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We have all heard about the mysterious island where the stone heads are located, but not everyone is able to answer that this is Easter Island, and finding it on the world map will be even more difficult.
Tourists appeared there not so long ago, but tours to this mysterious corner of the Earth are already being sold all over the world. It needs to be explored in order to understand where these huge statues came from, who was able to make these stone giants?
There are many theories about their origin, but until now scientists have not come to a consensus on where these blocks came from. Maybe this is the work of giants or space aliens, or maybe the statues have been standing here not so long ago? Which of these theories is the most consistent is still debated by the greatest minds of mankind. This is one of the most important mysteries on Earth.
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Where is Easter Island on the world map
The island belongs to, but is located 3,500 kilometers from land, so often people cannot even find the island. Easter on the world map. Easter is not large in size, the area is about 165 square kilometers. But this territory has its own administrative center, which is also the only city - Anga Roa. The total population is about 6 thousand people.
Easter Island is so remote from other objects that the closest populated area to it is another one. Pitcairn is 1800 kilometers away.
If you look at satellite photos showing the location of Easter Island on the world map, you will notice that the coastline is slightly indented, so its outline is more like a right triangle.
Geographic coordinates of Easter Island are 27° 6’ 67 south latitude, 109° 21’ 3 west longitude. There are several volcanoes on the territory, some of which are still active. In addition, people are attracted by wild nature, because not every corner is inhabited by people.
Appearance of the name
The name is indeed very strange. But few people know that this place is called by many peoples differently, for example, Hititeairagi, or Hiti-ai-rangi, Tekaowhangoaru, Mata-ki-te-Ragi, Te-Pito-o-te-henua. All these names come from the Rapa Nui language, which is widespread in Oceania.
But if you may have never heard these names, the name Rapa Nui is more popular among people. This name was given by sailors a long time ago so as not to confuse the territory with others. Scientists believe that this name was established in the 1860s.
But no matter what the locals call their lands, we know them under the name Easter Island. This name was given when the Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen discovered a piece of land in the middle of the ocean on Easter Sunday - April 5, 1722. After some time, the territory was named in honor of this event.
History of the emergence of o. Easter
It is clear that civilization was here before the 18th century, and the age of the statues has not yet been determined. They are believed to be more than five centuries old, and the earliest may have been made in the mid-13th century.
But researchers came to the conclusion that people settled the land back in 1200 BC. It is still not known how they were able to do this, because it was almost impossible to overcome such a distance at that time.
Moreover, the mysteries do not end there; experts argue about who lived here. Some claim that American Indians lived here, others suggest that they were Peruvians, and others believe that another people lived on these lands, who were part of an unknown civilization, but eventually died out. Local residents have a legend about long-eared and short-eared tribes that lived here and fought against each other. It is they who are credited with the construction of all the idols, but it is difficult to imagine how people of that time could create such gigantic heads.
In addition to the statues, scientists discovered ancient writing; it is also unknown which people it belonged to.
If we talk about modernity, then Fr. Easter joined Chile in 1888 and has been Chilean ever since, although there are independent elections for the heads of the administrative centers. For a long time the territory had infringed rights, but the situation improved in the 1950s.
Climate
The area is in a tropical climate, with an average temperature all year round of more than 22 degrees. Sometimes the heat subsides due to cold winds blowing from Antarctica. There are no rivers, but water comes to residents from lakes and underground sources.
If we talk about temperature, the warmest month is January, and the coldest month is August. The most rain is observed in March and April, when 15 days can have precipitation. And the driest months are February and August, when it can only rain for 5-7 days.
In general, the climate in the area allows tourists to travel here all year round. During the day it is not too hot here; cool winds sometimes cool the surface of the water and land very much. In the evenings you will even have to wrap yourself in warm clothes.
Flora and fauna
No one knows why many plants died out here in an instant. Now there are no more than 30 species of flora representatives. Only in recent years have they begun to actively return vegetation to this island. So, the following were imported: grapes, melon, sugar cane, banana. All root vegetables are very expensive on the island as they are shipped from the mainland.
The fauna is also not rich. Europeans brought domestic animals here: goats and sheep, chickens. Before this, only birds and sea animals, such as turtles, seals, and fur seals, predominated.
