Chile Easter Island - Overview
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NOT INCLUDED Additional/optional costs may include: optional single room supplement, additional accommodations in Santiago, porterage, optional tours or excursions not mentioned in the itinerary, meals not included in the itinerary, personal travel insurance, optional Tour Director's gratuities, telephone charges, laundry, minibar, and personal expenses. HIGHLIGHTS
|  Tour Director: Kerry Schroeder-Swecker The enigmatic Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, with its spiritual monuments and giant Moai statues tells the story of the unique culture of its ancient Polynesian people. Located 2,300 miles or a five hour flight from the coast of South America, Easter Island is a tiny volcanic rock, surrounded by the clearest, deepest waters on the planet. The island’s very remoteness lends it an unmistakable authenticity and an aura of mystery. This is where the mystical Rapa Nui culture created the enormous stone Moai standing as a testimony to its unique and complex past, while its language, music and traditions are kept alive by the island’s native population. For centuries, Easter Island has fascinated travelers and scholars alike. As we come face to face with the moai, admire their sculpture and size and ponder the mysteries of why they were erected, how they got to be standing on their platforms on this island, who put them there and why they were destroyed, we can spend endless time piecing together the history and the legends associated with the moai and let our imagination run wild. There are the indigenous legends that shed some light on their history, but there are also some other theories. These include Von Danicke's space man theory as well as the concept that they were fired into place by volcanic gas! It seems that most moai were carved between 1500-1700 AD, before a new 'birdman' religion became dominant. This is when the island became deforested and overpopulated and nearly all moai were destroyed by competing tribes.  Click on the image to enlarge the map WHAT MAKES THIS TOUR SPECIAL
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