INTRODUCTION

Trip Highlights

• Comprehensive visits to the island's most important and accessible archaeological sites (ceremonial platforms and moai quarry).

• Meet the locals by attending music and dance show.

• Great culinary experience in local restaurants.

• Program designed and led by local Rapa Nui guides.

• Optional private boat trip to study and photograph the seabird diversity breeding at the isles (motus) of the south-eastern corner of Rapa Nui.

This trip is operated as a custom journey (flexible option which runs on a date you choose giving you more privacy), with a minimum of 1 participant and a maximum group size of 6 guests.

The Difference of Traveling with FS Expeditions:

• Great accommodations at conveniently located hotels and lodges, meaning shorter driving times to nature and cultural sites.

• Good dinning cuisine and memorable picnic lunches.

• Spacious vehicles that ensure a window seat to each trip participant.

• Each of our trips have a maximum of 6 participants.

• Each vehicle and driver we use has been authorized by the Chilean Transportation Authority.

• The service and expertise of a professional local leader, who will look after every logistical aspect of 'your' holiday.

• You will receive a free, signed copy of our book 'Rapa Nui - Wildlife and Landscapes' by Enrique Couve & Claudio F. Vidal.

• … plus an useful pre-departure information package.

Easter Island can be combined with one of the following optional extensions:

• Patagonia Photo Safari (8 days, 7 nights), landscape and wildlife photo trip to mythic Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego, led by resident naturalist guides and photographers,

• Atacama Desert Explorer (6 days, 5 nights) - unique private photo safari to discover the wildlife and landscapes of the world's most arid desert.

DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

Easter Island | 3 days

Day 1 • Flight to Easter Island - Hanga Roa - Ahu Ta Hai and Ahu Akivi

Today we will fly 2,300 miles from Santiago to Easter Island across the Pacific Ocean, where you will be received at the airport. In the afternoon we will undertake an interesting tour of the township and immediate surroundings (Ahu Tahai and if time permits, Ahu Akivi).

Hotel O'Tai (3*) or Hotel Altiplanico (4*), Hanga Roa. (D)(G).

Day 2 • Ahu Tongariki - Rano Raraku Moai quarry

We begin this day with a drive towards the Rano Raraku volcano. Here, after our journey across the vast skirt of the mountain, we shall visit the largest monolith quarry of the Rapa Nui culture. We will continue to the Ahu (ceremonial platform) of Tongariki, where we can obtain a full appreciation of the standing statues and the petroglyphs. On our return route to the hotel, we shall visit the Akahanga site, on the coastal road.

Hotel O'Tai (3*) or Hotel Altiplanico (4*), Hanga Roa. (B,L,D)(G).

Day 3 • Flight to Santiago

This morning you will have the chance to visit the craft market store to get some souvenirs. Flight to Santiago where our trip ends. (B)(G).

Codes: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch/Box-lunch; D=Dinner; G=Guide; *=Hotel Category.

Easter Island | 4 days 

Day 1 • Flight to Easter Island - Hanga Roa - Ahu Ta Hai and Ahu Akivi

Today we will fly 2,300 miles from Santiago to Easter Island across the Pacific Ocean, where you will be received at the airport. In the afternoon we will undertake an interesting tour of the township and immediate surroundings (Ahu Tahai and if time permits, Ahu Akivi).

Hotel O'Tai (3*) or Hotel Altiplanico (4*), Hanga Roa. (D)(G).

Day 2 • Ahu Tongariki - Rano Raraku Moai quarry

We begin this day with a drive towards the Rano Raraku volcano. Here, after our journey across the vast skirt of the mountain, we shall visit the largest monolith quarry of the Rapa Nui culture. We will continue to the Ahu (ceremonial platform) of Tongariki, where we can obtain a full appreciation of the standing statues and the petroglyphs. On our return route to the hotel, we shall visit the Akahanga site, on the coastal road.

Hotel O'Tai (3*) or Hotel Altiplanico (4*), Hanga Roa. (B,L,D)(G).

