Thinking about Easter Island, everybody is immediately picturing the giant and mysterious statues. But have you ever thought about simply spending a week there ?
– Full slide show at the bottom of the page –
For hours the plane has been flying over the Pacific’s blue expanses and in just a handful of seconds it passed the small 12 miles long island. After the U-turn and when the descent has begun, things start to be obvious: we are about to land on this small piece of lava lost in the middle of the Ocean. The only small town, Hanga Roa, is on the other side of the tarmac.
Getting off the plane, the many tourists are welcomed by the calm and the mild temperatures. It is May; we are in the low season. It might be rainier at this time of the year, but it is probably ideal to avoid large crowds and quietly enjoy the archeological sites as well as the numerous trails.
Rapa Nui, the Easter Island, is far from everything, but is never deserted. The mild temperatures all year long are made for some great camping and, once in the tent, the sound of the surf gives a strong feeling of remoteness. The threatening clouds, moving through the sky, seem to answer to the raging waves, breaking on the rocks of the West and South coasts.
Several facilities are closed, and the streets are not very busy at this season. It is quite enjoyable to wander around, to let the curiosity carry us, and to discover a mix of South America and Oceania. The flyer given at the airport allows you to find your way quickly and guides you to the restaurants on the coast where fresh tuna tartar and other ceviche are delicious.
If this island is so famous it is mainly for its emblematic Moais, those gigantic sculpted heads, whose real meaning is still unknown (even though a lot of more or less realistic theories exist). Most of those curiosities are lying down, face down but several Moais have been restored, standing again, back against the see, looking toward the center of the island.
By feet, from Hanga Roa, it is possible to follow the coast and get a first sight at those stone giants in Tahai. The place is vast; the lawn freshly mown. From far, we can have a first glimpse and details are slowly revealing while approaching: most don’t have their headpiece (the “Pukao”), some still have their eyes; sometimes a piece is missing… The Moais are standing on a platform called “Ahu” surrounded by round stones arranged into lines. The whole is still majestic despite the wear of the years and it feels good to be here, facing the sea and those stone giants.
The archeological sites are numerous here and most of the tourists are visiting only those… All the better for the rest of the island and for the adventurous hiker seeking some solitude. Rental cars are available in Hanga Roa, but the only road is barely 26 miles long and a bike might be a better way of appreciating the calm and the sound of the ocean for anybody active.
In order to enjoy another aspect of Rapa Nui, it is almost mandatory to visit the north coast, where a beautiful (but often crowded) beach gives access to a flat and calm ocean. A nearby country camping gives you an opportunity of a more secluded experience, a bit away from the excitement of this small bay. A bit before the sun disappearance, when the last vehicles are moving toward Hanga Roa, only the sound of the waves remains to defeat the silence.
Here, like on the rest of the island, there is no water source, and the rain provides the only supply of this precious liquid. Anakena is the perfect place for whoever is looking for a calm night and a sunrise between the palm trees.
By car or by bike, it is quick and easy to tour the isle and to visit the well-developed and informed archeological sites. The contrast between the calm beaches of the North and the raging ocean breaking on the southern reef will be obvious.
A visit to the Moais starts with a flight to Rapa Nui. But is it realistic to go that far only to admire a couple of statues, however incredible and mysterious they may be?
Three main volcanoes are gathered on the island and they offer several trails, a couple of them are well marked while other itineraries are less traveled and the curious hiker seeking remote belvederes will definitely enjoy those. From almost any hilltop the scenery is dramatic. On the Terevaka (highest spot of the island) and the Puakatike, small craters are scattered, reminding the French Massif Central and its old sleeping volcanoes. The Rano Kau hides a unique landscape: its deep crater shelters a pretty large swamp, separated from the ocean only by a thin cliff that is constantly eroded. It is easy to imagine that one day the ocean will come to take possession of this large depression, thus forever changing the environment of this exceptional place.
After a small week on this piece of lava, far from everything, living with the sun and the clouds, sheltered behind the thin fabric of the tent even during heavy storms, both spirit and body are well rested. Coming back from this incredible journey feels weird because, even if the mind is full of images, some issues are constantly raised without finding a correct answer. Tourism is the only economy of Rapa Nui but contributes far too much to its slow destruction. Since then, the Chilean government has changed the rules in order to limit this economic expansion. Finally, do we really need to go everywhere when many of us (I include myself in that group) don’t know what’s right next door? It is easy to ask this question when I have just enjoyed such an escapade….
Link to an article explaining some new rules about the access to the island :
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/easter-island-chile-limiting-tourism/index.html