What is Fr. famous for? Easter
The most famous feature of the Moai is, of course, the statues in the form of huge heads. There are about a thousand of these heads on the island, all of them are very tall, reaching a height of 20 meters.
It is completely incomprehensible how people could make such figures and place them around the entire perimeter. In addition to individual statues, there are entire complexes and parks where they are displayed in a row or simply grouped.
Tourists are also attracted by the following attractions:
Every corner has wonderful views. There are no exquisite architectural sights here; people come here for something completely different - to enjoy the beauty of an unexplored island, about which there are various legends.
Best time to visit
There are a lot of tourists here all year round, even despite the remoteness of the territory. The tourist season depends on the weather and usually lasts from January to May.
The most comfortable months for travel are January, February and March, when the temperature stays at + 26-27 degrees. In the ocean, the water heats up to +25 in February and March. But August, September and October are not very good for traveling here. The temperature during these months does not exceed +20, with strong winds blowing.
But remember that even if it’s warm and dry during the day, it’s better to prepare a warm jacket for yourself in the evening, since the air cools down very quickly, and before you know it, you’ll freeze.
Although the ocean is suitable for swimming, beach holidays are not at all popular here. In addition, there are not many beaches that are equipped for tourists; most often they are wild and rocky cliffs, where swimming is strictly prohibited, and you don’t want to.
Take into account: You need to come to the island for at least 4-5 days to have time to see everything. There is only one city and not many hotels, so local residents can come to the rescue, often renting out a room or an entire apartment.
Even more often, people prefer to vacation in the wild, stay right by the ocean in a tent or request a place in campsites. This saves money, although the conditions are not the most comfortable.
How to get there
Having figured out where Easter Island is located on the world map, let's find out how you can get to this wonderful place, because it is so isolated from the mainland? Wikipedia says that most often tourists are delivered to the island by plane, and only one company operates flights strictly on schedule, and this is not every day. Planes fly from Santiago and Lima, you can also get there from Tahiti, but it will be more expensive. The flight from Santiago will take about five hours.
You can also get to Easter Island by water. The world map shows that the archipelago is located in, but let’s say right away that this method will be more expensive than an airplane. Firstly, you can do this on your own yacht, but if you don’t have one, then private companies provide their services. You can get there by yacht in 5-7 hours.
It is better to find out the ship schedule on site or on special websites. In this case, in any case, you first need to get to South America, and this is difficult and expensive, because such a flight costs from 35 thousand rubles, which is why the main tourists on the island are elderly and rich people who are able to bear such expenses.
Don't forget about moving around the island. There are only two roads, so it will be difficult to get lost. But at the same time, the main beauties are located along the edges of the island, so a person may not be able to complete this route on foot. It is best to rent a bicycle, motorcycle or car to explore all corners of the mysterious territory.
Conclusion
Easter Island is a lifelong dream for some. After all, we have heard so many times about this miracle, but so few have seen it in person. All the Moai statues, volcanoes, and the ocean add an unimaginable atmosphere to this area. Questions hung in the air: “Who created this?”, “How did they end up here?”, “Is it true that they were alive before?” Some are extremely difficult to answer even for experts.
Whatever the truth, I really want to come here. After all, this picturesque island has more than just statues. It has a very interesting history, nature, colorful views. Therefore, if you are going to Chile, you simply cannot miss the opportunity to visit Easter Island.
There are not many tourists here yet; you can almost always find a quiet place where you can sit, reflect on life, and try to understand the answer to this mystery of the island. From all the figures on the island, you can choose one and try to find out the secret of these giant heads, perhaps you will succeed.
We bring to your attention an educational video with interesting facts about Easter Island:
Mysterious moai statues Rapa Nui stand in silence, but speak more eloquently than any words about the achievements of their creators. Stone blocks from which statues in the form of a head and torso are carved, with an average height of 4 meters and a weight of 14 tons. The effort to build these monuments and move them around the island must have been considerable, but no one knows exactly why the Rapa Nui people set themselves such a task. Most scientists suspect that the moai were created to honor ancestors, chiefs or other important figures, however, there is no oral or written evidence of this on the island, so one cannot be sure. Polynesian society flourished in this unique place after a hardy people guided a fleet of wooden outrigger canoes to this tiny speck in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. Here, in isolation some 3,700 kilometers west of South America and 1,770 kilometers from the nearest neighboring island, Rapa Nui has developed a distinct architectural and artistic culture. This culture reached its zenith during the 16th century, when the Rapa Nui carved and installed approximately 900 moai throughout the island. 
