fyi - this month's Conde Nast Traveler has a good article on Easter Island.

Conde Nast article

For those who followed our travels this fall, guide the author talks about, Senga, was our guide on one of the days.

here he is:

Hair apparent: Guide Miguel "Senga" Pakarati presides over the natural rock pools at One Makihi; long locks and petroglyph tattoos distinguish many Rapa Nui men

Leslie,
Thank you for the interesting article. I am wondering how you got Senga as your guide? Were you on a cruise or land tour? Did Senga speak good English? How much did he charge for his services? Do you have an e-mail address for him?
We will be there in March on a cruise. What month were you there and what was the weather like?
What was your most unforgetable experience? What sites are not to be missed?

Thank you in advance for your help.
Joanne

We did a land trip - we stayed at the Explora Casas Rapa Nui mentioned in the article - you can see some of my descriptions & photos of our trip and a link to photos at the kodak web site in the "sea mail" topic under "si mail from Argentina & Chile".

Senga is a guide for Explora so I doubt you can hire him independently, I'm sure they keep him busy. The stay at Explora is all inclusive of excursions etc. The excursions from Explora are hiking and biking, covering various parts of the island. If you are just going to be there a day you will want to get a tour that covers the highlights. His English is pretty good, as was the English of all our excursion guides there. They each spin a different story so you might also want to do some reading before your trip. Senga also dances a principal role in the Kari Kari show at the hotel Hanga Roa and we also saw him working as a baggage handler at the airport the day our flight left. Busy guy!

We were there in early November. I think the weather is pretty much the same all year and is very changeable. We had some sunny weather, some very windy weather, some cloudy overcast weather and one day where it poured rain most of the day - I recount our hiking that day in my "si mail" (the guide on that outing was not Senga.)

The highlights from a sightseeing point of view are the Rano Raraku quarry and Orongo, the ceremonial crater and birdman competition site. The Kari Kari performance was outstanding. We also loved the beach picnic we had our first day - described also in the article. The museum is not really worth a visit in my opinion. The culture, history and remoteness of the island all combine to make a fascinating destination.

Leslie, I was mistaken when I said we were staying at a B&B on Easter Island. We too are staying at the Explora Lodge here as well as the 2 in Patagonia. It is wonderful to have this preview. Thank you so much.

You're welcome, Jackie - I look forward to hearing about your trip!

Senga is more of a "personality" than a great guide, so don't get too excited about seeing him in print. We enjoyed our time with him but by no means is guiding his strongest suit. Probably dancing is (along with self promotion!)- the Kari Kari troop performs around the world and is quite well knowm.

Leslie, Thank you very much for the clarification of Senga. I have 3 guides that I have e-mailed and am trying to decide which book.
We are very excited to be going to Easter Island and appreciate the information you have shared.
Happy cruising,
Joanne

Thanks, Leslie, for the article. Hope to follow your footsteps there some day. Look forward to your trips Jackie & Joanne.