Air- LanChile has many weekly flights from Santiago. Although expensive (200$ roundtrip), it is a fast alternate to a very long bus ride. A good option for surfers without a lot of travel time.

Bus- Bus travel in Chile is excellent. Most buses have beds, meals, and movies. The bus trip from Santiago to Iquique is 26 hours. It is a good chance to see Chile's beautiful coastline. It is also very cheap (20-30$ one-way).

Visas and Documents- Citizens of the U.S., Australia, Canada and U.K. need passports only. The Chilean government now collects a 45$ dollar fee for all U.S. citizens entering Chile. This fee is good for the life of your passport.

Currency- The Chilean peso is now changed at about 550 pesos to the U.S. dollar. The U.S. dollar is very high in value right now. Bring many forms of money- ATM, cash, credit cards, travelers checks. Keep all money resources seperated.