It is believed that the decline Rapa Nui followed due to an environmental disaster that they themselves created. It is not yet clear when the islands were first settled; Estimates range from 800 AD. to 1,200. It's also not clear how quickly the island's ecosystem was destroyed - but a major factor is the reduction of millions of giant palm trees to clear fields and make fires. It is possible that Polynesian rats arriving with human settlers ate enough seeds to help destroy the trees. 
Either way, the loss of trees exposed the island's rich volcanic soils to severe erosion. When Europeans arrived in 1722, they found the island sparsely populated and largely barren. Today, many tourists come here, mainly to visit the quarry Rano Raraku volcano, where the stones came from to create almost all the moai on the island. Meanwhile, all over the island, many moai are gradually being transformed from priceless figures into ordinary pieces of rock. Volcanic rocks are subject to weathering and great efforts are needed to preserve the heritage Rapa Nui in their current, impressive form.
How to get to Easter Island
It is a miracle that once upon a time, the Polynesian people were able to get to Easter Island. However, now it is much easier to do this; you just need to buy a plane ticket. When is the best time to visit Easter Island?
The high season on Easter Island is the southern hemisphere summer - from January to March. Although in winter it is also quite comfortable here, the average temperature is about 22 degrees, rarely dropping to 14 degrees. So, you can quite pleasantly spend time here at any time of the year. If you don’t want to meet a lot of tourists, then come in the off-season.How to get around the island
Cars, motorcycles and mountain bikes can be rented and are good ways for visitors to explore the island's scattered archaeological sites. While most people visit Easter Island to explore its history and culture, the island is also home to excellent diving, surfing, and enticing beaches.
Easter Island- one of the most isolated islands in the world. About 1,200 years ago, sea travelers first came ashore here. Many centuries later, a mysterious society arose on this isolated and remote island. For reasons still unknown, they began carving giant statues from volcanic rock. These monuments, known as "moai", are some of the most incredible ancient relics on Earth. Where did they come from and why did they disappear? Science has revealed much about the island's mystery and discarded some of the more outlandish theories, but questions and disagreements still remain.
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History of Easter Island
Easter Island is a tiny piece of land in the South Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people call it Rapa Nui. Formed by a series of large volcanic eruptions, it has been home to seabirds and dragonflies for millions of years. Its steep slopes marked the navigation route for the ships of the brave Polynesian sailors. How long their voyage lasted and the reasons that served as the basis for their migration from their ancestral home remains a mystery to which we will never have an answer, but we can imagine their joy at the sight of this island after perhaps many months of wandering in the open ocean.
Located in the South Pacific between Chile and Tahiti, Easter Island is one of the most isolated inhabited islands in the world. Triangular in shape, with a total area of 102 km2, it was formed when streams of molten lava rose deep from the bowels of the Earth, broke through the shell of the earth's crust and burst onto the surface of the ocean.
Today, volcanic cones are found at every point on the island. The largest of them, Rano Kanu, is clearly visible even from space. The highest, Terevaka, rises to a height of 507 meters above sea level. In total, there are over 70 eruptive centers on the island. Lava tubes and rolling waves created hundreds of underwater caves and a variable coastline.
Legends say that it was on the sandy island of Anakena that King Hoto Manua descended and began to colonize the island. Excavations of this area indicate that this particular area boasts one of the best collections of moai monuments. Travelers began to build villages and houses of unusual elliptical shape. It is believed that this method of construction began when newly arrived settlers turned their boats upside down, thus adapting them for their temporary housing. There were hundreds of remains of these structures on the island in the 1800s, but most were destroyed by missionaries who used them to build fences.
