Easter Island is one of the most mysterious places on earth in a very remote area of the southeast Pacific Ocean. It is a property of Chile and many people add it on to a trip to that country. Easter Island can be a vacation destination of its own though, but you probably will have to fly out of Santiago, Chile to get there. Easter Island is most known for its mysterious stone statues of people. No one knows how they were made and they are shrouded in mystery. The island itself has a lot to offer as well. The best tours there are created by Goway Travel, Kensington Tours, and Adventure Life. Most of these companies offer a lot of flexibility with their tours, allowing you to adjust it to your preferences.
Areas called Ahus Vaihu and Akahanga Ahu, is an area with a huge stone platform with statues erected. Another area is Rano Raraku, which has 70 standing statues all embedded on a hillside in the grass.
This company was created by travelers, and they too take the tailor-made approach to touring. They are also environmentally sensitive and often do travel based on ecological preservation. They bill themselves as a travel company by travelers for travelers.
It is 2,300 miles from the west coast of Chile. and is 2500 miles east of Tahiti, with virtually nothing but water in between. It is also at the southern edge of the Polynesian Triangle.
Kensington is a British company specializing in remote travel. They have toured all over the world and are experts at travel to exotic locations. Kensington offers tailor-made tours, meaning they try to fit the trip to the person.
This is a volcano crater, and beside it are 150 statues in various stages of completion. The material used to make the statues comes from the volcanic material, and you can see traces of where stones were dug out today.
Yes, but only one really good one. Most of the coast is rocky. Anekena Beach is where the first landing party is said to have arrived 2,000 years ago. This is a great place to swim and relax as well as appreciate history.
This company is similar to Kensington in its personalization of tours. This company was started by a family in 1970 and is still operated by the same family. The company takes a lot of pride in the quality of its staff and tour guides.
Rano Kau Volcano is the largest, and it houses a large freshwater lake. You can see the entire island from here, but little climbing is needed. There is an ancient ceremonial village here and you can see traces of their religious rituals. The Ana Kai Tangata Cave is nearby and contains drawings related to ancient religions.
This is probably what you have seen on TV. There are standing statues that look out to the sea. They appear as guardians, or lookouts, for the island. A week after the spring equinox all the statues look directly into the setting sun. There are several caves in the area also to explore.
The summer months are the most crowded and prices are higher, October-November, and March and April are not as crowded and the weather is still good.
Easter Island has 887 stone statues or monuments that were created between the 13th and 16th centuries. They are all on huge stone pedestals. The native name for the island is Rapa Ni. It is a small island in the vast South Pacific and is one of the most remote locations on Earth. The statues average 13-feet tall and have an average weight of 13 tons.