Six Days On Easter Island

Iorana means Hello in the Rapa Nui laungage. Iorana to my Easter Island post! A tiny little island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean makes this one of the most isolated regions of the world. Just the idea of Easter Island (or Isla de Pascua in Spanish) was enough to set me off and send tingles down my spine. Definitely worth every dollar of that expensive plane ticket.

I spent six full days on the island, and I think that was a perfect amount of time considering how much there is to do for such a tiny place. The history and culture is as intriguing as it is mysterious and is plagued with guesswork as no one was actually there to document it all. Essentially the Moai were carved and erected on platforms where important figures of society would be buried, always turned to face a village as to protect it.  In the final years, clan battles wiped out many Moai as they would destroy the moral of the opposing clan.

7 Moai at Ahu Akivi

I ended up camping in Easter Island, renting a tent on site and using my jacket as a pillow because all other accommodations were ridiculously expensive. While my accommodations were simple enough, the water side location was simply stunning. Costing about 11$ dollars a night for the tent, across the street was a 400$ a night Eco-Lodge just to put things into comparison.

My evening view

I was fortunate to do quite a bit with my more than sufficient amount of time. I was able to go scuba diving for the first time, try Rapa Nui ceviche and drive a stick shift SUV across the entire island. Here are my three favourite things abouts the island.

Orongo 

An abandoned village on the edge of an inactive volcano. Hiking up the trail leaves impressive views of Hanga Roa (the only village on the island) as well as a topside view of the old crater which is now a wet marsh. Taking about an hour from the village, I was tossed around by strong winds and was barely able to get an acceptableish photo at the top. On the far right side of this photo lies Orongo, but the true beauty was from the mirador/viewpoint.

View from Mirador Rano Kau

Caving

The island has an impressive array of caves throughout the island, mostly on the west side. The most memorable one had the smallest possible opening I've ever seen. Popping on a head torch I squeezed in and was instantly forced to make myself as tiny as possible to not smack my head into the damp cave roof. I made it about 30 meters before the tunnel split into two and at the end of both is a sheer drop with a fantastic view of the coastline. Straight up Lord of the Rings Frodo buisness going on here.

Sunset from the caves

Ahu Tongariki

In the southeast region of the island is the famous Ahu Tongariki site. 15 Moai line a huge platform and make for an impressive view. Originally meant to 16 Moai and all with a hat, the Japanese team who was in charge of restoring the site ran out of money before completion, leaving the hats and the final Moai on the ground right next to the already erected Moai. The location itself is jaw dropping. Craggy ocean rocks get pounded by the waves behind the Moai while hills surround the entire platform leaving Tongariki as a centerpiece. I was fortunate enough to see it twice, once in the daytime and once for sunrise. Words really can´t do justice to the beauty of it, but I think a picture can.

Sunrise at Tongariki

Currently in Santiago, made a quick stop in Valparaiso which I loved and it is pretty unfair to Santiago. After coming from three places I loved, Santiago has absolutely no chance of tickling my fancy. Chilean Independence day tommorow and then off on a 22 hour bus to San Pedro de Atacama!

Channy

Instagram & Twitter - itsnathanchan

September 17 - Landay Hostel, Santiago, Chile