The first settlers of the island found lush vegetation here, replete with large palm trees, from which they adapted to make boats and dwellings. The plants they brought with them adapted well to the soil enriched with volcanic ash, and by 1500 the island's population ranged from 7,000 to 9,000 thousand inhabitants.
As the population grew, separate clans began to form, concentrated in different areas of Easter Island. They all had one thing in common - the construction of statues and the cult that formed around them.
It is not clear why the inhabitants of Easter Island resorted to mass construction of monuments on such a large scale. Their obsession ultimately led to disastrous results for them, as they cut down the forest that was required to transport the huge moai. The depletion of forest resources had truly catastrophic consequences.
The first sculptures were made from basalt, and their height did not exceed human height. Then the technology for their production changed completely. The statues began to be carved in the quarry of the extinct volcano Rano Raraku from volcanic tuff (tuff is pressed volcanic ash, compacted after a volcanic eruption). Their height began to reach 10 meters or more, and their weight was about 20 tons.
Soft volcanic tuff served as an ideal material for carving statues. Using tools made from solid volcanic rock, the monument makers first outlined the contours of the moai, carved out the face and torso in the front, then the back of the figure, and then gradually carved the statue out of the rock until it was connected only by a thin bridge. Craftsmen making moai statues, were skilled sculptors who went through all the stages of mastering the skill of their profession in a kind of “guild of carvers.” The making of the statue most likely took place during the performance of numerous ceremonies and rituals. If by chance a defect occurred during production, it was abandoned and the carvers began to create it elsewhere. Such a mistake during work was considered a sign of the devil and was a bad omen. In a word, they were skilled craftsmen.
The famous Norwegian traveler Thor Heyerdahl organized an archaeological expedition on the island in 1955-1956, which focused mainly on experiments in the manufacture and transportation of moai sculptures. Two teams of sculptors worked in shifts to create the future sculpture. It took them no less than a whole year. So making them was a very painstaking task.
Finally, when the statue was carved, the bridge connecting it with the rock of the volcanic crater was torn off, and it slowly rolled down the slope. At the base of the crater, the statues were placed in a vertical position, and here the final polishing and finishing of the back and torso areas took place. After this, preparatory work was carried out to transport and install the moai in various places on the island. As evidence that the statues were not easy to move, many of them can be seen along ancient roads, where they fell into disrepair and were abandoned.
It is believed that Easter Island statues embodied memorable images of representatives of noble families. However, the moai were not portraits of specific individuals, although it is possible that some of them had some inscriptions or other signs that connected them with certain overlords. Why they chose a stylized design with an angular face, prominent chin and no legs remains one of Rapa Nui's greatest mysteries.
There are other stone statues made by Polynesians outside Easter Island. In some parts of South America, sculptures have been found that resemble the kneeling statue at Rano Raraku, but nothing in the world compares to the typical moai statue design.
When the work on carving the statues was nearing completion, they had to be transported around the island. In some cases they were transported over 20 km. How were these massive sculptures transported to their locations? Easter legends say that the moai themselves walked to their places. Some researchers claim that they were moved by dragging. Later this theory was refuted and they came to the conclusion that they were moved in a vertical position. To this day, no one can say for sure what it all really looked like. This is another, completely unsolved mystery of the civilization of the island of Rapa Nui.
In 1868, the British made an attempt to take one such statue to their homeland, but this task was clearly beyond their capabilities. In the end, they abandoned this idea and limited themselves to a small bust, two and a half meters high, which was installed in the British Museum in London. The entire crew of the ship and several hundred natives took part in the process of its transportation.
Upon completion of transportation, the statues were installed on ahu (ahu) - stone platforms slightly inclined towards the sea. They were made from large stones of different sizes and shapes. The stones were ground and adjusted to each other in such a way that they fit perfectly on top of each other. Installed on the coast, the ahu required the same amount of engineering knowledge and large amounts of labor as the creation of the statues themselves. It is here on Easter Island that you can truly appreciate the high skill of stone masonry of the island's inhabitants.
After installing the statue on the ahu, the final stage of making the figure took place - installing eyes made of coral or volcanic glass. According to legend, only after gaining eyes could the moai see the place where it was installed.
