Little more than a speck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Easter Island’s closest neighbour lies nearly 2000 kilometres west, while mainland Chile is 3600 kilometres away.

Closer culturally to Polynesia than South America, the island is best known for its ceremonial ahu sites and for the 600 or so mysterious stone moai figures that adorn them. Varying in size and in condition, the majority of ahu sites are to be found in dramatic locations, usually near the Pacific coastline. In many cases the moai have fallen from their original position and now lie at strange angles half buried by the grass. At other sites such as Ahu Akivi, seven huge moai can be seen standing, facing out towards the sea.