If it weren’t for those massive stone heads — some 600 of them, about 25 feet high — facing out to sea, Easter Island would be just another South Pacific outcropping nobody ever heard of. After all, this easternmost shoal of far-flung Polynesia is also the westernmost possession of Chile and more than 2,000 miles from the South American mainland. What we’re saying is it’s definitely off the bus-tour circuit. But Albuquerque-based Far Horizons, a specialist in archeological tourism, is leading a Jan. 30-Feb. 9 expedition headed by Steven Fischer, director of the Institute of Polynesian Language and Literature in Auckland, New Zealand. The $3,295 trip takes place during the Tapati Festival, a cultural celebration. Price covers Fischer’s expertise, lodging and most meals on the island. Expect to pay another $100 as a tax-free donation to the Easter Island Foundation and about $2,080 for round-trip air from Miami. (800-552-4575)
FOODIES
They’ll come from places in Napa Valley, like the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and Auberge du Soliel. They’ll come from places in San Francisco like the Pan Pacific Hotel and the Rubicon. They will be chefs from some of Northern California’s most prestigious kitchens, and they will converge on Yosemite National Park for eight sessions of “Chefs’ Holidays,” Jan. 8-Feb. 2. Park visitors may attend the cooking demonstrations for free; those who wish to help eat the five-course meal they’ll whip up may do so for $75. But packages that include lodging, cooking demonstrations, the big dinner and a chance to meet the chefs also are available. At the Ahwahnee Hotel, it’s $599 for two nights, $799 for three. At the Yosemite Lodge, it’s $280 for two nights, $345 for three. And those prices are per couple. (559-253-2001)
FREE STUFF
The Virginia Travel Guide for Persons With Disabilities packs 304 large-print pages with more than 500 listings of attractions, hotels and restaurants. Nitty gritty entries detail things like wheelchair rental prices at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, the width of the aisles in the gift shop at George Washington’s Birthplace, and which way the stall doors open in the restroom at the Mechanicsville Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. (800-847-4882; or 804-371-0327, TTD) . . . The guide to Michigan’s “Harbor Country Holiday Happenings” holds a host of festive recipes, a list of seasonal events and money-saving “Reindeer Bucks.” (800-362-7251)
FAMILY FARE
Nine days, four borders and three states add up to National Geographic Expeditions’ Four Corners Family Adventure. The July 23-30 trip starts and ends near Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Along the way, participants raft the San Juan River and ride horses in Monument Valley in Utah, explore Canyon de Chelly in Arizona, visit a sheep camp and shop for Navajo rugs. A stop at Four Corners brings the trip in touch, briefly, with New Mexico, for Four Corners is where the four states come together. The price — adults, $1,850; children 9-17, $1,659 — covers lodging, most meals, all ground transportation, admissions and activities. Participants must be at least 9 years old and fit enough for hiking. (888-966-8687)
Tour prices generally are per person, based on double occupancy.