Soon, moai statues began to appear in all parts of the island and over time their number reached 1000. Over the decades, the desire to create the largest and largest moai, each belonging to a specific clan, intensified, allowing the formation of an almost continuous line of sculptures along the coast of Easter Island. An unfinished statue remained in the Rano Raraku quarry, over 20 meters high and weighing 270 tons! Culture has reached its dawn. And then something terrible happened.
A chilling story has emerged about the predatory use of resources and the devastation of Easter Island. Europeans who first arrived on the island wondered how people could survive in such a deserted place. In fact, it was a mystery for a long time until recent research demonstrated that the island was covered in dense forests dominated by the now extinct giant palm.
When they first set foot on the island, future residents saw a rich tropical paradise here. The resources of the rainforest seemed inexhaustible. The trees were used to build houses, canoes, wood for fires, and, apparently, for transportation and the construction of moai statues.
The erection of statues over time became an obsession, accompanied by massive deforestation. They began to reach such enormous sizes that it made it practically impossible to transport them over long distances. Trees were cut down. With deforestation, soil erosion began, which led to its depletion. Low harvests led to armed conflicts between different clans over control of scarce resources. The symbols of power and success of the island's inhabitants, the moai, were overthrown.
The armed struggle only intensified over time. It is said that victors ate their defeated enemies to gain strength. Bones found in various places on the island provide evidence of cannibalism. In conditions of scarce resources, this may have been a consequence of hunger, or ritual actions. In the southwestern part of Easter Island is the Ana Kai Tangata cave, which translates as “the cave where people were devoured.” The society and culture of Rapa Nui, which had developed over the past 300 years, collapsed. All that was left after them was the moai...
The inhabitants of Easter Island found themselves even more cut off from the outside world than before. Any hopes of escaping the devastated island were dashed by the lack of forest. The only thing they could build were small rafts and canoes made of reeds, so even fishing proved difficult in this corner of the globe. The island became a desolate piece of land, the eroded soils barely producing enough food for the tiny population to survive. It was under these conditions that the cult of the bird man arose among the survivors of the conflict (perhaps numbering 750 inhabitants).
It is quite possible that the cult of the bird man began during the construction of moai statues. Over time, it assumed the status of the dominant religion on the island and was practiced until 1866-1867. With no trees to build boats and no way to sail away from the devastated island, all the inhabitants of Easter Island could do was watch with envy the birds that soared high in the sky.
High on the rim of the Rano Kau crater, the ceremonial village of Orongo arose. Founded to worship the fertility god Makemake, it became the birthplace of intense competitions between members of the island's different clans.
Every year, in the spring, each clan chose the most physically prepared warriors who took part in the competition. Participants had to descend steep slopes to the sea, swim to one of three small islands in shark-infested waters, and be the first to bring back a whole and unharmed dusky quack egg. The warrior who was the first to deliver the egg to Easter Island was considered the bird-man of the year and received a special award and privileges, and his tribe began to rule the island for a year until the next competition. A ritual unique to all Polynesians was dedicated to the supreme deity Makemake. The winner became the earthly incarnation of this deity.
Some of the most interesting attractions in Orongo are the hundreds of petroglyphs carved by bird people. Engraved into solid basalt rock, they have survived time and harsh weather conditions. It has been suggested that the petroglyphs depict the winners of a bird-man competition. About 480 such petroglyphs have been found on the island, mainly around Orongo.
It seemed that the culture of the island's inhabitants began to be revived along with a new cult of the bird-man. We will never know whether the inhabitants of the island of Rapa Nui would have been able to again achieve the flourishing of their culture, because in December 1862, ships of Peruvian slave traders landed on the island and took the entire working population of the island into slavery. The Peruvian economy was booming at the time and needed additional labor. Due to harsh working conditions, illness and poor nutrition, about a hundred residents of Easter Island survived. Thanks to the emergency intervention of France, an agreement was reached with the Peruvian government, thanks to which the surviving inhabitants were returned back to the island. They brought diseases with them, which further reduced the number of inhabitants of Easter Island. At the time of the annexation of the island of Chile in 1888, fewer than 200 indigenous people lived here.
