Optional Pre-Cruise package
June 29 – July 6, 2010

Precede your PAUL GAUGUIN eclipse cruise with a visit to wondrous Easter Island,
ahead of the 2010 eclipse crowd!  Do not miss this rare opportunity.

The amazing statues (moai) of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) are iconic images that have intrigued and amazed people around the world for generations. Stories abound of the rise and fall of the Rapa Nui culture; how these people fashioned and erected these massive moai, some almost 10 meters (33 feet) in height; speculation of how the Rapa Nui people even settled on this tiny island, essentially in the middle of nowhere. Space is limited, so make your reservations soon.

Day 2  Wed, June 30                                                                                                                         Breakfast
Tahiti

After breakfast, the day is yours to spend as you wish. The Radisson Plaza Resort offers swimming, snorkeling, a beautiful black sand beach and seaside restaurant offering views of the island of Moorea. A late checkout has been arranged for this evening, when we will transfer to the airport for our midnight flight to Easter Island. (You may leave one large suitcase per person to be stored in Tahiti that you will retrieve upon your return from Easter Island on July 4).

Overnight: Aloft

Arriving early this morning on Easter Island you will be met and transferred to your hotel to rest and freshen up. After lunch, join us for our first sightseeing excursion. Dinner this evening will be at a local restaurant.

Overnight: Hotel Otai   (3 nights)

Days 4 & 5  Fri-Sat, July 2-3                                                                              2 Breakfast /2 Lunch / 2 Dinner
Easter Island

After breakfast each day, you’ll embark on two full days of exploring Easter Island (Rapa Nui) to see major archaeological sites and to gain a profound introduction to Rapa Nui archaeology and history. Accompanied by a knowledgeable local guide you will visit the quarry of Rano Raruku where most of the island’s 1000 Moai statues were carved. There are 397 still standing or lying on the slopes of this extinct volcano. You will see the quarry Puna Pau, source of the red pukaos, the top-knot hats found on many of moai.

     Other highlights are the restored platforms, including magnificent Tongariki with its15 re-erected statues of varying sizes; Ahu Nau Nau at beautiful Anakena beach; and Ahu Akivi in the middle of the island.
 

     During your stay you will also see testimony to the destruction and warring that took place on the island over the last 200 years - platforms with toppled statues that tell of tribal wars and the destruction of a whole culture.
 

     Another aspect of Rapa Nui culture will also be examined during your stay with a visit to the ceremonial village of Orongo, where the birdman cult existed. Our drives around the island - often on rutted dirt or mud tracks – will take us to breathtaking viewpoints, caves and lava tubes, skirting the island’s rocky coastlines overlooking the expansive Pacific Ocean.

Enjoy a morning of sightseeing on Easter Island or relax at the hotel and prepare for your evening flight back to Tahiti. After dinner this evening you will board your non-stop flight back to Tahiti where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

One of the best ways to experience Tahiti is to take in its sites while circumnavigating the island. Today, a local guide will take you on a Circle Island tour including visits to the Gauguin Museum, Vaipahi Garden and Point Venus Lighthouse, providing insight into the history, culture and natural wonders of Tahiti. Your last evening in Tahiti is yours to experience as you wish.

Check out this morning and transfer to the pier to board the PAUL GAUGUIN and begin your eclipse cruise!

$4170 USD per person, based on double occupancy. Add $650 for single occupancy supplement.

All tour prices and airfares quoted in this brochure are based on tariffs, costs, and exchange rates of the United States dollar that were in effect at the time of publication. Consequently, prices herein are subject to change. Due to fluctuations in oil prices, a fuel surcharge may be added to your tour fee. Details and costs will be advised prior to departure.

• Seven nights accommodation

• Meals as specified in itinerary

• Round-trip economy class air travel Tahiti-Easter Island - Tahiti

• All group transfers

• Local sightseeing, including transportation and admissions

Air travel to and from Tahiti, unspecified meals, tips to Easter Island and Tahiti guide/drivers (recommend $5-10 USD per person, per day).

A $2000 USD per person advance payment (payable by MasterCard, Visa, Discover or American Express cards or by check drawn on a US bank) confirms your space. The balance is due March 6, 2010. We reserve the right to treat a reservation as cancelled if payments are not received when due.

We will travel to a very remote region of the world and thus require all travelers obtain travel insurance that includes emergency evacuation coverage of at least $250,000 USD. Each traveler must provide proof of this insurance before final travel documents will be issued. In addition to the required emergency evacuation insurance, we highly recommend that all participants obtain travelers’ Trip Cancellation/Medical Insurance.