10 causes to place Easter Island in your South American itinerary

Probably the most distant spots on Earth, Easter Island is a tiny speck of land possessing extra mystical pull than nearly another spot on the planet. Situated 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 domestically 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 on the lookout for a rare getaway, the island checks all of the containers.

Right here, we discover what we take into account among the most fascinating and entertaining sights 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 “found” it on the eve of Easter in 1722. Nonetheless, the folks of the island proceed to name their island “Rapa Nui.”) 

1. Conventional Polynesian Performances

By attending a standard Rapa Nui efficiency, you’ll be immersed within the expressive and vibrant Easter Island tradition. At considered one of these reveals, your full consideration can be captured by the dwell music, dance strikes and tales that mirror the spirit of the island’s Polynesia previous, which as we speak’s Rapa Nui neighborhood carries on. The complicated drumming, intricate gown and evocative choreography deliver to life the island’s myths and tales handed down from technology to technology.

The unique dances of Rapa Nui are normally used to inform a narrative, with amazingly energetic dancers usually carrying the standard 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 charming 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 have been carved from enormous rocks someplace between 1200 and 1650 A.D. Utilizing a easy stone chisel referred to as a “toki,” the arms of little-known historic 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 important cultural and historic worth. Many theories have emerged as to the explanations for his or her numerous areas, how they have 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 totally different traits from the subsequent. At present, it’s estimated that over 900 of those statues are strewn throughout the island, all barely totally different and few being totally understood. For wide-eyed guests, one of the best plan of action is just to see them for yourselves, and with so a lot of them peppering the island, you don’t have to go far to seek out one.

To completely respect the moai statues, take into account hiring an area information who can present in-depth historic and cultural insights. Visiting at dawn or sundown gives a magical and serene environment, excellent for contemplation. 

3. The subline comforts of luxurious Rapa Nui lodging

Any one of many handful of high-end lodges on Easter Island will 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 possibly can bask in touches of luxurious infused in each factor of your elegant lodging.

Throughout your keep, get pleasure from the whole lot from complimentary minibars to deep-soaking tubs, trendy shade schemes and personal terraces.

In that guides and numerous excursions are supplied by top-notch Easter Island lodges, as quickly as you’ve had an opportunity to unpack and settle into your room, your knowledgeable attendant will go over your detailed island itinerary that you just’ve chosen.
These excursions embody a complete vary of actions, from diving, trekking, cultural contact, boat rides, and fishing, to visits to emblematic island websites, horseback driving, 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 lively spectator of an historic tradition.

On the finish of any full day of exploring, you possibly can select to spend a lazy afternoon at your eco-outdoor pool or your resort’s pleasant spa. At your spa, massages and coverings are supplied with pure substances from the island that may show you how to renew your physique and spirit after an extended day of exercise.

Your keep might be on the Hangaroa Eco Village & Spa, one of many main lodges on Easter Island. Hangaroa goals to be a sustainable resort, 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 have been as soon as scattered everywhere in the island and that the Rapa Nui folks referred to as house 

4. Delectable Rapa Nui delicacies

Should you journey 1000’s of miles to get right here and need to take within the full expertise, make sure you deal with your palate. You’ll be able to actually style Easter Island’s distinctive tradition by savoring its distinctive delicacies, studying extra in regards to the native traditions and contemporary produce.

Because it’s an island, it’s logical that the delicacies of Easter Island is predicated on fish and different seafood. Fishing has been one of many principal and conventional actions of Rapa Nui. Easter Island’s staple substances, subsequently, embody seafood akin 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 searching for an immersive sensory expertise, Easter Island represents an opportunity to relish genuine Polynesian fare. Exploring the culinary choices of the island is a vital a part of experiencing its wealthy Polynesian tradition and traditions.

For an much more genuine island expertise, we encourage vacationers to enterprise exterior their lodges and past the primary vacationer areas to find native eateries and family-operated eating places that provide real and unpretentious Polynesian dishes. There, you possibly can work together with the cooks, proprietors and even native patrons to achieve insights into the substances and cooking strategies utilized in conventional Rapa Nui delicacies. 

5. Astounding Rapa Nui stargazing

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

Should you dwell in a metropolis and don’t have the possibility 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 resort to see the Milky Means. Even in case 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, that means you possibly can see the whole lot 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 one of the best — to find Easter Island. The island is a paradise for mountaineering lovers! Should you’re keen about nature, tradition and journey, you’ve come to the fitting place. Off the crushed path, the whole lot contributes to implausible walks: the local weather, the landscapes, the historical past and the geography. Guided walks provide you with entry to areas of the island and its archaeological stays that may’t be seen aside from on foot.

Think about strolling alongside historic paths, surrounded by the monumental moai statues which have made Rapa Nui internationally well-known. Strolling excursions will let you get nearer to those enigmatic witnesses of the previous and uncover their fascinating historical past. In reality, merely taking a strolling tour of Easter Island is likely one of the best, most fulfilling 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 attraction 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 delightful 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 rest 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 on the lookout for a tranquil and family-friendly seashore expertise will discover Anakena a pleasant tropical escape. The mild 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 type 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 feat and unparalleled vistas. Climbing some 300 ft (100 m) above sea degree, you’ll see nearly a mile throughout the crater and get a terrific panoramic view of the island as a complete.

Peering down 200 meters beneath Rano Kau’s ridge, you’ll additionally see a crater lake almost lined 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 historic constructing strategies which have stood the check of time, in addition to one of the vital full units of petroglyphs within the area. These petroglyphs, also referred to as kohau rongo-rongo, function symbolic motifs, anthropomorphic figures, and geometric patterns, every holding important that means and reflecting the ancestral beliefs of the Rapa Nui folks.

Wandering between and contained in the buildings 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 numerous phases of carving, nonetheless ready to be transported throughout the island to their numerous 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 tougher entry, which makes it a much less visited spot. Nevertheless, this mysterious volcanic space holds secret corners and historic legends that invite vacationers to find and study extra in regards to 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 charming glimpse into the island’s Indigenous artwork and cultural heritage.  

9. Ultimate scuba diving situations and experiences

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

(As a bit extra trivia, the underwater moai off Easter Island isn’t an unique 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 driving adventures

Exploring Easter Island on horseback presents a novel and immersive option to expertise the island’s landscapes, shoreline, and lesser-known sights. 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 knowledgeable riders, rookies or anybody in between, Easter Island equestrian excursions supply the final word alternative to discover the magnificent landscapes and historic websites of the island.

Saddle up and put together for a security briefing and an gear examine earlier than heading within the course of well-preserved moai statue websites, historic 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 luxuriate in each the view and sense of isolation earlier than driving again to your restful lodging. 

Should you actually need to get away…

For these desirous to get away from all of it, Easter Island clearly suits the invoice. Thought-about probably the most distant and remoted inhabited island on the earth, 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 completely distinctive historic previous.

So, if contemplating a South American getaway, make 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 need to be a visitor blogger on A Luxurious Journey Weblog with the intention to increase your profile, please contact us.