Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(11
days/10 nights)
Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(12 days/11 nights)
Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(14 days/13 nights)
Colca Canyon - Machu
Picchu
Lake Titicaca
(16 days/15 nights)
Archaeological & Ecological
Treasures
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca (or Amazon)
(18 days/17
nights)
Colca Canyon - Amazon
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(22 days/21 nights)
Machu Picchu
(10
days/9 nights)
Machu Picchu
(13 days/12 nights)
Machu Picchu - Galapagos
(15 days/14 nights)
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
(18 days/17 nights)
Manu National Park
(8 days/7 nights)
Enchanted Isles of the Galapagos
Galapagos
(11
days/10 nights)
Galapagos & the Kingdom of Quito
Galapagos - Andes
(16 days/15 nights)
Galapagos - Amazon
(16 days/15 nights)
Historic Haciendas of the Andes
Cotopaxi - Antisana
- Otavalo
(7 days/6 nights)
© 2008
Inka's Empire Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Santiago de Chile - Easter Island
Moai at Rano Raraku, Easter Island.
Photo: Cliff Wassmann.
Map
Detail Map
Land Price (4 days/3 nights)
De Luxe US$ 1,510
The land price includes escorted transfers, private excursions with professional guides and chauffeurs, entrance fees, indicated category of accommodations, all meals except beverages, all transportation except air flights, and travel insurance for guests through the age of 59 years. Over that age, there is a supplementary fee. All prices are per person based on two people sharing a guest room. For a detailed description of our services, see About Our Tours. Season: September through March.
Intra-Tour Air Flights & Fares
Air fares are in addition to the land price.
Santiago - Easter Island - Santiago
Flights are not daily. Flight 841 departs to Easter Island on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Flight 842 returns to Santiago on Saturdays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. A Saturday departure and a Tuesday return is shown.
Trail past statues at Rano Raraku, Easter Island.
Photo: Cliff Wassmann.
Ponder ancient idols and a lost civilization...
"What really makes Easter Island unique among the ancient places of the world is its preservation of the lifecycle of Neolithic ritual. Most realms of antiquity, like Pompeii or Machu Picchu, are frozen in time or represent the final manifestation of a culture, its zenith. But on Easter Island you can see the birth, life, and death of the ancient culture - the womb of the moai in the statue quarry, the stately triumph of the moai on their platforms, and the solemn (some might say pitiful) decadence of their fall from grace ... the moai lying deaf, dumb, and blind in the volcanic dust whence they came."
-- Shawn McLaughlin, The Complete Guide to Easter Island, 2004
Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is an open-air, archaeological museum of a fascinating but vanished culture, a stark lesson in what can happen when humans fail to live in harmony with nature. We still do not know for sure how or why the first inhabitants carved, transported and raised their monolithic stone statues, or why the "moai" gaze inland instead of out to sea. But as you walk with your private guide in the island's famed yet rarely visited sites, such as the volcanic quarry where the figures were carved over a period of five centuries, you can contemplate the enigma of almost 900 mysterious idols and of the civilization that created but later tried to destroy them.
To the many mysteries of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, add one more: Inca oral history tells of a voyage to the west by Inca king Tupac Yupanqui and his discovery of two "Islands of Fire". The precisely carved and fitted stone walls at Ahu Vinapu may evidence that visit. Other mysteries are revealed in Nova's Secrets of Easter Island. Easter Island is an open-air archaeological museum. After your virtual tours, discover it by walking and horseback riding.
What our guests have to say:
Every step was as planned. Sabrina was an outstanding representative of the Rapa Nui community. We truly had a wonderful trip and learned a lot.... be sure that we will recommend your organization to anyone interested in Easter Island.
-- Thomas, Beverly and Elizabeth Marlow
Just to let you know that the Marlows and I had a marvelous visit to Santiago and Easter Island. All of the connections were very prompt and the guides were knowledgeable, affable, accommodating, and reliable.
-- Prudence Noon
We had a wonderful time... Our guide on Easter Island, Josie, was spectacular! I can't say enough wonderful things about her.
-- Allison Branson & Jean Rikhoff
Had a great time. Everything went smoothly. Have nothing but nice things to say about the tour guides you set up for me (Josefina Mulloy out on Easter Island was fantastic).
-- Mark Benning
Highlights
Easter Island
Intra-tour flight to Easter Island, 8:30 am - 11:50 am, Lan Chile 841
Day 1: Santiago - Easter Island. Transfer to the airport. Flight to Easter Island. Brunch on board. Drive to Hanga Roa and the Hotel O' Tai. The rest of the day is free. Dinner and overnight in a Superior Room in the 3-star Hotel O' Tai.
Day 2: Easter Island (Rano Raraku - Te Pito Kura - Anakena Beach). Full-day excursion. Drive along the coast to the "Camino de los Moais" and hike up the Rano Raruku Volcano, with its crater lake, gigantic quarries of tuff, where the stone statues were carved, and about 300 statues in different states of completion. Catered lunch. Hike to Ahu Tongariki, a restored "ahu" (platform) with 15 erected moais, and nearby petroglyphs. Go by car to "Te Pito Kura", or "navel of the world", and Anakena Beach, with two ahus, including Ahu Naunau. Dinner and overnight in a Superior Room in the 3-star Hotel O' Tai.
