19-Day Easter & Pitcairn Islands: Marooned, Moai & Mutineers

Chile's cosmopolitan capital is a smart, sophisticated place, where life plays out against the backdrop of the snow-capped Andean mountains. Santiago's moneyed elite congregate in the upmarket districts of the Barrio Alto, while Centro is home to museums, theatres and shopping malls. It's a leafy and eminently liveable city, in spite of the fact that more than a third of the population of Chile lives in Santiago. The city continues to grow outwards and upwards, its skyline crowned by the Costanera Centre, South America's tallest building, but an excellent metro system makes it easy to get around, and there are several lovely parks that afford plenty of breathing space.

The enigmatic moai statues of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) remain one of the world’s most intriguing archaeological mysteries. Descendants of the Polynesian settlers who carved them still live here, though these days the island belongs to Chile, despite being separated from the mainland by over 2,000 miles of Pacific Ocean.

The remote South Pacific island of Pitcairn was settled by a party of British sailors and Tahitians following the famous mutiny on the HMS Bounty in 1789, and their descendants still live on the island. The tiny capital, Adamstown, has a population of around 50 people.

The Fakarava atoll surrounds a deep lagoon in the west of the Tuamotu island group, scarcely populated and home to a host of rare wildlife. The entire atoll has been declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and the shallow coastal waters make for excellent snorkelling.

Papeete is the capital of French Polynesia, situated on the northwest coast of Tahiti. The port is not the most magical spot, so we advise venturing forth to luxuriate in the turquoise lagoons, relax on the white sand beaches fringed with palm trees, and explore the rugged mountain peaks.