Easter Island

Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapa Nui people. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park. Easter Island is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world.The nearest inhabited land (50 residents) is Pitcairn Island at 2,075 kilometres (1,289 mi), and the nearest continental point lies in Central Chile, at 3,512 kilometres (2,182 mi). The Tangata Manu (bird-man), was the winner of a traditional competition on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The ritual was an annual competition to collect the first Sooty Tern (Manu Tara) egg of the season from the islet of Motu Nui, swim back to Rapa Nui and climb the sea cliff of Rano Kau to the clifftop village of Orongo. Easter Island had vast seabird colonies containing probably over 30 resident species, perhaps the world's richest! Such colonies are no longer found on the main island, but they are coming back!!! and on the motus we´ll be able to find up to 5 species (possibly 6) of Pterodroma Gadfly Petrels and other seabirds including at least 7 species, plus the chance to see some landbirds (all introduced) on the island including the Chilean endemic Chilean Tinamou. All this in an island that is "supposed to have no birds."