Lakes
and Volcanoes
Rafting
River Futaleufu / Patagonia Chile
3 / 4 / 8 Days
3 / 4 / 8 Days
Day 1 - Puerto
Montt - Chaiten - Camp in Futaleufu
Flight from Puerto Montt to Chaiten (40 minutes) . In Chaitén, will be
an Aqua Motion representative waiting for you.on. Lunch in a typical restaurant.
In the afternoon we go by regular bus to the Aqua Motion Camp. The drive
is spectacular with magnificent granite cliffs and steep glaciers flanking
the lush temperate rain forest valley that we drive through. The Rio Futaleufú
flows into Lago Yelcho, a world class trout fishing lake that is also
home to the Coho Salmon that swim unimpeded up the Futaleufú to Argentina
or back down to the Pacific at Chaitén. We pass a few small farms that
are carved into the ancient rain forest and get a glimpse of frontier
living Chilean style. We arrive at the base camp in time for a late lunch
and a swim in the Futaleufú river. We will hold a pre- departure meeting
during happy hour and go over camp procedures. We will be based at this
campsite for all but one night of our time in this region.
Day 2 - Rafting
in the River Futaleufu
Our first morning to wake up on the banks of the Fu! The mornings tend
to be crisp and dewy and we rise with the warmth of the sun. After breakfast
we will launch from our base camp after a thorough safety briefing. The
first part of any rafting trip is very much a learning exercise. Our guides
will demonstrate carefully the safety and rescue procedures we adopt while
on the river. This learning exercise is not restricted to the first day
but is ongoing and you will become more confident by the day. Each raft
is captained by a highly trained guide who controls the boat from a stern-mounted
oar frame. The first section we raft from camp down to Puente Futaleufú
is only 10 km, but offers more rapids per 100 meters than anywhere else
on the river. It not only is the perfect warm-up run, it is just non stop
fun especially with rapids like El Cojin and Mundaca. We will then meet
our van and Land cruiser for the 20 minute transfer back to camp. We gather
around the camp fire and enjoy Chilean wine or herbal tea as dinner is
cooking. After a sumptuous and hearty dinner were tire ready for the next
day of big white water.
Day 3 - Futaleufu
Camp - Chaitén - Puerto Montt
We will wake up early, to go back in regular bus to Chaitén, where we
take the flight to Puerto Montt. End of our services.
Flight from Puerto Montt to Chaiten (40 minutes) . In Chaitén, will be an Aqua Motion representative waiting for you.on. Lunch in a typical restaurant. In the afternoon we go by regular bus to the Aqua Motion Camp. The drive is spectacular with magnificent granite cliffs and steep glaciers flanking the lush temperate rain forest valley that we drive through. The Rio Futaleufú flows into Lago Yelcho, a world class trout fishing lake that is also home to the Coho Salmon that swim unimpeded up the Futaleufú to Argentina or back down to the Pacific at Chaitén. We pass a few small farms that are carved into the ancient rain forest and get a glimpse of frontier living Chilean style. We arrive at the base camp in time for a late lunch and a swim in the Futaleufú river. We will hold a pre- departure meeting during happy hour and go over camp procedures. We will be based at this campsite for all but one night of our time in this region.
Our first morning to wake up on the banks of the Fu! The mornings tend to be crisp and dewy and we rise with the warmth of the sun. After breakfast we will launch from our base camp after a thorough safety briefing. The first part of any rafting trip is very much a learning exercise. Our guides will demonstrate carefully the safety and rescue procedures we adopt while on the river. This learning exercise is not restricted to the first day but is ongoing and you will become more confident by the day. Each raft is captained by a highly trained guide who controls the boat from a stern-mounted oar frame. The first section we raft from camp down to Puente Futaleufú is only 10 km, but offers more rapids per 100 meters than anywhere else on the river. It not only is the perfect warm-up run, it is just non stop fun especially with rapids like El Cojin and Mundaca. We will then meet our van and Land cruiser for the 20 minute transfer back to camp. We gather around the camp fire and enjoy Chilean wine or herbal tea as dinner is cooking. After a sumptuous and hearty dinner were tire ready for the next day of big white water.
We now settle into a rhythm that will be employed in order to successfully raft our next few days on the Fu. We paddle past the Puente Futaleufú and immediately around the corner meet a big continuous cascade known as Mas o Menos (More or Less). This is a good step towards our first class five technical rapid: Casa de Piedra which forms like a series of water wheels. After this rapid we have a mellow raft to the Casa de Empanadas - no hair raising white water here, just hot cocoa and oven fresh apple empanadas prepared for us by Señora Ramirez and her children. We then have a 30 minutes drive back to camp where dinner awaits us.
We will wake up early, to go back in regular bus to Chaitén, where we take the flight to Puerto Montt. End of our services.
Arrival in Puerto Montt. An AQUA MOTION Expeditions representative will meet you at the airport. They will transfer you to the charming little town of Puerto Varas and escort you to the Hotel Cabañas del Lago where you can unwind from your journey. Puerto Varas is on the edge of Lake Llanquihue and has a magnificent view across the lake of the perfectly cone shaped Volcan Osorno. The afternoon can be spent swimming, walking around town or going into the fishing village of Angelmo at Puerto Montt.
