When was the last time you acted like a child on a plane? Tantrums and crying don’t count! Flying to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), I was reminded of the childish wonder of flying to a new land – the wonder of surprise, the unknown. I was flying to Easter Island (Rapa Nui) from Santiago, Chile to so it was deemed a domestic flight.
What I noticed in the gate before boarding and on board was the general sense of excitement (maybe that was just me?). This wasn’t your usual flight, this was a flight to Easter Island, one of the most remote, isolated inhabited island in the world, often called “the naval of the world”. The flight from Santiago was just under six hours and 2,300 miles (while the map below doesn’t seem to far, realize that I was essentially flying from Philadelphia on the East Coast to Los Angeles on the West Coast).
As we neared the island, everyone in business class was craning their necks to see out the windows (this is when I wished I changed my aisle seat for a window) hoping to see the Moai from above. We were all trying our best to extend our seatbelts to get the best view as we approached and landed. I tried too, my seatmate spoke only Spanish so I used the big smile and gestured my camera at her to take a photo.
How does a small remote island of 5,000 people get an international airport runway for the big planes? The runway was upgraded as an emergency U.S. Space Shuttle landing option (my U.S. tax dollars at work). Walking away from the plane, I kept spinning around with my camera in hand (just like everyone else) to take photos to document that I was really on Easter Island (Rapa Nui).
As I walked under the canopy to the terminal, I saw the kiosk to buy your pass to the Rapa Nui National Park (only available during flight arrivals). The cost was $60 for the pass which allowed access to all 25 official tourist sites in the Rapa Nui National Park. Rano Raraku and Orongo are the only sites with access and frequency control (luckily it was April and not crowded but be aware when planning your visits). I had read that this is the best way to buy the pass and my guide encouraged me to buy at the airport as well as the other location, CONAF Provincial Office, was only open Mon/Sat 9am-3pm. So with my National Park all access pass in hand, I entered the terminal to fetch my bag before meeting my hotel/tour guide. I was ready for the adventure to begin….
