Chile Tours, Chile Vacations, & Chile Adventure Travel Adventures and Vacations in Chile's Patagonia
Contact Us:
info@futaleufuexplore.com
telephone-
USA_Pattie-847-265-0521
Chile-56-56-721-527
 
 
 
Tour Chile's Rio Futaleufu
Exploring Without Limits: Chile Vacations and Adventure Travel

We like to run small tours and trips with wilderness experiences, while providing the best possible experience for our guests, and at the same time stimulating the local Chilian economy and encouraging local participation in preserving the rivers of Chile.
Why go with us-

-Experience- Since 1986 Josh has paddled the Futaleufu, with many more descents than anyone.

-Small size groups means more personal service

-We have access to run the entire river, or any section we please.

-Our 16 foot rafts hold only 6 passengers, for a bigger feeling ride while maintaining stability and manuverablity, and resulting in a better guide to client ratio.

- Our 14 foot paddle raft gives a big ride for those so inclined.

-Your safety is our priority.

-This is your trip, we are willing to do whatever the group wants, within reason.

-Our riverside base camp has all the luxurys you could dream of, while our cabins and lodge offer you the option of true decadence.

-Rather than just running straight down the river, we like to play our way down river, splashing in the waves and spinning out in the whirlpools, getting the real feel of the water.  Many times we run the same rapid over and over, dancing with the river.


Owners-


Josh Lowry is our lead guide, and considers the Rio Futaleufu his favorite. With over 26 years experience guiding kayak and raft trips including the Grand Canyon, Middle Fork of the Salmon, Rio Jatate in Chiapas Mexico, and Chili's Rio Futaleufu, plus numerous others. After exploring more than 90 rivers in Chile. he is considered the source for paddling info in Chile.  He likes to share his extensive local knowledge, laughing all the while.



Josh Lowry: Lead Chile Tour Guide
Marcela Rivas - Chilean, ski instructor, and lifetime mountaineer. She has years of experience as an instructor and guide in Portillo and in the United States. Marcela is an accomplished high altitude climber with numerous ascents and ski descents in Peru's Cordillera Blanca, and was the first woman to solo Aconcagua. Besides, Marcela is a white water kayaker and mother of two teenage girls, who are both ski champions.

Marcela Rivas: Chilean Tour Guide

EQUIPMENT
Equipment-We use the latest generation of rafts and equipment for our adventure tours in Chile. Our rafts are all Hyside brand, their latest design. For the Futaleufu we normally use 16 ft rafts, with stern mounted oars for the guide to control the boat, and 4-6 passengers paddling their canoe style paddles to help propel the raft. This set-up provides the best rides and personal experience, and is stable and easily maneuvered through the rapids.

For the more adventurous and water loving clients, we sometimes run a paddle raft, either a 16 or 14 foot raft for a wetter and more exciting ride. The guide will steer from the rear with his single paddle, calling commands to the crew, each with their own paddle, thereby turning and propelling the raft, negotiating the rapids.

Our PFDs (life jackets) are all new high floatation vests, type V, orange with floating pillows.
Wetsuits are 3 mm neoprene farmer john, over the shoulder style.
Booties are zip up, hard soled and comfortable. Also provided are helmets, slash jackets, and a paddle!

Our Guides are a mix of professionally trained guides from USA, Europe and Chile, all with numerous years experience in the adventure travel industry. On a typical two boat trip, we'll have more than 50 years experience between all the guides.
We are all trained in 1st aid and class V river rescue.

WE HAVE MORE EXPERIENCE GUIDING RIVERS

This year, 2008, we will be training on the Rio Futaleufu, with a week long River Rescue Class.
December 1-7, if you care to join us.


 

 Adventure Tour in Chile: Kayaking on the Rio Futaleufu.

Safety- because we consider safety to be the upmost importance, we have the latest generation of rafts and equipment, and all of our guides are trained in Wilderness 1st Aid, CPR, and specialized river rescue techniques. We also spend additional preseason training time on our rivers to have first hand knowledge of the latest changes and refresh our memory of the rivers.



Chile's Rio Futaleufu is a great thrill, with big waves and holes. We like to make our trips the most exciting yet safe rides possible. On all of our big water trips, we bring along a cataraft, which is a fast and stable rescue platform, as well as a safety kayaker to assist any swimmers return to the raft. Flips don't happen often, but when they do we are ready.

Before each trip launches, we will have a short comprehensive safety talk, to make sure everyone understands the risks involved and what to do when different situations occur. We will learn and practice "high-siding", or the art of keeping the boat right side up in the big waves. The idea here is to pay attention to the river, especially what is coming up downstream. When you hit a big wave, you want to anticipate its force and throw your weight into the wave to counteract the impact of the wave. This is important when the boat is sideways to the wave, as sometimes happens.

Lodging-We offer a choice of lodging,from the luxurious Hotel Barranco, to a bed in a cabin, or camping at our Campo Explore, on the bank of the river.

Our riverside base camp  has all the amenities, for example- tent platforms, shelters, sauna, endless hotshowers, a log dinning hall overlooking the river, and a massuse among others.

 Entrada Rapid: A Chile Vacation on the Rio Futaleufu

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