 Private, flexible and all-inclusive cultural and nature tour to Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chilean Polynesia, guided by resident historian guides. This trip combines visits to the best-known archaeological sites as well as a innovative boat trip to the "motus", the volcanic islets surrounding the main island, where we look for its interesting array of nesting seabirds as well to understand the natural history and ecology of the island. Departures from Santiago, Chile. From US$ 1,190 US$ 1,010 p.p. 4 and 5 days from Santiago, Chile.  Easter Island is a comprehensive trip to Earth's most remote inhabited location, Rapa Nui. During this trip we will study the archaeological heritage of this island, with no equal anywhere in the world. This small triangle of volcanic rock, located in Polynesia, right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, has always been subject of curiosity, study and speculation. Many explorers, researchers and travelers have attempted to unveil its secrets, but still important missing pieces remain to be discovered. What are the origins of the islanders? How did they transport their massive moai from the quarry locations to the their platforms (or ahu)? Why is Rongo Rongo the only written language in Oceania? Rapa Nui holds in these days a very lively and proud local population; meeting them is a real priviledge and indeed an important part of this trip. We will have the guidance of extraordinaire local guides, who will show you the sites, providing all the known scientific background and interpretation but we will also have the rare chance of sharing their point of view and expectations about the future of the island and its people. Rapa Nui - past, present and future ... join us on this journey of discovery into a island of mysteries.
Easter Island - Trip Codes: CLI01 and CLI03 (4 days), CLI02 and CLI04 (5 days) Trip Highlights • Comprehensive visits to all accessible archaeological sites (ceremonial platforms and moai quarry) of the island. • Exclusive boat trip to study and photograph the seabird diversity breeding at the isles (motus) of the south-eastern corner of Rapa Nui. • Meet the locals by attending music and dance show. • Great culinary experience in local restaurants. • Program designed and led by local Rapa Nui guides. This program is operated as a custom trip (flexible option which runs on a date you choose giving you more privacy). The Difference of Traveling with Fantastico Sur Expeditions: • Great accommodations at conveniently located hotels and lodges, meaning shorter driving times to the nature sites.• Superb 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 8 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 one of our Rapa Nui books. • … plus an useful pre-departure information package. Easter Island - Unveiling the Mysteries of Rapa Nui can be combined with one of the following optional extensions: • Patagonia Explorer (8 days | 7 nights), journey of discovery to discover the wildlife and landscapes of mythic Patagonia; • Atacama Desert (5 days | 4 nights), exploring the world's driest desert amidst impressive salt lakes and snow-capped volcanoes.
Easter Island - Trip Codes: CLI01 and CLI03 (4 days), CLI02 and CLI04 (5 days) 
Day 1 • Flight to Easter Island - Hanga Roa Today we will fly 2,300 miles from Santiago to Easter Island across the Pacific Ocean, where we be received at the airport. In the afternoon we will undertake an interesting tour of the township. Hotel O'Tai or Altiplanico, Hanga Roa (3*). (B,L,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 or Altiplanico, Hanga Roa (3*). (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 or Altiplanico, Hanga Roa (3*). (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) 5-day option
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 or Altiplanico, Hanga Roa (3*). (B,L,D)(G). Day 5 • Flight to Santiago An opportunity to obtain souvenirs at the market will be followed by our return flight to Santiago. (B)(G) Codes: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch/Box-lunch; D=Dinner; G=Guide; *=Hotel Category.
Easter Island - Trip Codes: CLI01 and CLI03 (4 days), CLI02 and CLI04 (5 days) 2009 | 2010 Dates: Available year-round. Meet/Depart: From Santiago, Chile. Rates for Custom departures (you choose the date): 12% discount for our 2009 and early 2010 trips applies if you book before August 30, 2009! Based at Hotel O'Tai
| | Trip Length | 4 days | 3 nights (Code: CLI01)
| | Number of people | 2-3 | 4+
| Single Suppl.
| Price per person
| $1,148 $1,010
| $1,015 $893 | $126 | Trip Length
| 5 days | 4 nights (Code: CLI02)
| Number of people
| 2-3 | 4+ | Single Suppl.
| Price per person
| $1,488 $1,309
| $1,367 $1,203
| $264
| | Based at Hotel Altiplanico | Trip Length
| 4 days | 3 nights (Code: CLI03) | Number of people
| 2-3 | 4+ | Single Suppl.
| Price per person
| $1,682 $1,480 | $1,556 $1,369
| $461
| Trip Length
| 5 days | 4 nights (Code: CLI04)
| Number of people
| 2-3 | 4+ | Single Suppl.
| Price per person
| $2,189 $1,927
| $2,057 $1,810
| $614 |
Trips are guaranteed to depart with a minimum of 2 participants. The above price is per person in US$, based on double occupancy. Do you want us to arrange your flights from Santiago to Punta Arenas? Domestic flights Santiago - Easter Island - Santiago (from US$ 600 per person). Duration of the flight: 5-6 hours approximately. What the trips includes/excludes Single supplement will be added if single accommodations are requested. The fee for the tours includes all meals, accommodations and guide services as stated in the itinerary, park entrance fees, transfers and private transportation during the tour. One bottle of mineral water per day. The trip price excludes domestic flights, tipping, personal medical and travel insurance, passport, excess baggage charges, à la carte dishes, snacks, drinks, laundry, telephone calls and anything else of a purely personal nature. Tour Registration: To register for this tour, complete the Fantástico Sur Expeditions registration form and return it (by fax or email) with a deposit of US$ 350 per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due 90 days prior to tour departure. 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.
Easter Island - Trip Codes: CLI01 and CLI03 (4 days), CLI02 and CLI04 (5 days)
Easter Island - Trip Codes: CLI01 and CLI03 (4 days), CLI02 and CLI04 (5 days) Check out our set of images from recent trips to the Easter Island.
Easter Island - Trip Codes: CLI01 and CLI03 (4 days), CLI02 and CLI04 (5 days)
 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 b ased 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. In 1995 the Rapa Nui National Park has been declared a “World Cultural Heritage Site”, and today not only Chilean authorities but also the islanders are very committed on the upkeep of the conditions within the park.
Beginning in 1955 with legendary Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl, several foreign and local scientists have worked to restore part of the island’s archaeological treasures. As a result some 40 Moai (statues) have been re-erected on their original ahu (platforms), village sites have been restored, and the islanders have revived part of their traditional and ancestral Polynesian life.
Introduction to the Book Rapa Nui | Wildlife and Landscapes by Enrique Couve and Claudio Vidal, (2007), FS Editorial
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