Easter Island

Tepito Ote Henua (“The Center of the World”), as the people who lived there once called it, is the most remote inhabited island on the planet. No other landmass is as isolated, which gives it an aura of mystery.

Easter Island is a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it offers something for everyone: pink sand beaches like Ovahe, the heavenly charms of Anakena, volcanoes and grasslands to explore on foot or on horseback, marine life you can discover on diving trips, silent caverns and the Moai statues that bore witness to the rise and fall of a complex and stratified society.

It’s estimated that the first inhabitants of Easter Island came from the Marquesas Islands in the 6th century and had no contact with the outside world for more than a thousand years. On Easter Sunday, 1722, this place became known to the Western world thanks to Dutch sailor Jakob Roggeveen, who described the Rapa Nui people as “a subtle culture of beautiful women and kind men.”

The island was home to a complex culture that fell into disarray due to food shortages and the tribal warfare that ensued. But its spirit lives on in its people, language, clothing, music, dance, crafts and food. Every February, the people celebrate a return to their roots with Tapati, two weeks of festivities based on ancestral traditions such as body painting, awe-inspiring competitions, song, dance and the selection of their queen.

The island has plenty to offer the rest of the year as well. Its climate is always warm, its tourism and service infrastructure is continually improving, and the tranquility and beauty of its landscapes coupled with the charm of its people will make you want to return.

There are seven weekly flights from Santiago to Matavari Airport in Hanga Roa (5 h 25 min). There are currently no other flights to the island from anywhere else in the world.