Although officially a part of Chile, Easter Island sits very much on its own. 2,200 miles of empty Pacific Ocean separate it from the mainland of South America, and it took until 1722 for the first European explorers to find the pint-sized place amidst the vast blue. The isolation remains its most enthralling aspect; made even more intriguing by the indomitable effigies of carved heads that pepper its coast and inland ridges. There are over 800 in all, often found lined up in regiments above the crashing Pacific rollers or mysteriously kneeling on the clifftops. Be sure to get your Easter Island tour guide to reveal the ancient secrets of sites like Ahu Akivi and Ahu Tongariki – these are unquestionably the top draw. However, don’t just hop across the Pacific to see those curious statues. Come for intrepid trekking to the crater rims of Rano Kau, to see wild horses roaming the empty dustbowls, to sample earthy Polynesian grills cooked in buried barbeques, to surf on the left-to-righters, to stargaze through the impossibly clear skies – the list goes on!