4-Day Easter Island Small Group Tour: The Navel of the World

Reception at Easter Island Airport and welcome with a flower necklace, a local tradition. The island, known as Rapa Nui ("Big Island") by its inhabitants, is also referred to as Tepito Ote Henua ("The Navel of the World"). Declared a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, it is a vast archaeological site featuring enormous moai statues dating from the 13th to the 16th century. Transfer to your hotel.
Free afternoon and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the Hotel. Excursion for the day of the Arrival of Hotu Matu'a: Departure to the Ahu Akahanga archaeological site, where according to oral tradition, the first king of Hotu Matua Island would be buried. Continuation to the Rano Raraku volcano, also known as "the quarry" because most of the moai were carved there, where you can see about 400 statues in different stages of carving and state of conservation. Then visit the Ahu Tongariki, the most extensive platform with the largest number of restored moai (destroyed by the tsunami caused by the Valdivia-Chile Earthquake of 1960, considered the largest recorded in the history of humanity, reaching the island with waves up to 10 meters high, and then rebuilt in 1991 with the help of international experts, the support of UNESCO and a Japanese crane company). Lunch on the piece of ground of a local family surrounded by vegetation (trees and flowers) typical of the island.
In the afternoon, continue to Te Pito Kura, a rock with magnetic properties that would have been brought by King Hotu Matua and also known as "the navel of the world". Finally, visit Hanga-Rau or Te Ariki, one of the most relevant sites for the Rapa-Nui culture, where the Ahu Nau-Nau is located in front of the beautiful Anakena beach where you will have 30 minutes to enjoy its beach with crystalline waters.
In the afternoon return to hotel and accommodation.

Breakfast at the Hotel.
In the morning, departure to Vinapu, a ceremonial area where the remains of 3 platforms and the Ahu Tahira wall are located, reminiscent of the Inca walls of Peru; then the crater of the Rano Kau volcano, the largest on the island and Orongo, a ceremonial village of Make-Make and Tangata Manu worship, where year after year (Feb 10-18 app.) some of the competitions of the "Tapaty party" are held, which are based on the traditions and legend of the Rapa-Nui culture. Return.
In the afternoon, visit the archaeological sites of Ahu Akivi - a platform featuring seven moai that, according to oral legend, was built in honor of the island's first explorers - and Puna Pau, the quarry for *pukao* (the red scoria topknots adorning the heads of some moai), which offers a panoramic view of the village of Hanga Roa. We will also visit the unique ceremonial altar of Ahu Huri a Urenga, a site of great archaeological significance featuring a circular structure and a distinctive main moai with four hands - an exceptional characteristic in the island's statuary.
This tour offers insight into the ancient inhabitants' connection to the universe; the megalithic archaeological sites demonstrate how astronomy dictated the placement of the statues and their supporting platforms, revealing the worldview of the ancient Polynesian navigators who settled the island.
Return to the hotel and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the Hotel. At the agreed time, transfer to Mataveri Airport to take your onward flight.