Overview

Stand on the rim of the volcanic crater at Orongo, a thousand feet above the sea. Look around the endless Pacific Ocean visibly curving along the horizon. Ask yourself how those early Polynesian navigators ever found this isolated volcanic rock surrounded by thousands of square miles of empty sea. And then ask yourself what drove them here - and what happened to them?

Easter Island (known locally as Rapa Nui) is the original mysterious island. The islanders developed the only written language in Oceania, but the meaning of the script has been lost. The island itself is best known, of course, for its massive stone statues, or moai; how they were moved across the island remains an unanswered question. Today, the island is part of Chile and its lengthy runway doubles as an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle. But the moai remain part of the landscape - unfenced, with no markers or signs, so that walking around the island is like touring a living, open-air museum.

You can walk to the major sites in three or four days, cover even more ground by horseback or four-wheel-drive. Surfers have been coming here for years, attracted by large, uncrowded waves, the diving off the southwest corner is incredible, and a pair of beaches on the north coast, Anakena and Ovahe, are gems. But it's the enigmatic landscape that you'll always remember.

 Plan Your Trip

SURFING

There are some friendly waves in the bay off Hanga Roa, but there are more challenging breaks all around the island (the best known near Tahai, north of Hanga Roa). But be forewarned, winter surf can reach 20 feet, the jagged lava shoreline is unforgiving, the breaks are shallow over rock ledges. In other words, this is not Waikiki...

SIGHTSEEING

Go early or late, but try to arrive at the volcanic crater of Rano Raraku when there are no other visitors. The crater is sometimes referred to as "The Nursery, " because it was here the moai were quarried from the hard basalt rock, and walking around hundreds of the statues - some standing, some fallen, others unfinished and still waiting to be cut free from the rock - is nothing less than awe-inspiring. Then cross the island to Orongo, the ceremonial village of the Birdman Cult, perched on the edge of the Rano Kau. The seacliff setting is breathtaking, and as you let your gaze sweep to the curvature of the earth, the Pacific seems endless.

HORSEBACK

Most islanders have a horse or two, and most of them can be rented. However ... the horses are marginal (don't expect to gallop) the riding gear a bit less than that (homemade saddles are common), and picking your way across hills and fields of lava rocks can try the patience of both rider and steed. That said, travel by slow horse is just about the right speed to appreciate the archaeological sites near Hanga Roa (and, for the saddle-seasoned, the roadless north coast).

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