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Site Inspection
by Michele Shelburne
President, LADATCO TOURS
  
Mention Easter Island and you get one of two reactions: either a lost look wondering what you are talking about or the look of fascination, where the eyes sparkle and the head cocks thoughtfully.
Easter Island is indeed one of the most magical and mystical places on earth. It is also one of the world's great outdoor museums and to top it all, it is the singularly most remote island on earth, surrounded by a million square miles of open ocean.
Located in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, you get there via a five hour flight on Lan Airlines from Santiago, or from Tahiti, also served by Lan. This triangular island is just 166 square kilometers, anchored at each tip by an inactive volcano.
Settled by a mirgration from Polynesia, it boasts some 1,500 years of history. Giant statues, called moai, sit atop sacred mounds, called ahu, and represent efforts to recall and honor ancestors of the first epoch of settlement. Hundreds of moai dot the island, some in the carving stages, others partially destroyed by man or nature, and some restored. The cult of the Birdman, warring tribes, stories of The Long Ears and The Short Ears - legends and history combine to tickle the imagination and one's sense of being.
The new explora Posada Mike Rapu opened in December 2007 and raised the bar not only on accommodations but also on the Easter Island Experience. Now exploration can be by foot or bike, taking you to and through places most only see from a moving vehicle. You have time to linger, soak in the vistas, savor the smells and meet a new awareness of place. And all the while, discreetly following, is the explora support van "just in case."
Want to stretch those muscles and invigorate your mind and your body at the same time? And visit the world's greatest outdoor museum on the singularly most remote island on earth? Easter Island explora style is for you.
Throw in a visit to Paine Tower National Park in southern Chile's Patagonia and the Atacama Desert in the north, and you have the Ultimate Chile visit, and a "triple dip" explora experience!
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