Travel monkeys destination, Chile.

Bring your DH bike. There is epic DH just outside of town that drops you right into the city.

Try to make it out to Valparaiso.

cwd's

Hookers and blow

Ha! I'm heading down too... so my little monkey can meet his extended family in Viña. It'll be his and my first time. After Viña, we're going to head down to the Lakes District. We can't figure out whether to drive down (over a few days) and see what's on the way, or fly down and then rent a car once there.

Anyone driven down that road (I guess it's the 5) and know whether there's anything family-friendly to see and do on the way to Puerto Montt?

I've read all about the riding there, and it's going to kill me to not have at least one of my bikes with me, but I'll have to save that for another trip....

Been to Chile twice, all the way from Puerto Montt up to Arica and finally Peru doing the whole Attacama desert in between.
Santiago is a nice big western city, but nothing special. Friend of mine from NZ was in Chile building trails so I could check with him if youre interested...

As for Puerto Montt, i did the whole country by bus and the lake district is awesome. The highlight for me was Pucon, a little outdoor sports heaven that caters to just about everyone with a glacier, volcanoes and white water rapids. No matter what you do you will have a great time.

If u want more specific info just ask!

Driving is only a few days btw with awesome views and not too complicated, the south is also a lot safer then the north...
Flying is boring but saves you a few days and would leave you with more time in awesome country

Ride: La Parva-Santiago. Epic DH
See: Valparaiso Cerro Abajo.
Pucon is a really nice place to enjoy outdoor activities.

I'll be glad to help you guys if you ask me some more specific questions.

PS: I'm Chilean.