Easter Island (5 Days) Tour Itinerary
REF:
SACH2
VERSION:
7
| Duration: | 5 days - Easter I. to Easter I. |
| Countries Visited: | Chile |
| Age Guide: | 18-65 years |
| Max Group Size: | 16 |
| Transport: | Minibus, On Foot |
| Accommodation: | Hotel (4 Nights) |
| What's Included: | 4 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch - Transfers from and back to Easter Island Airport - 3 Excursions on a non-private basis - English Speaking Guide during Excursions |
| Local Payment: | NO LOCAL PAYMENT |
| Highlights: | Ahu Vaihu - Rano Raraku - Tongarik - Te Pito Te Kura - Ahu Ngau - Anakena Beach - Rano Kau Crater Lake - Orongo Ceremonial Village - Ahu Vinapu - Ahu Akivi - Ana Tepahu Caves - Puna Pau Volcanic Crater |
| Optional Highlights: | Ana Kai Tangata |
| Introduction: | Easter Island, known locally by its Polynesian inhabitants as Rapa Nui, is the most remote island in the world, and one of the most mysterious. How and why did the ancient settlers build hundreds of colossal stone Maoi statues from volcanic rock? Today, the entire island is a national park where you can explore the timeless wonders that have amazed archaeologists and historians for years. |
| Meeting Point: | Upon landing, you will be met by our local representative at Mataveri Airport on Easter Island. It is the only airport on this, the most spiritual of islands.
Please note: National Park Fees must now be paid locally we recommend a budget of U$100 to cover these.
Please note that flights are not included in the cost of the tour. Easter Island is officially a territory of Chile. Kumuka can arrange international flights from and to Australia and New Zealand, via Tahiti. |
| Day 1: | Transfer from the airport to your hotel. |
| Day 2: | After breakfast we start a full day tour visiting Ahu Vaihu, 8 large Moais (massive carved stone portrait sculptures) that have been toppled by time, and are now lying face down, their topknots (hats) scattered nearby. The tour continues to the volcano of Rano Raraku, also known as ‘The Nursery’, which contains the quarry where the rocks originated for the creation of these magnificent Moai carvings. These sculptures were then carved and somehow moved to all parts of the island, some weighing as much as 50 tonnes each. Almost one hundred unfinished statues now lie scattered and abandoned on the slopes of the volcano still waiting to be moved! To the east is Tongarik, where Japanese archaeologists have re-erected 15 Moais, the largest Ahu (stone platform) ever built, in fact now the largest stone platform ever built by mankind.
We then continue northwards along the coast to visit Te Pito Te Kura, the largest Moai ever moved from Ranu Raraku and erected on an Ahu. The name of the Ahu comes from a particular stone called ‘Te Pito Te Kura’, meaning ‘The Navel of Light’. Legend says that the first supreme chief of Easter Island, Hotu Matua, brought this stone to the island to symbolise the centre of the world. From here we continue to Ahu Ngau, meaning ‘Eyes that look to the Sky’, and onto Anakena Beach, the coconut palm fringed legendary landing place of Hotu Matua. The paradisical white sand beach is an amazing arena for Heavenly swimming and relaxing. Return to the hotel. |
| Day 3: | Following breakfast, we spend the morning visiting Rano Kau crater lake and the Orongo ceremonial village, once the most important ceremonial site on the island, and a much later construction than the great Moai and Ahu. The excursion continues to Ahu Vinapu where there are two major Ahu, both of which once supported Moai that are now overturned. An optional visit to the cave paintings at Ana Kai Tangata, just west of Hanga Roa and situated at the end of a beautiful little bay, can be added to your morning itinerary before we return to the hotel. Free afternoon to relax or explore at your own leisure. |
| Day 4: | After breakfast, we head out on a half-day excursion beginning with Ahu Akivi, it’s 7 Moais being the only statues on the island that face out to sea. We continue to the Ana Tepahu caverns on the west coast. The entrance is close to a garden planted with sweet potatoes, taro, bananas and other plants from the Polynesian culture. Following a visit to Puna Pau, a small volcanic crater with its relatively soft, easily worked reddish scoria stone from which the ‘pukao’ (Moai topknots) were made. Some 60 of these were transported to sites around the island and another 25 remain in or near the quarry. We then return to the hotel and a free afternoon. |
| Day 5: | After breakfast we will transfer you from the hotel to the airport where your tour ends. |
| What's not included: | |
| | Pre Departure Information Follows |
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| Insurance: | Travel insurance is compulsory for all tours. All clients MUST be insured to cover personal accident, medical expenses, cancellation, curtailment, repatriation, etc. Also, be aware that many activities such as trekking, bungy jumping or white water rafting may not be covered on your insurance policy. If you plan on doing any of these activities please purchase additional insurance. We recommend that you have a photocopy of this document, which you keep separate from the original. If you have not already arranged your own travel insurance then Kumuka can do this for you. Please visit http://www.kumuka.com/Travel-Insurance.aspx for more details or contact your nearest Kumuka office.
IMPORTANT: Only one hospital offers attention on Easter Island and its facilities are limited. Therefore it is very important for travellers to purchase travel insurance that includes emergency evacuation, as those suffering from serious illnesses or injuries are often flown by air ambulance to mainland Chile for treatment.