Transfer from Puerto Varas to Puerto Montt airport where we will take a 17 seater Beechcraft airplane across the straights of Chiloe to the seaside village of Chaitén (40 minute flight). A van will meet us and we will travel on the Carretera Austral (Southern Highway)south towards Cohaique and Lago Yelcho. The drive is spectacular with magnificent granite cliffs and steep glaciers flanking the lush temperate rain forest valley that we drive through. The Rio Futaleufú flows into Lago Yelcho, a world class trout fishing lake that is also home to the Coho Salmon that swim unimpeded up the Futaleufú to Argentina or back down to the Pacific at Chaitén. We pass a few small farms that are carved into the ancient rain forest and get a glimpse of frontier living Chileno style. We arrive at the base camp in time for a late lunch and a swim in the Futaleufú river. We will hold a pre-departure meeting during happy hour and go over camp procedures. We will be based at this campsite for all but one night of our time in this region.
Our first morning to wake up on the banks of the Fu! The mornings tend to be crisp and dewy and we rise with the warmth of the sun. After breakfast we will launch from our base camp after a thorough safety briefing. The first part of any rafting trip is very much a learning exercise. Our guides will demonstrate carefully the safety and rescue procedures we adopt while on the river. This learning exercise is not restricted to the first day but is ongoing and you will become more confident by the day. Each raft is captained by a highly trained guide who controls the boat from a stern-mounted oar frame. The first section we raft from camp down to Puente Futaleufú is only 10 km, but offers more rapids per 100 meters than anywhere else on the river. It not only is the perfect warm-up run, it is just non stop fun especially with rapids like El Cojin and Mundaca. We will then meet our van and Landcruiser for the 20 minute transfer back to camp. We gather around the camp fire and enjoy Chilean wine or herbal tea as dinner is cooking. After a sumptuous and hearty dinner were tire ready for the next day of big white water.
We now settle into a rhythm that will be employed in order to successfully raft our next few days on the Fu. We paddle past the Puente Futaleufú and immeDAYtely around the corner meet a big continuous cascade known as Mas o Menos (More or Less). This is a good step towards our first class five technical rapid: Casa de Piedra which forms like a series of water wheels. After this rapid we have a mellow raft to the Casa de Empanadas - no hair raising white water here, just hot cocoa and oven fresh apple empanadas prepared for us by Señora Ramirez and her children. We then have a 30 minute drive back to camp where dinner awaits us.
Officially lay over day. After two days of intense rafting a day of catching up is in order. There are a variety of optional activities available for those wanting to keep on the move. We offer an introduction to kayaking or rock climbing for those keen. Other activities available are horse back riding, mountain biking, lake kayaking on Lake Espolón or fishing. A guided option will be a day hike up one of gorgeous side canyons. A rather exotic option (that requires a good deal of movement) is going across the border into Argentina to visit a Welsh-Gaucho dairy and horse farm. This can only be done by a small group, as the border crossing can be slow going. Later in the day will leave our base camp for a night and travel 35km up the road to visit the quaint Pueblo of Futaleufú and we will spend the night in a typical Hostería-Inn. We eat out in the town for dinner and stroll around the sleepy little mountain village whose central plaza is richly fragrant with rose bushes and cedar trees.
Our overnight in town offers us the perfect launching opportunity early the next morning on the Rio Espolón. This crystal clear river meanders for four kilometers (2 miles) before it flows into the Rio Futaleufú just above Inferno Canyon. This canyon can be walked around if necessary, however, by this point, most people are eager to build on the previous days paddling experience and look forward to this continuous stretch of whitewater whole-heartedly. As we come out of the last rapid called Exit we enter into a long calm stretch. The current remains swift and we cruise further downstream to arrive at our mandatory portage around the fierce Zeta rapid. We have lunch as the crew ghost boat the rafts through this treacherous section for us. We continue on until our next obstacle, an unraftable rapid named El Trono (The Throne Room). We finish the day with a continuous corridor of fun grade IV rapids that take us to our finishing point for the day at the Rio Azul footbridge. Tonight we leave the rafts on shore and a quick van ride returns us to our base camp early in the evening.
Our longest day of rafting - The Summit Day. After breakfast we return to our rafts and continue on downstream. We soon merge with a blue glacial run-off from the Rio Azul. Our view of snow capped mountain peaks and jagged ridges continues to be absolutely breath-taking as we pass far below. We have a six kilometer (4 mile) stretch of warm-up rapids before we come to The Terminator - the longest and toughest rapid that we will raft on this trip and which is then followed by a continuous section of whitewater fun. The next enormous rapid of the day is a wave train known as The Himalayas. After all the adrenalin of the day the calm section that follows is welcome and we float gently our base camp where we shall have lunch. After lunch we raft the entire section from camp to below Casa de Piedra. We make a triumphant return to camp and celebrate our last night on the river with a typical Chilean Asado - lamb roasted over a bed of coals, salad, potatoes and farm fresh bread.
An early start to meet the van that will take us back to Chaitén for our flight back to Puerto Montt. What makes the Futaleufú so special Every once in a great while you come across a river that just blows you away in terms of its magical powers. These powers enthrall you and make you feel special and lucky to be alive. The Fu is just such a river. If you have ever stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon, or better yet, looked up at the rim from the Colorado river, or gazed at the Granite Walls of Yosemite, or have sat in quiet revery by the Snake river over looking the Grand Tetons and have been deeply impressed by the magnificence of nature, then you can begin to imagine what it will be like to find yourself in the Futaleufú river valley. It is an amazing place. You might wonder how the force of nature in its raw form can create such places of incredible beauty that you remain stunned and think that we cannot possibly improve upon nature, but can only quietly watch and then spring forth with such energy that you want to sing out and, say 'yes, this is the most beautiful place I have ever been.
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End Of Our Services ***