Easter Island has fascinated adventurers for years. Over 2000 miles from the nearest population center, this remote island remains an anomaly in the history of the South Pacific. It is famous for its giant moai, the stone statues that continue to intrigue and puzzle visitors. Once speculation included aliens and other fantastical possibilities for the presence of the moai on this isolated site, but now we know the Rapa Nui people (Easter Island natives) most likely built the statues themselves from the surrounding volcanic stones. Dating from the 9th century, their size, positioning and placement on the island are still amazing to witness. The faces, although similar to each other, often seem to portray different emotions: some sneering, some diffident, some even amused.

Today, Easter Island remains one of the most exotic places you will ever visit in the world. It is like a large open-air museum filled with history, archeological treasures, art and a culture that clings tenaciously to its rich past. The Rapa Nui people were the only Pacific Islanders to have a written language, but unfortunately, it has been lost. A few tablets remain but not enough to decipher the code. However, the rich cultural traditions of Rapa Nui have been handed down orally and by example to the current generation.

We are pleased to be among the few companies that offer an in-depth expedition to Easter Island, as we have done for several decades. With a friendly and independent spirit, the people of Easter Island offer warm hospitality each time we visit, and we hope you can join us for this journey.

Easter Island is for the truly adventurous. This remote island is one of the least visited but most fascinating archeological sites in the world. Hanns Ebensten conducted the first tourist expedition there 40 years ago, and wrote about it in his book Trespassers on Easter Island. It still remains an enigma of history and culture today.

Highlights of this trip include:

• Spend four full days and two half days exploring Easter Island.
• Wander this remote island which is over 2000 miles from the nearest civilization.
• See the famous "moai" stone statues dating from the 9th century.
• Explore the island, a virtual open-air museum of history and archeological treasures.
• Enjoy the hospitality of the Rapa Nui people.
• Swim in clear ocean waters, picnic and relax in this unique island in the South Pacific.

Itinerary

Day 1 - July 22, 2011
Arrival on Easter Island
Unless spending some time in Chile enroute to Easter Island, most travelers will depart from home the day before the first tour day, and take an overnight flight via Miami, New York or Los Angeles to Santiago. These flights have a convenient connection to a LAN Airlines non-stop flight to Easter Island (about five and a half hours), arriving in the early afternoon.

After landing at the large airstrip on Easter Island, Chile's most remote outpost - we check in at the small Aloha Nui Hotel, where the Rapahango-Edmunds family has welcomed Hanns Ebensten Travel groups for over three decades.

Following is a tentative itinerary for exploring the island. The daily agenda will depend on weather and the interests of the group, but we will visit each of the locations described here.

In the afternoon, we visit the ceremonial village of Orongo and inspect its large basalt rocks with petroglyphs of birdmen and the god Make-Make. This is a famous site for the cult of the birdmen. Each July until 1866, men raced down the steep cliffs and across the rough seas to the islets of Motu Nui, Motu Iti and Motu Kao in a quest to secure the first egg laid each year by the sooty tern.

Day 2 - July 23, 2011
Easter Island Discovery
We begin with a trip to the Ahu Tahai, an excellent introduction to the island's archeological sites, exhibiting five statues restored by Dr. William Mulloy and Mr. Gonzalo Figueroa in the early 1960s. An ahu is a large outdoor altar, usually bearing statues, and often used for burials with rubble-filled platforms containing tombs. We will visit the fascinating museum of Father Sebastian Englert, the island's parish priest from 1935-1969, and an inspiration to Hanns Ebensten when Hanns escorted the first group of American travelers to Easter Island in the 1960s. Lunch is a special picnic served at Anakena Beach, where it is believed that the first Polynesian settlers arrived on the island over 1000 years ago.

In the afternoon we drive to Puna Pau to see the slopes from which dark red cylinders of stone were quarried. They were placed on top of the statues either to resemble the tuft of hair that ancient Easter Islanders knotted at the top of their heads, or as ceremonial hats. Our tour continues to the island's south coast to view the Ahu Vinapu. Time permitting, we will then explore the Ana Kai Tangata, "the cave where men are eaten." With the surf breaking below, it is a forbidding place and a reminder of the period when islanders practiced cannibalism.