Please note: You will not be permitted to join a Kumuka Tour without travel insurance. |
| Passport: | Your passport is a valuable document and you should exercise extreme care in keeping it safe. We recommend that when possible you keep your passport in a deposit box at your hotel, or kept on you, preferably in a money belt that is worn under your clothing. It must be valid for at least six months after the end of your tour and it must have at least one blank page for each visa required. We advise that you take copies of relevant pages in your passport and any visas that you may purchase in case of loss or damage. Alternatively, you can scan copies of these pages and email them to yourself. |
| Visa Requirements | It is important that you obtain the appropriate visas before you embark on your South America trip. Country entry regulations change daily, www.kumuka.com provides visa information. Please consult your Travel Agent or relevant embassy for all details such as opening hours or costs.
EACH CLIENT IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBTAINING ALL NECESSARY VISAS BEFORE JOINING A TOUR.
Kumuka does not accept responsibility for changes in regulations or requirements for visas. The information provided is given in good faith. |
| Security |
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We recommend that you do not take unnecessary valuables with you. Wearing jewellery and expensive watches will attract attention.
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A money belt, or something similar, worn close to your body is the best way to carry passports, airline tickets and money.
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DO NOT leave any valuables in ANY hotel room, please use SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES. Items are left at your own risk.
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Pickpockets operate everywhere, particularly in tourist areas and in crowded markets; you must always exercise care. Be aware that anything left lying around will also be liable to theft. |
| Money | We suggest clients budget for between US$25-30 per day for personal expenses, souvenirs, evenings out, alcoholic drinks etc. There will be some days when you spend nothing at all and others when you exceed your budget.
Take your money is US dollars only. This the only foreign currency readily exchanged in Latin America.
Traveller’s cheques should be AMERICAN EXPRESS. American Express is the most widely accepted. Cash is far easier to exchange than Travelers Cheques, but also more risky as once lost, is irreplaceable. However, we do recommend that you take some US dollars cash in small denominations ($10 and $20).
Credit cards are accepted frequently, particularly in the larger cities. They can also be used to get money from ATMs. VISA, MasterCard and American Express are the most widely accepted credit cards, VISA being the most useful. |
| Local Customs: | Please use your discretion and be sensitive to cultural differences in the countries that you visit, in particular when visiting religious buildings and when taking photographs. |
| Language: | Spanish is the language most widely spoken in the countries we visit in Latin America but English is spoken a little bit in the larger cities. In Brazil the main language is Portugese. Other languages you may encounter are; Quechua, spoken in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, Amyara spoken in Peru and Bolivia. Welsh is spoken in some of the old Welsh colonies of Argentinean Patagonia, with Guarani spoken in Northern Argentina. The Amazon region of Brazil is also home to many tribal languages, for example, Tupi.
You might like to take the time before your trip to read up on the country you will be visiting and perhaps learn a few words of the language. Your effort will always be welcomed and will make your trip all the more enjoyable. |
| Pre & Post Tour Accommodation: | If you wish to spend a few additional days in your starting or finishing city, then we can arrange accommodation for you. All our accommodation is carefully chosen, conveniently located, clean and comfortable. (All rates per person per night and subject to availability). |
| Tipping and Bargaining: |
For better or for worse, tipping is an accepted part of everyday life and although it is always at your discretion, you will be expected to tip to reward service. As a general guideline, in South America it is customary to tip 10% at restaurants and bars, USD5 to guides, and to leave approximately USD2 tip for the chambermaid and bellboy. |
| Staying in Touch: | Whilst on tour you will probably want to stay in touch with family and friends. There are several ways of doing this:
Mobile Phone – Before departing your home country check with your phone supplier to see if it compatible with the mobile phone networks in the countries that you are traveling to, and how much will it cost to use abroad.
Email – Internet Cafes are very cheap and popular, and you are sure to come across several during your tour. If you haven’t done so already, set up a free Google Mail, Hotmail, or Yahoo email account which you can then access from any computer. Internet Cafes will charge a nominal fee for using their computers. Within Europe some hotels charge a wifi connection fee and we cannot guarantee a wifi connection at all hotels we use.
Twitter – A method of communication that is rapidly gaining in popularity on the Internet especially amongst travelers. Twitter allows you to send short messages and update your friends and family with where you are on tour and what you are doing. Create your free account at http://twitter.com. Visit Kumuka’s page on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kumuka
Facebook – Very popular website that allows you to upload stories, get in touch with fellow travellers before and after your Kumuka tour, upload photos and videos to share with other travellers, your family and friends. To create a free account, go to www.facebook.com and then become a fan of Kumuka’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kumuka-Worldwide/26617121087?ref=ts
Postcards – The good ol’ fashioned postcard. But you will probably get home before the postcard does! |
| Tour Feedback: | Tour Questionnaire - We would like to hear about your experiences on tour. One week after your tour ends you will automatically receive a feedback questionnaire via email. If we do not have your email address you can still complete a questionnaire by visiting www.kumuka.com/feedback
Email - If you have any specific comments about your tour then please write to us by email to operations@kumuka.com |
| Drug Policy: | Under no circumstances are any illegal drugs allowed on any part of the trip. Anyone discovered in possession of any such drugs, will be asked to leave the tour immediately without question or refund. |
| Contact Details: | KUMUKA WORLDWIDE
UK OFFICE
Hillswood Business Park 3000
Hillswood Drive Chertsey KT16 0RS
Tel: +4420 7937 8855 Fax: +442075043782
Email: sales@kumuka.com
www.kumuka.com
AUSTRALIAN OFFICE
Level 5, 387 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: 02 9279 0491 Fax: 02 9279 0492
Email: sales@kumuka.com.au
www.kumuka.com.au |
| Map: |  |
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This tour is operated by Kumuka Worldwide. Information given in all brochures, leaflets
and dossiers is given in good faith by the company, and is based on the latest information
available at the date of publication. The company reserves the right to change any
of the facilities or vehicles described in the brochure without becoming liable
for compensation or refund. |
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