Called Rapa Nui by the Polynesian people who live here, Easter Island is a unique open-air archaeological museum. Nearly a thousand immense stone statues, called moai, gaze with brooding eyes over the gently rolling hills, hundreds of perplexing petroglyphs stand out from rock surfaces, and colorful cave paintings depict brightly painted birds in flight. The trip is timed to include the wonderful Tapati Festival, a celebration of the Rapa Nui culture. Each day will dawn with new and exciting contests of strength and skill, while evenings will bring the mesmerizing melodies of Polynesian music as grass skirted dancers perform beneath the stars.
Your Itinerary
Day 1:
PRE-TRIP EXTENSION:
Depart Miami.
Day 2:
Arrive Santiago and connect to your flight to Calama. Visit the Valley of the Moon, where red rock formations and sand cliffs pierce the crystalline sky. Here the wind has sculpted the stone peaks into bizarre shapes that truly give the area a lunar landscape. Overnight for the next two nights at the Hosteria San Pedro.
(D)
Day 3:
Many centuries ago, the verdant oasis of San Pedro de Atacama was the center of a Paleolithic civilization that built impressive rock fortresses upon the steep mountains that encircle the valley. Today, the charming village of adobe houses could have sprung from the American southwest. Founded by a Jesuit priest more than thirty years ago, The San Pedro Museum reveals the history and archaeology of the area. One of South America's most interesting museums, it has an extraordinary range of Indian artifacts and remains. You will see mummies of ancient people, including a child buried in a pottery urn, and fragments of Precolumbian weavings, jewelry, and paraphernalia for preparing, ingesting and smoking psychedelic plants and mushrooms. A short drive north leads to a seven hundred year old fortress, Quitor, which was the residence of the last indigenous ruler of the area.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 4:
This morning, visit the picturesque colonial village of Chiu-Chiu containing Chile's oldest church and explore the archaeological site of Tulor where recent excavations show the remains of a community of mud houses protected by encircling walls. Unusual phenomena of the area are the fascinating petroglyphs, pecked onto large boulders along the dry river beds during ritual ceremonies hundreds of years ago. An afternoon flight takes you to Iquique. Overnight for the next two nights Iquique.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 5:
Spend today exploring the many ground figures of the area. Unlike the Nazca lines that can only be seen from an airplane, these were created on the sides of hills and are easily viewed from the ground. The entire side of the mountain at Pintado is covered with one of the world’s largest outdoor murals
In the afternoon, visit the eerie ghost town of Humberstone, deserted since the nitrate industry collapsed in the 1950s.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 6:
View ancient artifacts at the Iquique Regional Museum before beginning the drive north. Along the way you will see huge murals created in the colorful, turbulent landscape. One of them can only be seen from across a quebrada (an immense gorge). Here, the artist created a panel filled with movement as a herd of llama are being driven down the valley by dancing shepherds. The famed Giant of Atacama is on the slope of Cerro Unita and is the world's largest representation of a human figure, measuring one hundred twenty meters tall. Overnight for the next two nights in the resort town of Arica. Dinner is free to explore the town.
(B) (L)
Day 7:
Giant ground drawings appear on a mountain ridge as you arrive into the Lluta Valley. Created by dark stones placed on the light colored sand, images of alpaca, giant humans, and enormous condors cover the hillside. From here, travel to the Azapa Valley where prehistoric artists created fascinating panels on the sandy slopes of Cerro Sombrero and Alto Ramirez. The Archaeological Museum of Azapa presents the entire story of cultural development in this region.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 8:
An early morning flight takes you back to Santiago, with the day free. Depart Santiago on a very late flight this evening. (Easter Island only participants leave Miami)
(B)
Day 9:
Arrive Santiago. Tour one of Chile’s fine wineries with an opportunity to sample some of the world-renowned wines.