Day 3: Easter Island (Rano Kau - Orongo - Ahu Akivi). In the morning, drive up to the Rano Kau Volcano and the ceremonial village of Orongo. Our guide will tell you the legend of the birdman and its culture and show you the petroglyphs with images of Tanga Mau (bird man), Make Make (the god that created him) and Komari (fertility symbol). The precisely carved and fitted stone walls at Ahu Vinapu may evidence a voyage to the west by Inca king Tupac Yupanqui. Typical lunch. Afternoon horseback ride through the ceremonial place of Tahai and the hills and meadows to Ana Te Pahu and Ahu Akivi, with its famous seven moais. Dinner and overnight in a Superior Room in the 3-star Hotel O' Tai.
Santiago
Intra-tour flight to Santiago, 1:10 pm - 7:50 pm, Lan Chile 842
Day 4: Easter Island - Santiago. Transfer to the airport. Flight to Santiago. Lunch on board. Transfer to your hotel.
Day 1: Santiago - Easter Island
Early transfer to the airport for the flight from Santiago to Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, as it was called by the natives. Brunch on board. Upon arrival at the Mataveri airport, we greet you with the traditional flower necklace, or lei. A short drive brings you to the town of Hanga Roa and the Hotel O' Tai, with its lovely garden, swimming pool and friendly atmosphere. The rest of the day is free. We recommend visiting the village church, where a close look at the diverse statues reveals traditional Roman Catholic symbols combined with indigenous ones. On Sunday morning, you are welcome to attend mass. Next to the church is the art market, and not far away is the local museum. It is worth a visit, but mainly features reproductions of Rapa Nui artifacts, because the originals were removed from the island. Dinner and overnight in a Superior Room in the 3-star Hotel O' Tai.
Statue on slope of Rano Raraku, Easter Island.
Photo: Cliff Wassmann.
Day 2: Easter Island (Rano Raraku - Te Pito Kura - Anakena Beach)
Breakfast. We depart from the hotel for a full-day excursion by car, driving along the coast to "Camino de los Moais" (trail along which the moais were moved). A hike takes us up the Rano Raruku Volcano, with its crater lake and gigantic quarries of tuff, where the stone statues were carved. There are still about 300 statues in different states of completion, standing and lying around. Some are half-carved, many are broken, and many seem to have been abandoned in mid-transportation. Most remarkably, at the base of the quarry, moias stand half buried on the slope -- up to their chins and noses -- from years of erosion. It is as if the production of moais where abandoned from one moment to the other -- was it the war or the lack of any more palm trunks to roll them on? Nobody knows for sure. We will have our catered lunch here.
Further on, we hike to Ahu Tongariki, a spectacular and more than 200-meter-long, restored "ahu" (platform) with 15 erected moais, and nearby petroglyphs. We will go by car to "Te Pito Kura", or "navel of the world", and finally to Anakena Beach. The white sandy beach with coconut palm trees and a calm blue cove of warm Pacific water makes this the most Polynesian-looking part of the island. This perfect spot also offers us the sight of two ahus. Ahu Naunau is particularly interesting because the moais on it have carvings on their back sides. After this relaxing break, we drive back to Hanga Roa on the main road, passing Vaitea, the only eucalyptus forest on the island. Dinner and overnight in a Superior Room in the 3-star Hotel O' Tai.
Erected moai with red lava rock headdress, called pukao, Easter Island.
Photo: Cliff Wassmann.
Day 3: Easter Island (Rano Kau - Orongo - Ahu Akivi)
Breakfast. In the morning, we drive up to the Rano Kau Volcano and the ceremonial village of Orongo. It is a breathtaking view -- to stand in front of the perfectly round crater 1,600 meters in diameter and over 200 meters deep -- a view you will never forget. Our guide will tell you the legend of the birdman and its culture and show you the petroglyphs with images of Tanga Mau (bird man), Make Make (the god that created him) and Komari (fertility symbol). This site looks out over the three island rookeries, Motu Nui, Moto Kau and Moto Iti. To the many mysteries of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, add one more: Inca oral history tells of a voyage to the west by Inca king Tupac Yupanqui and his discovery of two "Islands of Fire". The precisely carved and fitted stone walls at Ahu Vinapu may evidence that visit. Typical lunch. In the afternoon, transfer from your hotel to our horses for a ride through the ceremonial place of Tahai and the beautiful hills and meadows to Ana Te Pahu. After visiting Ahu Akivi, with its famous seven moais, we return to the hotel. (This riding excursion is offered only with a Spanish speaking guide.) Dinner and overnight in a Superior Room in the 3-star Hotel O' Tai.
Birdman petrogylphs at Orango, Easter Island.
Photo: Cliff Wassmann.
Day 4: Easter Island - Santiago
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport for your return flight to Santiago. Lunch on board. Transfer to your hotel.
Thank you for choosing Inka's Empire Tours.
© 2008 Inka's Empire Corporation, Luxury Peru Tours & Travel. All rights reserved.
