Futaleufu Explore

The Beautiful Futaleufu Valley is loaded with great adventures, including rafting, kayaking, horseback riding, fishing, canyoning, mountain biking,
and trekking/mountaineering. Join us for a week of adventure as we engage in a different activity each day, rafting 4 out of the 7 days. We'll stay
at our riverside lodge on the nicest beach, perfect for sunbathing, swimming, fishing, practicing kayak, or just plain relaxing.
Our local chef will prepare culinary delights- local organic produce and a variety of meats provide a wide range of gourmet meals complimented with fine Chilean wine
and a friendly atmosphere.

Day 2- Saturday- Arrive in Santiago, and connect with your flight to Puerto Montt(1 1/2 hour), the gateway to Patagonia. This is the end of the road, as the coast line is too rough for roads, and a small plane will bring you across the fiords to Chaiten, where we will have a lunch of local seafood before the 2 hour drive to our lodge on the banks of the Rio Futaleufu.

The ghost town of Chaiten is very interesting because it was mostly destroyed as a result of Volcan Chaiten, which erupted a few years ago after 9,000 years of dormancy. The town is now recovering and people are moving back in.

Glaciers, mountains, lakes and rivers abound on the drive through the Andes Mountains. The biodiversity of this temperate forest is incredible, with some leaves more than 1 meter across, and a huge variety of trees, vines and flowers.

Rafting- Arriving at our lodge, we will have time for a short warm up rafting excursion followed by a delicious welcome dinner after you have settled into your comfortable rooms and have had a tour of the grounds.

Our lodge and base camp are located at the put in for the Bridge to Bridge section, a perfect central location on the Rio Futaleufu, with a very nice beach that is great for swimming, sun bathing, fishing, or learning a bit of kayaking. It sleeps 12 comfortably, wrelax and enjoy with top quality mattresses and bedding, great views of the river, and endless hot showers.

Day 3 - Rafting- After a wholesome breakfast we will get ready for an intro to the Rio Futaleufu, launching our rafts from the large beach in front of the lodge. Following a complete safety and paddle talk, we'll raft the Bridge to Bridge section of the Rio Futaleufu.
This is the perfect introduction to the river, with 2 hours of continuous rapids, starting out with Zapata, Pillow, and Mondaca, plus about 12 more rapids.
At the second bridge, you will have the option of continuing downstream through two class V rapids, the big waves of Mas o Menos, and the breathtaking Casa de Piedra, a slalom between house size boulders and huge holes and waves, plus several class III rapids.

Day 4- Kayak- Today we will take kayaks down the beautiful crystal clear water of the class II-III Rio Espolon.
Many people are inspired by our safety kayakers dancing on the waves, and want to try it out. we will have a selection of hard shell kayaks for the more adventurous, and inflatable kayaks which are more forgiving.

This easy river is perfect for learning and practicing your balance and paddling techniques. The first part is flat water with long pools and a few small rapids. After we pass under the bridge, the action picks up, with several fun rapids, intersperced with calm pools where you can take the time to enjoy the incredible scenery.

Day 5- Hiking and Rafting- A morning hike along the river to check out the huge rapids of terminator and the Himalayas, that we will be rafting later. This will give you a chance to enjoy the scenery that you missed while you were concentrating on staying in the raft.

After lunch on the beach, we will return to our favorite section of the river, Bridge to Bridge through Casa de Piedra. this will be tons of fun and help you prepare for the bigger rapids that we will be paddling later. After the last rapids, you will have the chance to kayak again, row the raft, or relax with a beer as we float this scenic section, marveling at the condors soaring overhead and the glacier capped peaks surrounding the river.

Day 6- Horse Back Riding or Hiking and Rafting- Today we will ride horses or hike up the beautiful Rio Azul valley, below glacier topped peaks and surrounded by impressive views. After stopping for lunch, we will take our inflatable kayaks or raft, depending on water levels and your desires, and paddle back down the class III+ Rio Axul. An exciting ride, winding our way around granite boulders, down narrow chutes, and passing through a narrow canyon.

Day 7- Rafting- Starting near the town of Futaleufu, we will raft the river from top to bottom, in 2 days, passing all the rapids. We will jump right into the action, with a traverse of the Canyon de Infierno, a walled in class V gorge, with some of the most challenging rapids of the river.

Floating through the scenic Las Escalas valley, we'll have time to enjoy the views of the native forest and snow capped peaks,and maybe a little fishing, before the inpressive Zeta and throne Room rapids, which are too dangerous to raft. You can walk around these rapids, while the guides push the rafts off at the top and pick them up at the bottom(ghost boaing).

A set of continous rapids, including Chaos and theThing, will provide a thrill before arriving at the Rio azul, where we will drive 20 minutes back to the lodge, and a delicious barbecue to celebrate the day.

Day 8 - Rafting- On your final day, get ready for the ride of a lifetime. as we raft most of the rapids on the river. After a 3 Km warm up, we come to Terminator, the largest raftable rapid on the river, with a good trail for the fainthearted, followed immediately by Kyber Pass and the huge waves of the Himalayas.

After a scrumptious lunch on the beach, we will continue rafting through the Bridge to Bridge section and on through Mas o Menos and Casa de Piadra, finishing an adrenaline packed day, to arrive at our take out .

Day 9- Travel- After breakfast, we will bring you back to Chaiten to catch your plane to Puerto Montt and Santago, and connect with your overnight flight.

This itinerary is only a sample. There may be changes due to water levels, weather, or your preferences. This is your trip, we like to remain flexible, and we can make any changes to suit your needs. We can include horseback riding, canyoning, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking or more rafting, just let us know.
If you want more rafting, we can maximize the rafting!

Andes to Ocean-Raft and Sea Kayak- 6 days-Raft the Rio Futaleufu for 3 Days, starting at the Argentine border through all the rapids, then switch to sea kayaks for a 3 day paddle across Lago Yelcho and down the flat water of Rio Yelcho to the ocean near Chaiten , camping along the way.