Orongo is a ceremonial village of 53 low stone houses perched on a razor-thin ridge between the 300-metre sea cliff and the enormous Rano Kau crater. The setting is staggering — the crater lake is around 1.5 kilometres across, its surface a quilt of reeds and open water far below, and on the seaward side three small islets float in the Pacific. The village was the centre of the birdman cult, the religion that followed the moai era.
Petroglyphs of the birdman — a half-man, half-frigatebird figure — are carved into the basalt outcrops at the cliff edge. Entry is by the national park ticket, and a one-way path leads visitors along the ridge so the views build as you walk. Combine the visit with a hike around the Rano Kau crater rim — it is one of the best walks on the island.