Day 3 • Anakena - Puna Pau

On the fourth day we plan to visit Anakena Beach. This is a wonderful location, which provides the most extensive beach on the island and wonderful swimming, a grove of coconut palms, and three Ahu with statues and petroglyphs as a cultural bonus. Later, we shall follow the road to Te Pito Kura site where we shall study the largest statue ever to be moved on the island. At the end of the day, we shall return to the city of Hanga Roa.

Hotel O'Tai (3*) or Hotel Altiplanico (4*), Hanga Roa. (B,L,D)(G).

Day 4 • Flight to Santiago

This morning you will have the chance to visit the craft market store to get some souvenirs. Flight to Santiago where our trip ends. (B)(G).

Codes: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch/Box-lunch; D=Dinner; G=Guide; *=Hotel Category.

Easter Island | 5 days

Day 1 • Flight to Easter Island - Hanga Roa - Ahu Ta Hai and Ahu Akivi

Today we will fly 2,300 miles from Santiago to Easter Island across the Pacific Ocean, where you will be received at the airport. In the afternoon we will undertake an interesting tour of the township and immediate surroundings (Ahu Tahai and if time permits, Ahu Akivi).

Hotel O'Tai (3*) or Hotel Altiplanico (4*), Hanga Roa. (D)(G).

Day 2 • Ahu Tongariki - Rano Raraku Moai quarry

We begin this day with a drive towards the Rano Raraku volcano. Here, after our journey across the vast skirt of the mountain, we shall visit the largest monolith quarry of the Rapa Nui culture. We will continue to the Ahu (ceremonial platform) of Tongariki, where we can obtain a full appreciation of the standing statues and the petroglyphs. On our return route to the hotel, we shall visit the Akahanga site, on the coastal road.

Hotel O'Tai (3*) or Hotel Altiplanico (4*), Hanga Roa. (B,L,D)(G).

Day 3 • Orongo - Rano Kao - Vinapu - Museum Sebastian Englert

Our destination for the day will be the ceremonial site of Orongo and the Birdman's petroglyphs. Here we shall visit the oval stone houses that sheltered those participating in the ancient rituals. Along the cliff, an astonishingly different petroglyph, reveals the famous birdman motif, and this indicates the most sacred place of Orongo. As we continue our journey down from the mountain, we shall encounter the Vinapu site and a little further, we shall visit the restored site of Tahai. On our return to the town, you will enjoy the opportunity to visit the SebastianEnglertMuseum, and this is highly recommended.

Hotel O'Tai (3*) or Hotel Altiplanico (4*), Hanga Roa. (B,L,D)(G).

Day 4 • Anakena - Puna Pau

On the fourth day we plan to visit Anakena Beach. This is a wonderful location, which provides the most extensive beach on the island and wonderful swimming, a grove of coconut palms, and three Ahu with statues and petroglyphs as a cultural bonus. Later, we shall follow the road to Te Pito Kura site where we shall study the largest statue ever to be moved on the island. At the end of the day, we shall return to the city of Hanga Roa.

Hotel O'Tai (3*) or Hotel Altiplanico (4*), Hanga Roa. (B,L,D)(G).

Day 5 • Flight to Santiago

This morning you will have the chance to visit the craft market store to get some souvenirs. Flight to Santiago where our trip ends. (B)(G).

Codes: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch/Box-lunch; D=Dinner; G=Guide; *=Hotel Category.

MAP

DATES & PRICING

2011 | 2012 Dates:

Available year-round. Daily departures, except Mondays and Thursdays.

Meet/Depart: From Santiago, Chile.

Rates for Custom departures (you choose the date):

Note:

The above prices are per person in US$, based on double occupancy in superior room.

Do you want us to arrange your flights from Santiago to Easter Island?

Domestic flights Santiago – Easter Island – Santiago (from US$ 600 per person). Daily flights, except Mondays and Thursdays.