Day 10:
Fly to Easter Island and check into our hotel. Surrounded by lovely, fragrant gardens, this small family-run inn is only a block from the coast, and is in the center of the village of Hanga Roa. Watch the sunset at Tahai, where three ceremonial centers are located on the edge of the ocean. On one of them, Ahu Ko Te Riku, a large solitary statue, or moai, supports a massive maroon topknot. Named for a German priest who lived on the island for nearly thirty-five years, the Sebastian Englert Archaeological Museum contains artifacts from the Rapa Nui culture, including the only coral moai eye that has been found.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 11:
Within the flanks of the volcanic mountain Rano Raraku lies the quarry where the massive moai were carved. Many unfinished giants still lie imprisoned in stone, abandoned when the work suddenly and mysteriously stopped. Others stand buried to their shoulders in quarry debris and eroding soil and rock. Hike to the rim of the volcano's crater for a breathtaking view over the island, and to see the huge, prehistoric engineering works used to slide the statues down the slope. Tongariki was the largest ahu (shrine) built on the island. Destroyed by a tsunami in 1960, the huge moai were recently re-erected. Notable here are the stunning petroglyphs of enormous tuna, turtles, and human and birdman figures. Anakena is the island's largest white sand beach, and the landing place of the legendary Hotu Matua, the founding hero of the island. Fringed by lovely palm trees, this is our luncheon picnic destination. Ahu Nau Nau, with its row of statues with topknots, and Ature Huki stand on the side of the hill overlooking the beach.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 12:
The ancient village of Orongo sits on the seaward edge of the volcano Rano Kao. Until the 1860s, the Festival of the Bird Man was held here each spring. Members of leading tribal groups gathered at the edge of a thousand-foot cliff to watch competitors, or their trusted representatives, swim through turbulent waters to Motu Nui Islet, nearly a mile away. Once there, the competitors hid in caves, sometimes for days, waiting for the return of the migrating Sooty Terns that nestled there. The first person to find an egg, swim back through the shark-infested waters to the mainland, carry it up the precipitous cliff and present it unbroken, won the race. He or the man he represented became Bird Man, an important status position, for the next year. The sacred site is famed for its hundreds of intricate petroglyphs carved on massive boulders perching on the edge of the cliff. Ana Kai Tangata, the Cave of the Cannibals, has painted portraits of Sooty Terns soaring in stylized flight across the ceiling. Vinapu contains the ruins of two famous shrines, one of which has massive stonework reminiscent of the Inca civilization in Peru.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 13:
Today will be free to explore the island at your own pace - on foot, by horse, or in our van. Accessible only by foot, the northern part of Easter Island is a particularly interesting area. Many of the caves and lava tubes that dot the volcanic hills contain petroglyphs and paintings. Some of these caves were used as refuges in time of war, others as secret storage or burial places. Here also are statue-filled ritual places, one of which is called a "ski jump" ahu. If the sea is calm, you may motor by fishing boat to see Rapa Nui from the water.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 14:
The remote west coast of the island is today’s destination. At Tepeu you will see a massive ahu, and the island's largest hare paenga (stone house built in the shape of a boat). Nearby, you will examine petroglyphs, caves, and two huge manavai (farm fields in collapsed lava tubes). After a barbecue in a shady grove, move on to Ahu Akivi where seven standing giants are oriented towards summer solstice. The moai face a plaza fronted with stones, the site of early religious rites and dances. This afternoon, travel to Puna Pau, where the red scoria topknots for the stone figures were quarried.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 15:
Hangaroa Village is where all 2500 inhabitants of Easter Island live. During church services on Sunday, you will enjoy the melodic a capella singing of the Rapa Nui people, and examine the altar that is filled with extraordinary, hand-carved wooden statues lovingly created by native artists. Afterwards, take time to meet the people and shop for locally-made wood carvings and other handcrafts. This afternoon, drive to Ovahe to enjoy the lovely pink sand beach.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 16:
With its many large moai, Vaihu is one of the most impressive sites on the south coast. Toppled in the wars, the statues now lie with their noses buried in the ground surrounded by scattered topknots. At Akahanga are numerous large figures and the remains of a village with the foundations of several boat-shaped houses on a hillside nearby. After a picnic lunch, continue to the north coast, stopping at the Poike “Ditch" and the Trumpet of Hiro. Visit Ahu Hekii, Ahu Ra’ai and its petroglyphs, and Te Pito Te Kura, the largest statue ever moved. In the center of the island is Ahu Huri A Urenga, where a solitary statue still stands; it was once a solstice observatory. Return to the village via Vaitea, the historical sheep ranch. Tonight's final dinner party will be at the home of a friend, where a typical umu (earth oven dinner) will be highlighted by dancers in costumes.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 17:
Return to Santiago, and the Hotel Carrera with dinner free.
(B)
Day 18:
The Precolumbian Museum catalogs 4500 years of South American civilization before the arrival of the Spanish. The Museum of Natural History contains artifacts found on Easter Island. Other exhibits include the body of a sacrificed twelve-year old child whose body was preserved in ice on a nearby peak for over five hundred years. Enjoy fabulous views of Santiago during a special luncheon at Enoteca restaurant and wine-tasting bar overlooking the city. Dinner is free to rest before your evening flight from Santiago to Miami. You will arrive in Miami tomorrow morning.
(B)
Day 19:
Arrive Miami
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
South America
Chile
Archeology/History
Cultural Journey
|
| Check out these similar vacation offers: |
|
|
