Easter Island

The moai, the navel of the world in the middle of the Pacific.

Rapa Nui, the most isolated inhabited territory on Earth, rises in the middle of the Pacific 3,700 km from the Chilean coast. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, its landscape is shaped by nearly 900 moai — the colossal volcanic-stone figures the Rapanui carved between the 11th and 17th centuries — and by craters, caves and pink-sand beaches. Ahu Tongariki, with its fifteen moai aligned at sunrise, and the Rano Raraku quarry are essential stops. Living Rapanui culture is felt through its music, dance and Polynesian cuisine.