This month (Mar ’14) we biked Chile’s lake and volcano district with Amity Tours. Amity provided good organization and infrastructure, knowledgeable and competent guiding, excellent choice of routes, restaurants and hotels; our eight day tour was well-planned and well-executed. Our guide David, a transplanted Belgian, is an expert outdoorsman, guiding whitewater raft and kayak trips and volcano climbs in addition to bicycle tours. Learning that he also serves as a volunteer fireman gave us additional sense of security. Driver Bernardo is very safe and conscientious. In addition, he puts on an impressive spread for the tour’s picnic lunches. Rest assured–the company and its staff are first rate.

And Chile is a fantastic biking destination. We knew near nothing about the country before our trip–and now are raving about it. Santiago is a bike mad city, with extensive urban bike paths and commuter and pleasure bikers everywhere. The city is comparable to one in Western Europe. In both the capital and the countryside, motor vehicle traffic is remarkably respectful of bikers. The scenery, cuisine and accommodations in Chile’s lake and volcano district are world-class. And the roads are fantastic for biking–well-paved, good mix of grades, and at least during our trip, almost devoid of cars and trucks. On some days it seemed the roads we rode were a giant bicycle amusement park and we were on a fantastic bike roller-coaster. It’s a good place to see and a great place to bike. Do it!

Brian Smith, Williamson NY.