The missionaries arrived on the island when the population was in a particularly deplorable state. They found a society here in decline, and it did not take them long to convert its inhabitants to Christianity. First of all, the manner of clothing of the indigenous population was changed, or rather, the complete absence of it. Tattooing and any use of body paint was prohibited. The destruction of Rapanui art, buildings and other sacred sites, including the rongo-rongo tables - the key to understanding their history - was swift and complete. The inhabitants of the island were forced to give up their ancestral lands and were forced to live in a small part of the island, while the rest of the land was used for agriculture by arriving farmers.
In fact, the missionaries caused more harm to the island than the activities of the Peruvian slave traders, who took away the majority of the island's population. Those who managed to escape and hid in the caves of the island were rescued by those missionaries who continued to destroy all the wooden sculptures of the island, religious artifacts, and, most importantly, Rongo-Rongo wooden tablets with the writing of the Rapani (the inhabitants of Easter Island). Easter Island is the only island in the Pacific Ocean whose inhabitants developed rongorongo - their own writing system. Only a few of these tablets have survived to this day, so no one is able to decipher them.
The annexation of the island of Chile brought new developments, and today there are only a small handful of people who are related by blood to the island's indigenous population.
What conclusions can be drawn from all this? A pearl island located in the endless sea far from the centers of civilization. Seemingly endless material resources. Technological progress. Population growth. Resource depletion. Wars. Decline. Sounds familiar? The history of Easter Island is the history of our time. We are also like an island floating in an endless sea. Of course there are differences. It can be said that Easter Island is too small, so it was only a matter of time before the resources of such a closed area would be fully exploited. But parallels emerge between the attitude of the islanders to their surrounding nature and our own, and this is the most terrible part of the story.
On such a tiny piece of land as Easter Island, you can easily trace the consequences of deforestation, exactly how it happened. Despite the reduction of forest areas, residents continued their destructive actions. They probably prayed to their gods to repair the damage to their lands so they could continue their abuse of her, but the gods did not answer their prayers. And all the trees were cut down. No matter who did anything to change this ecosystem, the result was quite predictable. The man who cut down the last tree knew that it was the last tree. However, he or she did it. This is the saddest moment. Almost everyone today has access to television, thanks to which we learn about massive deforestation in the world, which poses a serious threat these days. And all our governments and most ordinary citizens watch this with indifference. It seems that they are ready to destroy the last tree in order to build the moai of our time - enterprises that represent high technology and progress. Will the meaning of our lives be to bring human lifestyles in line with the well-being of the environment, or are all people the same as that islander who cut down the last tree on Easter Island?
Easter Island attractions
Despite its tiny size, Easter Island has many attractions, both natural and man-made. So much so that the United Nations has listed it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The island's historical monuments are easily accessible. There are still no fences or signs warning where people can and can't be. Perhaps their absence is explained by the fact that the entire territory of Rapa Nui is a continuous archaeological reserve. One big open air museum.
The main tourist attraction of the island is, of course, the moai. Please note that the Easter Island moai are rather fragile historical monuments than they appear in reality. Therefore, they must be handled very carefully.
All places available for visiting are located mainly along the coast of the island. Visitors to Easter Island for the first time are amazed by the large number of archaeological sites scattered throughout its territory. Each settlement had its own ahu and moai statues, so when traveling along the southern part of the island, you can see historical monuments almost everywhere.
The most popular attractions are the craters of the Rano Kau and Rano Raraku volcanoes. Situated slightly inland, the Rano Raraku quarry is where the famous statues are made. Hundreds of island residents worked on their production from morning to evening. The remains of the volcano served as material for their creation. Here tourists can see with their own eyes all the stages of painstaking work, and the remains of unfinished moai statues are scattered here. The climb to the top of the left side of the crater and the descent into the pit of the extinct volcano is worth it. The opposite side of the crater, where most of the moai statues are located, is the most impressive place on the island.
The Rano Kau crater, like Rano Raraku, is filled with rainwater and has a colorful, ethereal appearance that will take your breath away.
Easter Island has two sandy beaches. Anakena, on the north side of the island, is a great spot for surfing. The second beach is a real pearl called Ovahe. Located along the southern coast of the island, this beautiful deserted beach is much larger than Anakena and is surrounded by beautiful cliffs.
