Easter Island, Isla de Pascua in Spanish or Rapa Nui in the local language, is often called the most mysterious island in the world. Easter Island's history may be mysterious, but as a modern tourist destination it's perfectly simple.
Five top attractions of Easter Island:
1. Guided Tours of Moai Statues and Quarry
Rano Raraku is both an extinct volcano and the mine, or quarry, from which all Moai statues were cut. Half-finished, half-buried and fallen Moai lie everywhere all over the site and it's a bizarre experience walking between these huge, centuries-old stone monuments. Every one has an individual design, or face. One statue has swirls cut into his neck, apparently to symbolise the wind. Another statue is kneeling down. Yet another is clearly female – most Moai statues are males.
The area is clearly laid out with strict paths leading between the Moai, but the only way to see and understand the place is with a guide. Most hotels in Easter Island can organise guided tours in English (or other languages) and there are various agencies in town.
2. Traditional Easter Island Dance Show
The Rapa Nui people are proud of their tradition and there are several venues where you can see natives performing traditional dances. One of the best is the Kari-Kari dance show, on most nights of the week at around 8pm.
Muscly Rapa Nui men dressed in grass skirts and headgear stamp and jump around the stage while scantily-clothed local girls twirl to the sound of the drumming band playing traditional music in the background. Be warned – towards the end of the show, dancers leap into the audience and pull up unwilling participants to strut their stuff on stage. Take a camera.
3. Swim on Anakena Beach
Anakena Beach is the most idyllic beach on Easter Island, situated on the north side of the triangle. It has white sands and palm trees and in the background, a row of seven tall Moai statues. Waters are calm and clear and perfect for bathing at any time of day – although the real treat, if you're brave, is to come here at night.
Be careful of sea urchins as the beaches and stones around Easter Island are teeming with the prickly animals. If you step on one, make sure you get as many of the spikes out as soon as possible with sterilised tweezers or the injury will almost certainly become infected.
4. Orongo Trail
Easter Island's Orongo Trail is on the far southwestern edge of the island. A rather rough path leads to the crater of another of Easter Island's extinct volcanoes, Rano Kau, an impressive sight. Allegedly, natives used to spend the day here once every few weeks in order to wash their clothes in clean, fresh water.
The Orongo Village is next – now a rough pile of stone slabs and a partially restored house to show the way the dwellings were structured. Double-walls of stones were filled with mud and the whole building was covered from outside with earth and grass. There used to be 54 houses in the village, dating back to the 16th century and making up the Make-Make tribe. One house contained the famous Moai Hoa Haka Nana Ia, a 2.5 m moai engraved with peculiar petroglyphs which was taken away in 1868 and is now in London's British Museum.
If you look out over the sea from here you will see tiny Motu Nui island, the scene of an incredible annual 'birdman' competition that used to take place between rival tribes on Rapa Nui. Further on you will come across a collection of stones engraved with thousands of petroglyphs. The fragile Mata Ngarahu section is littered with these markings, which no-one has yet properly deciphered. They are thought to be part of the birdman ceremony.
At 300m above sea-level, it gets very windy in Orongo, so dress accordingly and be prepared to be blown about.
5. Traditional Easter Island Food
There are plenty of small restaurants in Easter Island's only town, Hanga Roa. As an island only around 170 km² in area, the major food speciality is obviously fish. Tuna is ubiquitous, served either grilled or raw in ceviche (chopped tuna, onions, coriander and other vegetables) or in sushi-style portions. There are also a whole variety of unique fish obtained from the local waters and one of the delights of eating on Easter Island is ignoring the menu and simply asking to be served whatever's freshly caught. Meat is available, but it is all shipped in ready-frozen.
Vegetable accompaniments are often mashed plantain or pureed beans, sweet potato, avocado and salads, and desserts are based around the local guava fruit and other tropical varieties.
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