Easter Island / Chile

 

Where is the easter island?

Easter Island (Turnip Nui) is an isolated island in the southeast Pacific that is politically part of Chile, geographical but to Polynesia. It lies south of the Tropic of Capricorn and has an area of ​​162,5 km2. The capital of Easter Island is Build Roa and has around 7.600 inhabitants. Easter Island is considered the "Navel of the World", almost 3.800 km from mainland Chile and a good 4.200 km from Tahiti, and this magical island is considered one of the furthest inhabited islands in the world from any other inhabited place. Less than 25 km long, Easter Island offers a rich history, art and language.

1. Tag: Santiago de Chile / Easter Island

Arranged flight to Easter Island (LATAM flight). Reception by your German or English speaking tour guide and transfer to the hotel.

Easter Island is shaped like a triangle with extinct volcanic cones at each of the three island tips. Because of its small size and rich cultural heritage, the entire island now looks like a kind of open-air museum with around 1000 moais (statues), places of worship and old cave dwellings that are open to visitors. A large part of Easter Island is now a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Overnight stay with breakfast: Room in the Hotel Tahatai on Easter Island

 

 

 The capital of Easter Island, Hanga Roa

 

2 day: Highlights of Easter Island

On this excursion you will discover the secrets of the Rapa Nui culture. At the beginning you will visit the Moai platforms Ahu Vaihu and Ahu Akahanga on the south coast of the island. Both have not been restored; their Moai are still lying on the ground as they fell during the mysterious destruction of the cult sites. Over time, grass has grown over the ahus, the actual altar platforms on which the Moai were placed. Later you continue to rano raraku, an extinct volcano made of tuff rock. It is perhaps the most interesting sight on the island because it is home to the quarry where the moais were cut out of the rock. The gigantic figures are scattered all over the volcano's mountain slopes, ready to be transported away, which never happened. Further up you can find even more Moais in various stages of completion, some still attached to the rock, as if they had been abandoned overnight.

 

Continue to Ahu Tongariki, the largest and perhaps most beautiful of the Ahus: 15 re-erected Moai tower on it and look out over their island, the ocean behind them. From there, head north to Ahu Te Pito Kura. Here is Te Pito Kura, (“the red navel” or “navel of the world”), a large, round, smooth stone, said to have magical powers. According to legend, King Hotu Matua himself brought it with him when he first settled Easter Island.

 

The last stop of this eventful day is Anakena Beach, where King Hotu Matua disembarked with the first settlers. Here you can relax on the fine white sand and take a refreshing swim in the Pacific waves before being transferred back to the hotel.

F/box lunch included

 

3 day: Orongo & Ahu Akivi

Get to know Orongo, the ceremonial site of the bird-man cult, whose stone houses are right next to the circular crater of the volcano Rano kau lay. The birdman cult only developed after the demise of the Moai culture and was entirely focused on fertility. First you will see an interesting cave with cult rock paintings at the foot of the volcano. From the crater rim you will then have a spectacular view of the large crater lake, the sea and the three Motus. These islets were the destination of the chosen young men during the Birdman cult held from Orongo. One per tribe would swim and climb towards the Motus to steal the first swallow's egg of the year. The winning clan became king of all of Rapa Nui for a year.

 

Then we continue to Ahu Akivi, one of the few Ahus that is not by the sea. Its seven rebuilt moais are aligned with the equinoxes, suggesting advanced Rapa Nui knowledge of astronomy. Afterwards you will visit the Ana Te Pahu cave, one of the largest on the island. It is partly open and can be walked over a length of over 150 m. From the cave the tour continues to Ahu Te Peu on the east coast of the island. This Ahu has not been restored, its Moai have been lying all over the ground for centuries, a stone testament to the mysterious demise of the Moai culture. The last stop on the excursion is Puna Pau Quarry where the red stone headdresses that were placed on many Moai were made.

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Day Easter Island – Santiago de Chile

Transfer to the airport and flight to Santiago de Chile. Reception by your German or English speaking tour guide and transfer to the hotel in Santiago de Chile.

1 night with breakfast: Hotel Fundador in Santiago de Chile.

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Price per person 959,00 euros

 

Our services:

• 3 nights including breakfast at Hotel Tahatai or Hotel Manavai (standard room).
• Local German or English speaking tour guide (excursion in small groups)
• All necessary transfers from/to the airport.
• Visits according to the program
• Lunch box on the 2nd day
• National park entrance fee is $83 per person.
• Payment security certificate

 

Not included:

• Arranged flight Santiago de Chile - Easter Island – Santiago de Chile (current flight price on request)
• Tips and personal expenses
• Overnight stay in Santiago de Chile (Important: Depending on the connecting program, there are probably 1 to 2 overnight stays in Santiago de Chile)

 

Important information about this travel program:

Recommended season: December to February:

Experts recommend December to February than the pleasant onesth travel time for Easter Island. During these months it is relatively dry for Easter Island and the sun shines more often. Easter Island belongs to the subtropical climate zone and has a maritime climate. The annual average daily highs are 22°C, while the lowest temperatures are 8°C. The sunshine duration is approximately 6 hours per day. The warmest month is January with a daytime temperature of 29°C, while June is the coldest month with a daytime temperature of around 14°C. The best time to travel to Easter Island is from December to February, when the average daytime temperatures are between 26 and 28°C and the water temperatures are between 21 and 23°C.

The order of the excursions included in the program is determined by our local partners and may vary in time.

We also visit the Toki Rapa Nui music school during our trip. The music school was inaugurated in 2015 with a concert against the unique backdrop of the island coast. It is a wonderful project supported by more than 80 volunteers from all over the world to enable children and young people with a love of music to promote their talents on the island, free of charge, without having to leave. The school is almost a spaceship-like building, built almost entirely from natural and recycled materials and able to produce its own energy thanks to solar cells. 

An optional extension of the travel program by 1 or 2 days is possible at an additional cost.

Chile individual travel modules - Easter Island / Chile travel pre-program