Diving and snorkeling are popular near Motu Nui and Motu Iti
An often overlooked but particularly fascinating and supernatural aspect of Easter Island is its extensive cave system. While there are a few "official" caves there that are quite interesting in their own right, there are a large number of other interesting caves to explore, most of which are located nearby Ana Kakenga. Although the entrance holes of most of them are small (some are barely big enough to crawl through) and hidden, many are accessible for independent exploration.
Due to Easter's extreme geographical remoteness, many believe that only the most adventurous travelers can reach the island. In fact, airlines operate regular flights and tourism is the island's main economic sector. The Chilean airline LAN Airlines is the only operator operating regular flights to Easter Island, with the local airport serving as a transit point between Santiago and Tahiti. Being a monopoly carrier of passengers, the cost of air tickets for this company is very expensive.
If you are an intrepid traveler, sailboat Soren Larsen sails to the island once a year from the shores of New Zealand. The time travel takes 35 days. The island is located on the route between South America and Polynesia. Ocean cruise ships plying this route also make a stop at Easter Island.
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This question interests many. This place is exotic and shrouded in a whole heap of legends and beliefs. However, getting there will be very difficult.
Where is Easter Island: coordinates
A small piece of land, annexed by Chile at the beginning of the twentieth century, is located 3,600 km from the South American continent. The nearest island group is 2075 km to the east. It is not difficult to guess that of all the inhabited places on Earth, Easter Island is one of the most remote. The area of this unique monument of Rapani culture is 163.6 km2. It is the small size and very distant location from the mainland that determine the questions about where the Easter Islands are located. By the way, this combination is absolutely incorrect, since there is only one island in that region, and counting small patches of rocky shallows as islands is hardly correct. It is all the more surprising that such a thing, lost far in the waters, sheltered in its small lands the amazing nation of Rapa Nui, which supposedly erected amazing stone sculptures.
Historical reference
Of course, it is not enough to know where Easter Island is. Its history is no less interesting than its location.
The island arose as is standard for numerous archipelagos and atolls of the largest ocean on the planet: thanks to a volcanic eruption. Constant eruptions and violent winds have made the shores difficult to access for ships to moor: there are only two places where you can set foot on the coast from a liner without first crashing on the rocks.
The first colonists reached this lost piece of land 1,300 years ago. They noticed large palm groves, which were immediately used for the construction of houses and boats. Later, the small civilization had a hard time: the constant attacks of Peruvian pirates decreased every year. In addition, Catholic preachers destroyed the artifacts of the people from Easter Island, which caused irreparable damage to the unique culture of Rapa Nui. Currently, the remains of ancient structures are under the protection of UNESCO.
Moai stone statues
How the Rapa Nui created the famous stone sculptures is still not known. They are blocks that weigh up to 14 tons and can reach 4 meters in height. It is curious that idols can be found everywhere: in places where Easter Island meets the ocean, or in the depths, near mountains and volcanoes. In other words, the Moai cult was of great importance for the population of the era of the construction of stone idols. Presumably, they were built to mark the death of a fellow tribesman: the larger the statue, the more honor the deceased received. However, the question arises: “How did the stone blocks move from one point on the island to another?”
It will most likely be impossible to find the answer to this. However, the unfinished prototypes of future statues found suggest that the idols were first hollowed out of rock, and then transported on logs or cables from one part of the island to another.
How to get there?
It would seem that knowing where Easter Island is, reaching its shores would not be a problem. Unfortunately, it is not. You can try your luck and board one of the liners that set sail from the shores of Australia or South America, heading to conquer the vastness of Oceania, especially since the first inhabitants reached the island on dilapidated boats. However, the most adequate option is to fly by plane.
But not everything is so simple with a flying unit: you can fly to the coveted place only from Chile and Tahiti. For residents of Russia, even Australia is very far away, but this is only a transit point on the way. In total, the flight to the shores of the famous island will take several days, and will also eat up a fair amount of finances. It is also worth remembering that there is only one city on the island, so visiting the UNESCO monuments is the only joy available to tourists.
When to visit?
