Explora en Rapa Nui - All Inclusive

Summary: This place is amazing! You don’t realize how beautiful it is until you’re here and can experience what it has to offer. Getting here: It’s about a 6hr flight from Santiago and flights are limited to one a day. It’s definitely an island feel. It reminded me of a French Polynesia. Chickens and dogs running around everywhere. I wasn’t expecting the humidity but it is an island. The explorations: Since Rapa Nui is designated a UNESCO site I was so excited to come and learn more. I had always seen the pictures of the moai and how peculiar it was that these statues were built or not finished and left. There are five main things they want you to experience. I was able to do 4/5. The caves was not accesible due to high water. Disappointing but have to go with the flow. The bird man hike was probably the hardest and my favorite. The views are spectacular. Walking through the cow fields was fun seeing all the baby cows. Mahatua was also a great hike. We had great weather until we had to hike the little hill to the beach in torrential rain. Learning about how the people of Rapa Nui came here and why they created these statues was really interesting. There’s a lot of history here and you can learn a lot if you want. The guides: The guides are extremely knowledgeable. Many are native to the island or have a strong connection. You can learn a lot if you want. Ask questions, they love that! I had Tavi for three of my excursions and he’s super knowledgeable. Hani has such close ties as in her grandfather helped with some restorations and she has lineage to the last king of Rapa Nui! Tita was also great. Pepe helped plan a couple days and that’s the great thing about the guides. At the end of each day you pick what you’re doing the next. The room: Waiting in my room was a note from Maha at Atacama to welcome me to the island she’s from. It’s the kind of thoughtfulness you get with Explora. So appreciative!! 🤗 The room is awesome. Great views and very comfortable. A lot of closet and storage space. The staff: Everyone was great. Since it was my birthday my first day there they even made me a cake and I got a traditional Icelandic crown made of bougainvilleas and other flowers. All were accommodating with my broken Spanish and I appreciated the opportunity to practice with everyone. The food: Best choices and meals I’ve had at any lodge as part of my stay that wasn’t a restaurant. The vegan food was sooooo good. The peras al vino was my favorite dessert that I had twice. The passion fruit ice cream was so good!! Having the buffet with fresh things like plain lettuce and oil and vinegar was refreshing and light. I would come back just for the food!

We enjoyed our stay at this secluded, comfortable property. While we didn’t have our own dedicated guide, as we did at other properties in Chile, the excursions were well done and not crowded. All guides were knowledgeable. Three full days of touring was just right for us. The restaurant isn’t fantastic. Breakfasts are excellent, and the lunches and dinners were good, nothing special. Given the difficulty of bringing in varied, fresh ingredients to this remote location, we didn’t feel deprived, but the limited menu is worth noting.

It is an outstanding lodge. The design of the facility is so beautifully and artfully done. The location is ideal. The pool and hot tub offer a nice place to relax after a day of explorations. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The explorations offer many varied experiences, moai, volcanoes, lava tubes, beach, quarry ... Our guides were all locals. Loved their knowledge and enthusiasm.