Duration of the flight: 5-6 hours approximately.

What the trips includes/excludes

Single supplement will be added if single accommodations are requested.

The trip price includes: All accommodations, meals and guide services as stated in the itinerary, meet-and-greet at Hanga Roa airport, park and museum entrance fees, transfers and private ground transportation during the tour. One bottle of mineral water per day.

The trip price excludes: Domestic flights, transfer to and from Santiago airport, boat trip to the 'motus' (volcanic islets, weather permitting, ask for rates), tipping, travel insurance, entrance tax to Chile, excess baggage charges, drinks, à la carte dishes, laundry, telephone calls and anything else of a purely personal nature.

Tour Registration:

 To book this tour, please complete the online registration form and pay a deposit of US$ 500 per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due 90 days prior to tour departure.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Cancellation Policy:

Notice of cancellation can only be accepted IN WRITING from the person who signed the booking form and takes effect on the day such noticed is received by us.

Refunds are made according to the following schedule:

If cancellation is made 120 days or more before departure date, the deposit less US$ 200 is refundable.

If cancellation is made between 120 and 60 days before departure, the deposit is not refundable, but any payments covering the balance of the fee will be refunded.

If cancellation is made fewer than 60 days before departure date, no refund is available.

This policy and fee schedule also applies to pre-trip and post trip extensions, as well as any transfers from one tour to another. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance to protect yourself.

THE LODGES

HOTEL ALTIPLANICO, RAPA NUI / EASTER ISLAND

Hotel description coming soon. Click image below to see slide show.

HOTEL O'TAI, RAPA NUI / EASTER ISLAND

Hotel description coming soon. Click image below to see slide show.

SLIDE SHOW

Check out our set of images from recent trips to Easter Island

FACTS

Introduction from the Book 'Rapa Nui | Wildlife & Landscapes' by Enrique Couve & Claudio F. Vidal, Fantastico Sur (2007).

Nearly 2,000 nautical miles of Pacific Ocean separate Rapa Nui from the American continent, thus Easter Island is geographically the most isolated of Chile’s National Parks.

The island, located at 27°09’S and 109°27’W, was discovered on Easter Sunday 1722 by a Dutch fleet led by Jacob Roggeveen, and received its European name because of the very important religious day. Islanders did not seem to have a name for it, but began to call it Rapa Nui in the early 1860’s.

Unlike other protected areas, which are created primarily to protect the endemic flora and fauna, the Rapa Nui National Park was established mainly to protect its archaeological sites.

In order to stop the pilfering of the island by foreign visitors in the early 20th century, a special status of the island was needed. The first step consisted in its declaration as a National Historical Monument and later as a National Park in 1935. At that time the islanders had been confined to the southwestern part of the island in what is now part of its “capital” Hangaroa. Most of the island’s land was used as grazing ground for a foreign sheep-ranch, and scientific expeditions had helped themselves to objects of great archaeological value. A first inventory of important sites and artifacts was prepared by Juan Tepano, local informant to many expeditions to Easter Island; this was checked and improved by Father Sebastian Englert (the numbering of the statues can still be seen today), and eventually refined by the University of Chile, which in 1981 published an archaeological atlas containing almost 7,000 archaeological sites, located on approximately 50% of the island’s surface.

When tourism started in 1967, the extension of the park was reduced, and two areas of the island were declared parks: one on Maunga Terevaka and the other on Rano  Kau,  with a combined area of 11,750 acres – just a forth of the island’ s surface. Surprisingly, these parks contained hardly any archaeological features, and were incorporated with other parts of the island into the actual Rapa Nui National Park at a later stage. The park has undergone a number of changes in its size, and is likely to decrease again in the near future based on the need of agricultural, industrial, and habitable land for islanders. While the original idea for a park was to protect the archaeological features a nd the island’s culture, today a number of areas are included or of special interest because of native flora, seabirds, and marine creatures. CONAF (The National Forestry Agency) has run the park since 1972.