Despite the remoteness of the place where Easter Island is located, it is a fairly popular tourist region, which has its own periods of influx and decline in the activity of visitors. Considering the fact that this piece of land is located near the equator, it is impossible to encounter snowdrifts here at any time of the year. However, the high season begins in the summer: from January to March. This is followed by a decrease in tourist flow, although temperature conditions are still not very severe: about 17 degrees in the coldest months. Thus, if you want to enjoy the beauty of Easter Island without the noisy crowds, it is better to come between April and November.
Easter Island is a unique place. Here you can admire the volcano, visible even from space, and unique stone sculptures. In addition, the island's population can tell travelers a lot, as local legends have been passed down from generation to generation. So now we know where the Easter Islands are, and what they, or rather he, are.
Easter Island is the most remote inhabited island in the world. The closest mainland landmass is Chile, 3,700 kilometers away. Administratively, the island is part of the Chilean region of Valparaiso - in 1888 Chile annexed this territory.
About 5,000 people live on the famous island, a little more than half of them are indigenous people. Area - 164 sq. km. The island has the shape of a regular triangle.
There are no hazardous industries here. The water around the island is clean and clear. But at the same time, the flora and fauna are not distinguished by the great diversity that is inherent in many island formations in the Pacific Ocean. And those who love only beach “bounty holidays” are better off not flying here. This is a place for romantics and the curious.
Who discovered Easter Island?
The island was once covered with lush forests. The first settlers appeared here around 300 AD. They were presumably from the islands of French Polynesia.
And the first European who saw the mysterious and now world-famous idols was the Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen. It was he who, on Easter Sunday 1772, discovered a distant land in the ocean. It is to him that the island owes its modern name. The local name is Rapa Nui. Soon James Cook also visited the islands.
Easter Island was rediscovered by the world and our contemporaries in the middle of the last century by the famous Norwegian traveler Thor Heyerdahl.
How to get to Easter Island
The flight from Santiago takes 5 hours. Flights are operated by the Chilean airline “LAN Airlines”, flight “Santiago - Tahiti” with a landing at Mataveri Airport on Easter Island. You can also get here from the capital of Peru, Lima. Flights are regular, unlike shipping services. There is only one pier for small ships on the island.
Tourists travel around the island itself in rented cars, bikes, taxis and on foot. The distances are small - by car you can get from one side of the island to the other in 30 minutes, and go around the whole island in one and a half to two hours.
Hanga Roa "capital" of Easter Island
In addition to the airport, in the administrative center of the island there are several 3 and 4 star hotels, shops, restaurants, a post office, schools and a church. Almost the entire population of the island lives here and is employed in the tourism industry. There are only two streets in the town, without numbering the houses - all the residents know each other. Prices on the island “bite”, which is not surprising - after all, almost everything has to be imported.
Attractions of Easter Island - Moai
The main attraction of this amazing corner of the earth is the stone statues scattered throughout the island - Moai, as they are called here. There are about a thousand idols on the island. The height of some reaches 20 meters. All but seven, whose gaze is turned to the ocean, are arranged so that they look into the island.
The statues were made from compressed volcanic ash in quarries inside the island. There are many guesses and versions about how the statues were transported around the island. Everyone who visited the idol “factory” itself is left with the feeling that work stopped just yesterday, and not many centuries ago.
- Ahu Rano Raraku (300 moai), ahu Tongariki (15 moai) and the ritual site, ahu Ature and ahu Naunau are the most interesting places for tourists to visit.
- Anakena Bay and Beach is the most beautiful and largest of the few island beaches.
The Tapati Rapa Nui (Tapati) festival is held on the island every year at the end of January. It is accompanied by chants, dances and traditional competitions of the local residents - the Rapanui people.
In Valparaiso itself, do not forget to take time to visit the city's maritime museums: the Lord Cochrane Museum and the Museum of Navigation and Maritime History.
Easter Island on the map of Valparaiso
Easter Island is the most remote inhabited island in the world. The closest mainland landmass is Chile, 3,700 kilometers away. Administratively, the island is part of the Chilean region of Valparaiso - in 1888 Chile annexed this territory.
About 5,000 people live on the famous island, a little more than half of them are indigenous people. Area..." />