Let other cultures trumpet Valentine’s-style romance during the early days of February – on Easter Island in the South Pacific, it’ll be all Tapati, all the time. An island-wide tradition dating back nearly four decades, the Tapati is a celebration of Rapa Nui pride, poise, coordination and creativity, with close to 40 cultural and sporting competitions drawing local inhabitants and visitors alike. And there is no better way to experience it than at Posada de Mike Rapu with explora Rapa Nui.
Scheduled from February 1-16, 2013, Tapati festival regularly attracts thousands of travelers who arrive to appreciate the competitions as well as to take part in the living culture of Easter Island. At Posada de Mike Rapu, travellers enjoy thoroughly comfortable accommodations as well as an excellent base from which to explore the beauty and mystery of the most remote destination on Earth.
They can jump right into the excitement, participating in Tapati events along with explora staff – including some of the best-trained guides in the adventure travel business. Indeed, during the 2012 Tapati, several members of the hotel staff practiced for weeks for the festival’s dance competitions and even made their own costumes using bamboo, feathers and the peel of a banana tree.
Dancing is just the start. The Tapati also includes events such as Vaka Tuai, with teams crafting a reed canoes to be sailed by their candidate; Takona, with islanders painting their bodies with natural pigments; the Tau’a triathlon; Haka Pei, which sees participants sliding downhill on banana trunks at up to 50 mph; the swimming competition, A’ati Kau Pa ari; and Mata Oru, also known as “submarine hunting.”
The team that chalks up the highest overall score wins and their candidate is named queen of the Tapati.
At Posada de Mike Rapu, the first LEED certified hotel in South America, explora Rapa Nui has 30 rooms overlooking the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. The hotel is wrapped in solitude near the ancient Rano Raraku Volcano where Easter Island’s solemn moai were born. The remoteness only heightens the journey of discovery that is at the forefront of every explora experience, creating a striking setting to appreciate the vast dimensions of water, land and wonder around the hotel.
In addition the festival activities, explora Rapa Nui offers daily excursions on foot, by bicycle and in the ocean (boat trips, snorkeling, fishing and surfing), all with different levels of intensity and duration. These activities bring travelers closer to the ancestral Rapa Nui culture, the unique characteristics of its people, and the beautiful landscapes of “the World’s Navel” in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Rates from $2,385 for a three-night stay, including transfers, accommodations, full board, bar and daily explorations with bilingual guides and equipment; boats, vehicles and bicycles. For more information or to make reservations, please contact explora toll free at (866) 750-6699, email reserve@explora.com, or visit the website at www.explora.com.