Easter Island to Atacama vacation in Chile

Planet

Easter Island is an incredibly popular destination, so to make our itineraries on the island more sustainable, we’ve scheduled our visits to the island’s top sites outside of peak visitation hours, thereby avoiding the crowds. Not only does this reduce foot traffic and environmental degradation from massive groups of people moving through a small area in a short amount of time, but our small-group guests also get a better experience, as they’re not surrounded by crowds and can better connect with their surroundings.

The proper handling, removal, and/or recycling of trash is especially important on Easter Island as it’s very remote, and discarded trash can quickly end up in the ocean. For that very same reason, however, this also makes recycling and trash disposal logistics tricky, not just for us but for everyone, but we’re proud to have taken significant steps forward. We’ve eliminated the use of single-use and disposable plastics on our Easter Island trips, instead encouraging and reminding guests in advance to bring reusable water bottles. We’re also working with our local hotels and suppliers toward better recycling practices.

While we do offer a list of hotel options for our guests, we encourage them to choose our top-recommended accommodations, which prioritize eco-friendly and sustainable practices. These include the use of clean, energy-efficient systems to reduce CO2, sustainable use of water and electricity, recycling management, the use of local and natural amenities, organic gardening, and composting initiatives. We also ensure that modern, energy-efficient vehicles are used for transport around the island to reduce pollution.

People

Discovering and connecting with Easter Island’s unique culture and history is one of the top reasons people travel there, so we’ve developed itineraries with the perfect balance between points of interest excursions and cultural immersion activities, combining outings like hikes with visits to nearby communities to learn more about the island’s culture, traditions, beliefs, and history. After outdoor adventure excursions, we always pause at local communities afterward to either have lunch, dinner, or observe and learn about their cultural customs and handicraft heritage.

In addition, we work continuously with our local partners to design and develop routes and activities that are off-the-beaten-path, opening up new, lesser-known destinations that reduce the pressure on high-traffic destinations, as well as visiting popular attractions at varying times or on alternating schedules from when most tour operators visit to reduce crowding and overtourism.

Finally, we make sure to hire local or Chilean tour guides for our trips, as these guides are the key connectors between our travelers and most of the communities they will visit, bringing their local, insider knowledge and experience to the table.