Since 1993 Explora Hotels are committed in their Sustainability & Conservancy Program based on two pillars: Conservation with Communities and Leave no Trace. Explora Rapa Nui Terevaka Outreach Program (TAO) is one of the many projects that meet specific environmental and communitarian needs, educating and engaging both the local communities and guests into protecting and raising awareness about each area’s natural and cultural assets. It starded in cooperation with Brett Shephardson, one of Northern Arizona University’s leading archaeologists who led an important investigation about the importance of empowering local communities to understand their heritage to be transmitted to future generations. He created an annual workshop for local Rapa Nui students, where each participant can chose from two workshops: archaeology, and renewable energy-two of the island’s main concerns.
With its location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and home to a culture whose origins and evolution are still largely unknown, Easter Island is an attractive and mysterious destination. Today, visitors can share experiences with the descendents of this ancient culture who preserved their ancestral customs in the face of the advancement of Western civilization. Explora Rapa Nui is located on a hill on 22 acres of land that faces the sea and boasts 30 guestrooms, a swimming pool, a massage salon and open–air jacuzzis. Guests may participate in more than 30 different explorations that are organized in small groups always accompanied by a spanish-english speaking guide. Guests can go out and explore either hiking or biking, in a van, by boat trough the ocean or combining any of these options. Routes include hikes and bicycle explorations among archaeological remains, volcanoes, beaches, prairies and cliffs, as well as snorkeling and diving activities in some of the world’s clearest waters. Every day, easy to more difficult walks are offered that, one by one, unveil the secrets and beauty of the island. These walks are combined with picnics on rocky outcrops or along the shore, always in mesmerizing sites to discover the mysteries and particular charm of Easter Island.
