The drive from the cruise ship in San Antonio to the Santiago airport was uneventful. It was strange to see almost no traffic, but it was a Sunday so I’m sure that helped. The flight from Santiago to Easter Island is nearly 5 hours, and I will state we were very impressed with the Business Class seats on LATAM Airlines. Actually the entire experience was excellent! I took several photos as we approached the island. The Rano Kau volcano is clearly visible, a spot we will visit during our three day stay.
The current runway on the island has an interesting back story. Back during the Space Shuttle days, NASA needed emergency runways in several worldwide locations, and one of them was here. This runway was built by NASA in 1987 and is two miles long. Fortunately for the residents of Easter Island, this new runway enabled wide body jets to land, enhancing tourism dramatically. Interestingly, our plane was a huge 787 Dreamliner, and the flight appeared to be full.
One more shot as we made our final approach.
Despite the huge runway, the terminal itself is quite small, and you walk off the plane onto the tarmac. The sign as you enter the terminal lists the name of the island in Spanish, Isla de Pascua.
The resort we were staying at, Explora, had staff greeting us as we exited the terminal. We were whisked to our hotel and advised that our first excursion was in 10 minutes. Explora is an all-inclusive resort so everything is covered, including expert guided tours of the island’s most important sights. It wasn’t cheap, but it was worth every penny and then some!
First, a little bit about Easter Island, known as Rapa Nui to its indigenous Polynesian inhabitants. It is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth, a tiny volcanic island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean roughly 2,300 miles west of Chile and over 1,000 miles from the nearest neighboring island. This Chilean territory, discovered by Europeans on Easter Sunday in 1722 (hence its name), features a dramatic, windswept landscape dotted with nearly 1,000 monumental stone statues called “moai”. These towering human figures were carved from volcanic rock by the Rapa Nui people between 1250 and 1500 AD to represent ancestral spirits of the islands tribal leaders. The statues, mostly facing inland, have sparked fascination and debate regarding their exact purpose and the methods used to transport them throughout the island. This UNESCO World Heritage site is protected within Rapa Nui National Park.
We jumped into the deep end of the Top Five “must see” spots with our first excursion, Ahu Tongariki, the most famous site on the island. These 15 moai sit on a platform called an “ahu”. What a stunning sight for somebody who has always dreamed of visiting! I was absolutely geeking out!
The moai are all facing inland towards where their village would have stood back during their lifetime. In 1722 when Europeans first discovered the island the moai were all standing upright like these, but at some point between then and the late 1800’s they were all toppled by the locals, with many decapitated. Nobody is entirely sure why, but most believe internal tribal conflicts caused the natives to destroy them, perhaps with the belief it would rob the statues of their “mana”, or spiritual power.
Here is a short video from the site with our guide and the handful of people we were touring with.
We of course had to get a selfie here!
Here is an up close shot from behind the ahu. What appears to be a hat on the one moai is actually supposed to represent a topknot of hair. Of the moai that have these, they are all made of a lightweight red volcanic rock from a single source on the island.
These moai were repaired and put back on their platforms in the 1990’s by Chilean archeologist Claudio Cristino with the assistance of the local population. A total of about 50 were restored before they decided to leave the rest where they lay.
Our guide got us back to the resort just before dinner, where we sat down and discussed our options for the next day. The guides point out the best sites on the island, and then each couple decides. There are multiple options. Explora really has the whole experience figured out!
We had a beautiful sunrise on our first morning, with a couple of the wild horses that roam the island right outside our bedroom window.
On our way to breakfast we saw even more horses.
Up next, we visit more Rapa Nui sites, including a walk through a lava tube.
