Sitting alone in its corner of the Polynesian Triangle in the vast expanse of the magnificent Pacific, Easter Island is claimed to be the most remote inhabited island in the world.
Most famous for its moai, the 887 monumental statues built by early Rapanui people that watch sternly over the island, the island is of interest to the green traveller as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and indeed, most of the island is protected within the Rapa Nui National Park.
Travel and accommodation to and on the island does not come cheap. However, if you can afford to make this once in a lifetime trip, then you can rest assured that Easter Island offers up a range of hotels for the environmentally savvy ecotourist.
By far the best hotel, ecologically wise, is The Posada de Mike Rapu Lodge, which was the first in South America to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the United States Green Building Council. The design is intended to have minimal impact on its surroundings: it is built on a site which is inappropriate for agricultural use, has no archaeological remains, and the flora surrounding the lodge has been maintained intact.
Ecotours Chile do, however, offer a four day budget tour of the island, where you will spend three nights in a hotel and enjoy three excursions out and into the culture of Rapa Nui, as well as the Island’s most famous sites. The tours leave every day of the year from Santiago Chile airport, so if you ever find yourself in that neck of the woods, a quick eco-trip to Easter Island could well be the thing for you – it has everything ecotourism can offer!