Birds and Culture of Easter Island

Iorana…the traditional Rapa Nui word for greeting. That the same word is used in Tahiti goes to show how this remote and mysterious island came to be populated. If you want to explore the Polynesian culture and combine it with some unusual and interesting birding then this is the right trip for you!

Easter Island is one of the more enigmatic and isolated places on the entire planet. It’s part of Polynesia and is located practically in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The island is culturally rich and an excellent area for seabirds. Declared a World Heritage site, most of the island is protected within the Rapa Nui National Park.

Given that it is more than 2000 miles from Chile, you might wonder how Chile was able to annex the Island in 1888 without conflict. Actually, Chile was simply lucky to be the closest mainland country!

One of the important ancestral rituals on the island, the Tangata Manu, is an extraordinary rite of passage in which the young men had to swim to offshore islets or “motus” to retrieve an egg from the seabird colony and return ashore to be crowned as the King for the following year.

This tour makes the most of the fantastic seabirds, as well as other attractions on this magical island. We’ll be accompanied by a native guide that will lead us through Rapa Nui’s history and also visit the main archaeological sites, where we the colossal Moai statues stand. We’ll also go to the megalithic ‘workshop’ on the slopes of Rano Raraku Volcano, where giant Moais (some of them 21 meters high) were left half-built or on their way to the final altar.

With regards to birding around the island, we will do short boat trips to watch the seabird colonies on three motus (Motu Kau Kau, Motu Iti and Motu Nui).The seabirds arrive at the motus late in the day and leave the colonies early in the  morning. By choosing our time carefully we will have the chance to see amazing displays of Pterodromas! Five different  species of Petrel breed here (Kermadec, Herald, Phoenix, Murphy’s and Henderson Petrels), among other species of seabirds! When not visiting archeological sites or seabirding, we’ll take the chance to search for the terrestrial birds that inhabit the island.

This trip offers magnificent photo opportunities of seabirds, fascinating Moais and a lot of culture. The Polynesian influence also produced a fabulous cuisine, rich in fruits and local fish.

Birds and Culture of Easter Island can easily be combined with any of our other trips to Robinson Crusoe Island or All of Chile.