest inhabited island.

And as soon as there, you’ll uncover a heady vacation spot of cultural intrigue, folklore, fairytale, and outside actions, plus a very distinctive historical previous.

So, if contemplating a South American getaway, be sure you maintain Easter Island in thoughts as one of many area’s prime luxurious trip spots.

Alfonso Tandazo

Alfonso Tandazo is President and CEO at Surtrek Tour Operator. Surtrek Tour Operator is a well-established agency, specializing in custom-designed luxurious excursions in Ecuador, the Galapagos and all through the remainder of South America. If you want to be a visitor blogger on A Luxurious Journey Weblog so as to increase your profile, please contact us.