7-day Itinerary

In this section I'll give you a break down of what we're doing each day, in terms of location. There's a further section down the page which deals with what to expect as a daily schedule.

Day 1

Fly to Easter Island, transfer in, hotel. Evening dinner hosted by Bruce.

Dinner & Bed.

Day 2

Today we spend the morning exploring the north western side of the island around Hanga Roa village. There are several Rapa Nui sites of interest here to photograph including Ahu Vai Uri, and Ahu Akivi. Akivi in particular is of interest because it is the only site on the island where the Moai statues face out towards the sea, as well as being situated inland. They are a dramatic feature of the landscape. In the afternoon we visit Kao Kao volcano and the ceremonial village of Orongo. This site contains superb views over the three islets Motu Iti, Motu Kao Kao and Motu Nui. There is an abundance of petroglyphs to be found at this ceremonial site. Volcano Kao Kao is a spectacular cauldron that demands the use of ultra wide-angle lenses.

Bed, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 & 4

We explore the eastern side of the island today. Rano Raraku volcano is of particular note as the birth place for the majority of the Moai statues. For almost 500 years this was a quarry supplying the stone for the statues. Rano Raraku is a visual record of Moai design and technological innovation. The edges of the volcano are littered with nearly 400 statues, some still in-situ with others erect on the slopes. The incomplete statues in the quarry are remarkable for their number, for the inaccessibility of some that were high on the outside crater wall and for the size of the largest; At 21 metres in height almost twice that of any Moai ever completed, and weighing an estimated 270 tonnes, many times the weight of any transported. Some of the incomplete Moai seem to have been abandoned after the carvers encountered inclusions of very hard rock in the material. Others may be sculptures that were never intended to be separated from the rock in which they are carved. In the afternoon we will visit Ahu Nau Nau situated near the only sand beach on the island at Anakena. The Moai statues here are in a beautiful location with palm trees. Ahu Nau Nau was restored in 1978 by the islander archaeologist Sergio Rapu. All of the Moai here had elaborate topknots (pukao). An important finding here was that of an almost complete eye made of coral, with a red volcanic scoria disc to represent the iris, inlaid in a circular cavity in the coral. The eye sockets of the Moai quarried at Rano Raraku were not carved until they were upright on the ahus (in order to bring them to life). It is therefore possible to tell which Moai had been erected, and which were still in transit when the society collapsed. Further on we will also visit the 'Navel of the World', a ceremonial site which contains an egg shaped stone.

Bed, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Itinerary Continued...

Day 5 & 6

Today we explore the south eastern and western sides of the island. In the morning we visit Ahu Tongariki (substantially restored in the 1990s), one of the most impressive locations on the island. Tongariki contains fifteen of the largest Moai statues including an 86 tonne Moai that is the heaviest ever erected on the island. The Moais are lined up facing inland from the Pacific towards Rano Raraku. The statues have quite distinctive faces that require the use of telephoto lenses, but the entire landscape surrounding this location is great for further exploration. In the afternoon we visit Poike, one of the three main volcanoes of Easter Island. Poike forms the eastern headland and there is an abrupt cliff "the Poike ditch" across the island marking the boundary between flows from Terevaka and Poike. Poike last erupted between 230,000 to 705,000 years ago, and as the oldest of the island's three volcanoes is the most weathered with relatively stoneless soil. At 370 metres it is the island's second highest peak after Terevaka. For those who are keen we will also visit the top of Terevaka, the central volcano on the island. Terevaka is less than 400,000 years old. Itslava field at Roiho has been dated at between 110,000 and 150,000 years old.

Bed, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Day 7

Breakfast Only. Trip ends after Breakfast. Return to Santiago.