My supposed 22hr bus from Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama turned into a 26hr ride due to a mechanical fault with our bus but eventually I arrived. I got a bit lost but found my hostel in the end. First impressions were that San Pedro seemed very nice, narrow dusty streets, white adobe buildings and lots of stalls selling knitted jumpers, scarves and other artesanal handicrafts. After a shower I went into town to meet Jenny (friend from Brazil) for a catch up. W...

When I was on the day tour of the island I'd chatted to Jess (American girl) about possibly hiring a car for my last day to return to my favourite sites on the island. She was really keen to share it and come with me. I woke early and picked her up in town at 6:20am and we drove out to Ahu Tongariki, the site with 15 moai. We'd been told that watching sunrise here was a must do. We stood with other spectators and watched as the sky gradually lightened, a backdr...

I woke up feeling a little bit dusty this morning after my pisco sours and wine last night but there's no rest for the wicked as today I had booked a full day horseriding along the north coast of the island. This area is only accessible on foot or horseback as there are no roads. My guide picked me up and by 10am we were setting off from his property just outside Hanga Roa. The riding was great, I was on the same horse as before and the scenery and weather were...

Today I organized a full day tour with a local agency. It was a good price and I wanted the extra benefit of having a guide to try and get the most out of this amazing place. Our minibus was full but it was a nice opportunity to meet some people. We headed north from Hanga Roa on the coastal road with our first stop being Ahu Akahanga. This was a large Ahu where the moai had been toppled over. After that we went to Ahu Tongariki, one of my favourite sites consi...

My plans for today were to walk up to the large volcanic crater of Rano Kau, south of Hanga Roa and then around to the ceremonial village of Orongo. In order to miss the large tour groups I decided to go after lunch. I ran some errands in the morning which included booking some activities for the upcoming days. When I left for the walk to the crater the sun was shining... but as I ascended the sky became more and more grey and it started drizzling on and off. S...