Chile and Easter Island Attractions

Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Lying 3700km (2294mi) west of the Chilean mainland, enigmatic Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is more Polynesian than Chilean, and the presence of Pacific Islanders in this isolated part of the world is as much a mystery as the origins of those famous stone heads.

If the settlement of this far-flung island isn't mysterious enough, its archaeological sites will leave you spellbound. Virtually an open-air national park, beautiful Easter Island is covered in ahu (large stone altars), maoi (carved statues) and petroglyphs.

Santiago

Santiago de Chile is a modern metropolis with a shiny face and has one of South America's most dynamic economies. At the same time, struggling street vendors board city buses to hawk everything from pins to ice cream, and housemaids ride for hours to scrub floors and change nappies in exclusive suburbs.

First and foremost, smog-blighted Santiago is a city of commerce, but there are rewards for the patient traveler - its thriving culinary and artistic enclaves are a joy to discover, and less than an hour away are world-class ski resorts, famous beaches and the colorful port city of Valparaíso.