It's February, must be time for Easter...

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We had booked our flights to Easter Island before coming out to South America 6 months ago. However, we only really had a chance to think about the things we were going to see as we sat on our 5 hour flight from Santiago looking down at the endless sea below us. It is fair to say that Easter Island exceeded my expectations - I knew it was going to be good, I just didn´t realise it would be this good. Stuck in the Pacific Ocean, thousands of kilometres from the nearest inhabited islands (the Pitcairns) and even further from mainland Chile, Easter Island is described as one of the most remote inhabited places on earth. Despite this, it receives thousands of tourists every year and the majority of its inhabitants work in the tourist industry. This means that sometimes you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere but occassionally like you can´t get away from the crowds.

As the island is generally quite expensive we saved costs by camping (at the excellent Camping Mihinoa), mostly cooking for ourselves and not going on tours. Instead we took time to explore the island by ourselves, walking, cycling and even moped-ing our way around! The week went very quickly and I wish we had had a few extra days to re-visit our favourite sites and spend more time on the beach. I am short on time here and so not going to describe all the details of our trip. For that I suggest you look at Barry´s detailed blog - Easter Island: There's a moai at the bottom of the garden

So, instead of details I am going to give a quick run-down of highlights:
* Of course the famous moai (massive stone heads/upper bodies). Spread across the island they are a fascinating sight, prompting all those questions of how, who, why... Needless to say National Geographic Channel can give you more answers than I can.
* The remoteness of the island and the sense of excitement that brings with it. From various vantage points on the island you can see from one end of the island to the other. And beyond, nothing but blue ocean.
* Visiting Orongo, the site of a ceremonial village for the "Birdman" competition. This has fantastic views out to two very small islands and some great rock carvings (petroglyphs).
* The stunning volcanic craters, especially Rano Kau and Rano Raraku. At the latter are numerous moais which never had the chance to be moved to their Ahus (platforms).
* Exploring the different caves on the island. Formed from volcanic rock, there are many lava tubes, holes and caves, both at the coast and inland.
* Swimming in the Pacific at Anakena beach. And the water was warm!
* Hiring a moped for a day. Impossile to describe how much fun we had whizzing around Easter Island on our moped, although it was tough going on the ripio (gravel) roads. We also hired bikes for two days which provided a good way to see some of the sights at a more leisurely pace.
* Being there for the annual Tapati festival of Easter Island culture. This was a big bonus, as we got to see lots of dancing, parades, listen to the local music and watch the men compete in a tough duathlon.
* Making new friends: As usual, we had lots of interesting chats with tourists and locals. We found it helped to have a pack of playing cards handy!

And so, another piece of the adventure complete. Next up, back to the mainland for a visit from the parents...

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Comments

[barrygahan]

Photography is the career for you...
when we go back ot London, these pics came out great!

[Gill Prescott]

Where to next?
Hi Ruth Just testing your blog address (and also Barry´s). I know you weren´t sure about it but the 4am start for the Tatio Geysers is well worth it if you have the time in San Pedro. We did the northern villages tour afterwards with Isabella (the Austrian girl from the other two tours!!!). We had a great day, just the 3 of us in a 4x4 pick up with ´Gino´. Hope you´re enjoying driving round the desert and manage to bag the volcano you were after. Take care Gill and Andy

[AnnaAdventuring]

WOW!
Oh wow! Easter Island... my dream destination. Thank you so much for sharing your trip and your gorgeous photos. It's been great travelling with you - hopefully I'll get there myself one day! :)