Day 3 - July 24, 2011
Free Day on Easter Island
Today offers a chance to leisurely explore Easter Island's only village, or perhaps to take an optional horseback ride across the island's rugged meadows or a guided hike to a remote headland. Late this evening, we are likely to be able to watch a cultural performance, complete with pageantry, musicians singing both Rapa Nui and Spanish songs, and amazingly energetic dances, performed by young men and women wearing primarily body paint.

Day 4 - 5 - July 25 - 26, 2011
Ahu Akivi, Faces to the Sea
During the next two days, we will enjoy two more leisurely half-day tours, as well as have time to try individual activities. Our touring will include a trip to see Ahu Akivi, the seven statues facing the sea. Legend says they represent the seven princes who came to Easter Island from mythical Hiva, to prepare the island for the arrival of King Hotu Matu'a. We continue to Ahu Tongariki, where fifteen moai have been re-erected along a dramatic coastline with deep blue waves crashing against a stark cliff and the rocks below.

Later, we explore Rano Raraku, the most fascinating and dramatic site on the island with hundreds of stone figures, many unfinished, on the outer and inner rims of the extinct volcano. Its bowl-shaped crater is filled with water and tortora reeds, and is often used as a watering hole by wild horses. A picnic lunch will be served nearby.

On our last evening, we will have our farewell dinner.

Day 6 - July 27, 2011
Homeward Bound
The morning is free to rest until our early afternoon flight back to Santiago. It arrives in time to connect to overnight flights home, via Miami, New York or Los Angeles. Most North American and European travelers will arrive home on Day 7 of this tour, with Day 1 being the day we arrive on Easter Island.

Please see our post-trip 4-night tour of Santiago, Valparaiso, Vina del Mar and the Andean foothills, including stops at a couple of Chile's most thriving vineyards!

Chile Post-Trip extension

Upon early evening arrival from Easter Island, we will be transferred to our hotel in Santiago. Dinner will be on your own this evening.

The next morning, we will drive 80 miles northwest of Santiago to explore Valparaiso, Chile's main port and the seat of Congress. En route, we cross the Casablanca Valley and stop for a wine tasting at the Casas del Bosque Winery. The city of Valparaiso is built on nearly 40 hills and its steep and winding streets, funicular trains and stairs give a special charm to this colorful and bustling city.

After lunch, we drive to Viña del Mar, aptly named the "Garden City" with its floral clock and fine gardens. We will have dinner and spend two nights in this picturesque city by the sea, having an entire day to relax and enjoy the seaside surroundings. (The second night was added based on the unanimous recommendation of our previous years travelers!)

On the morning of day four, we will drive from sea level up to the Maipo Valley (2 hours driving time), and arrive in San Alfonso at 6000 feet above sea level. This is a beautiful area to hike and see native flora and fauna. It is here the arrieros (Andean cowboys) take cattle and herds to graze during summer. There are also many lovely streams, pools and waterfalls, including the well-known Cascadas de las Animas. We will also keep our eyes open for giant condors that fly down in search of food during certain times of the year. A naturalist guide will lead us to see many spectacular views, as well as interesting sights along the trail. The average hiking time is three hours, with the exact amount of hiking depending on weather and the interests of the group.

In the afternoon, we will head back to Santiago. On the way, we'll stop at the village of La Obra for a tour and wine-tasting at the small, family-run winery of El Raco. We will return to Santiago for the night to rest up for our flights home.

In the morning we will enjoy a city tour including: the Plaza de Armas (main square and cathedral), Moneda Palace, the official residence of Chilean presidents, and the Palacio Cousiño, one of the finest examples of 19th century architecture. You will then have the afternoon free to explore Santiago, since most flights north are overnight flights. An early evening group transfer will be provided to the airport for anyone flying out tonight.

Price includes:

• All transportation on Easter Island;
• Five nights in intimate Easter Island guesthouse, in shared or single occupancy;
• Five breakfasts, four lunches, three dinners on Easter Island;
• Services of Hanns Ebensten Travel tour director and local guides;
• All hotel services charges, government taxes, porterage, and meal gratuities.

Not included:

• Flights between home and Easter Island;
• Meals not included in tour fee;
• Airport departure taxes;
• Chilean visa (obtainable upon arrival);
• Personal items including: alcoholic beverages, snacks, laundry, and telephone calls.