Poike, one of the three main volcanoes of Easter Island.
Poike forms the eastern headland and there is an abrupt cliff “the Poike ditch” across the island marking the boundary between flows from Terevaka and Poike.
Poike last erupted between 230,000 to 705,000 years ago, and as the oldest of the island’s three volcanoes is the most weathered with relatively stoneless soil.
At 370 metres it is the island’s second highest peak after Terevaka.
For those who are keen, you can also visit the top of Terevaka, the central volcano on the island.
Terevaka is less than 400,000 years old. Its lava field at Roiho has been dated at between 110,000 and 150,000 years old.
Rano Raraku volcano is of particular note as the birth place for the majority of the Moai statues.
For almost 500 years this was a quarry supplying the stone for the statues. Rano Raraku is a visual record of Moai design and technological innovation.
The edges of the volcano are littered with nearly 400 statues, some still in-situ with others erect on the slopes.
The incomplete statues in the quarry are remarkable for their number, for the inaccessibility of some that were high on the outside crater wall and for the size of the largest;
At 21 metres in height almost twice that of any Moai ever completed, and weighing an estimated 270 tonnes, many times the weight of any transported.
Some of the incomplete Moai seem to have been abandoned after the carvers encountered inclusions of very hard rock in the material.
El Calafate is situated on the southern shore of Lago Argentino, and is your starting point for discovering Argentine Patagonia.
Most trekkers will come through El Calafate en route to Chalten and Fitzroy National Park.
Nearby attractions to El Calafate itself include the Perito Moreno Glacier – one of the few glaciers which is still advancing. There are a series of walkways mean that you can get up close to the 75 m high and 5Km wide glacial wall.
Other glaciers which can be visited are the Upsala glacier and the town has its own Glaciarium – ice museum.
The town offers a wide range of accommodation options and restaurants as well as outdoor shops.
El Chalten is the trailhead for the trekking trails into the Glaciares National Park – Fitzroy!
Day treks include the Torre Trail (to Lake Torre), trek to Laguna Los Tres at the base of Mount Fitzroy, and the Loma de Pliegue Tumbado Trek.
The town is also the departure point for expeditions to the Southern Ice Field.
Other options in the area include horseback riding, kayak, mountain bike and glacier treks.
This small settlement has a variety of accommodation options.
Etosha National Park is undoubtedly the wildlife highlight of Namibia.
The wildlife is varied and plentiful, including lion, giraffe, elephant, leopard and rhino, and over 330 bird species.
The landscapes of Etosha makes it a unique environment with some thorn and Mopane trees, grasslands, and a large salt pan.
You will never tire of driving into the park to view the animals, or sitting quietly by the camp spot lit waterholes as rhino, lion and other animals come to drink after dark.
It is situated in the northwest of the country and is easily accessible by road.
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W. Kyle, USA. 4-day Inca Trail trek, Cusco and Sacred Valley, April 2025 Food was awesome, at our Cusco hotel and on the Inca trail. There were so many highlights: the way our guide explained in great detail about all the birds, plants (especially all the different orchids), in addition to his knowledge on all the ancient historical sites was quite amazing. It made the trail more like an adventure, instead of a hike. All of the people at the hotel in Cusco were very helpful, especially Kevin, who brought oxygen to my room Saturday morning when I was still having issues adjusting to the high altitude in Cusco. The other tour guides, Eddie on the walking tour of Cusco, and Mateo, who did the Sacred Valley tour were good. Andean Trails was recommended by Responsible Travel, my first contact for this adventure.
W. Kyle » 4-Day Inca Trail Hike To Machu Picchu, Peru
D. Joselow and family, USA. Land-based Galapagos holiday, April 2025 The accommodations were great - clean, comfortable, and well located. The food was good, especially the farm lunches. We also really enjoyed the meals on the boats. The overall organization of the trip was terrific. We were a big group and everything ran as expected. We could not have felt better taken care of. Everyone was very kind and very gracious. Honestly, the entire trip was exceptional. We definitely loved the wild life, on land and on/in the water. Learning the history was also great. The Interpretation Center on St Cristóbal was small but very informative. We also loved our boat trips - Kicker Rock, Española,Tuneles. Guide Maritza is a treasure. She has great energy and a clear passion for the place. She was patient and good humored, exceptionally hard working and incredibly knowledgeable. We were told she was a last minute substitute. We sure got lucky. We didn’t know we were going to have our own private guide for the entire time. That actually made the trip and I would recommend this to anyone traveling to Galapagos. The boat crews on St Cristóbal and Isabela were kind and funny and thoughtful. We had a blast spotting dolphins and whales and other creatures. The crew members were always looking out for us and doing everything they could to make us comfortable. Everything felt very local - the farms and ceviche evening and brewery were all about our hosts. But the boats and buses and hotels and restaurants felt the same. The kids rented surf boards and had a great time talking surf with the owner. We found warmth and kindness everywhere so hopefully we did no harm and showed appropriate respect and appreciation. Honestly we can’t imagine a better trip. We would absolutely recommend the itinerary - and Andean Trails - to anyone. We chose Andean Trails because someone we know used the organization to tour the Galapagos and had a great trip. We wanted to do a land-based trip and couldn’t find another organizer who seemed to have the expertise and offered various land options. This was a pretty unusual trip for us, our first time out of the U.S as a family. We didn’t closely examine other Andean Trails offerings but would certainly recommend the group to others. I have to close by thanking you for all your help. We had lots of different questions and lots of different needs in throughout the planning. You were very patient on all of it. That made us very confident that the trip itself was going to be as wonderful as you were. It was. Thanks so, so much. This was a bucket list adventure. I am not sure how any future trip can compare.
» Galapagos Island Hopping: San Cristóbal, Isabela and Santa Cruz
