The main draw of this small island, a fiv-hour flight from Santiago, are around a thousand monumental statues built between 1250 and 1500 by the Polynesian settlers of Rapa Nui (thought to have arrived here somewhere between 300 and 1200) and their descendants, and representing their deified ancestors. They're carved out of volcanic tuff (solidified ash), and the tallest is ten metres (33 feet) high and weighs 82 tonnes.

Read more in our post Chile's Extraordinary Rapa Nui - aka Easter Island.