Futaleufú Rafting Multi-Sport

Santiago / Puerto Montt & Puerto Varas

Arriving in Santiago, Chile, you’ll catch a flight to Puerto Montt (this flight is not included in your trip price). At Puerto Montt’s El Tepual Airport (PMC), take a taxi to the Hotel Cumbres in the lakeside resort town of Puerto Varas. 

Situated on the spectacular Llanquihue Lake, with the snow-capped Osorno Volcano rising beyond it, Puerto Varas is one of the most beautiful towns in Chile. Your afternoon is free to explore the area before we meet later in the evening to discuss logistics and enjoy our first dinner together.

Puerto Varas to Chaiten & the Rio Futaleufu

This morning, we’ll catch a short flight to Chaiten. The half-hour flight is spectacular, as it follows the rugged coastline of Pumalin Park. Wild rivers flow into deep fjords framed by verdant rainforest wilds that stretch upwards into the rugged snow-capped Patagonia Andes. Just before landing, we get a bird’s-eye view of Chaiten Volcano which erupted several years ago, burying much of the town of Chaiten.

From here, it’s a three-hour bus ride to our camp on the Rio Futaleufu. The drive is gorgeous as the road passes beneath giant snow-capped peaks and hanging glaciers. Along the way, we may have the opportunity for a short hike in Pumalin Park, one of the largest and most diverse conservation efforts in South America. 

We arrive at the riverside camp in the late afternoon, where your private tent bungalow on a raised platform, complete with river views and comfortable beds, will be waiting for you. 

After a short hike or swim, you may want to soak in the riverside hot tub or enjoy a hot shower. This evening we’ll gather at the sunset bar to introduce the crew and go over the week’s agenda. After happy hour, a hearty dinner will be served.

Rio Futaleufu Rafting

Rising with the warmth of the sun, you’ll find tea and coffee available before breakfast is served around 9 AM. A pre-breakfast yoga class is available on the yoga platform with river views. Mornings tend to be crisp and dewy so prepare to dress warmly – a fleece and beanie may be ideal. 

Today is a river day and we launch our rafts from camp after a thorough safety briefing. In a safe ‘eddy’ a short distance downstream, we’ll do a set of practice rescue drills. This allows the crew in each raft to hone their skills and prepare to paddle the raft as a team.

A cataraft and a safety-kayaker are part of our “safety net.” Each raft is captained by a highly trained and intuitive river guide, who guides the boat from a stern-mounted oar frame. The advantage to the oar frame is greater control in pointing the bow straight through bus-size holes and 15-foot high “haystack” wave trains, all while not detracting from the paddling experience.

The first section that we raft, from camp down to Puente Futaleufu (the Futaleufu Bridge), is only 6.2 miles but offers more rapids per mile than anywhere else on the river. It is the perfect warm-up run and it is non-stop fun! The rapids of note are “El Cojín” (the Cushion) and “Mundaca,” a local family name.

At take-out, we meet our vehicles for a 20-minute ride back to camp. Those who would prefer a “lower body” workout to complement their paddling are welcome to run back to camp. When we get to camp, you can choose from a variety of activities, such as fly fishing, a kayaking class, yoga, going for a hike, or taking one of our bikes for a ride. You can also opt to nap in a hammock, enjoy the sauna, have a massage, or soak in the hot tub. As the sun sinks behind the mountains, enjoy a game of chess or cards at the sunset bar.

Every late afternoon is “Happy Hour” with an open bar stocked with beer, wines, sodas, and fresh juices. We gather together in the open-air kitchen/dining area, the “Galpon,” for a candlelight sit-down dinner featuring locally grown produce and fresh-baked breads. After dinner, enjoy the campfire and the stars before retiring to your cozy tent. The sound of the river will lull you to sleep and send you off dreaming of the next day’s adventure on the Fu.

Rio Futaleufu Rafting

After breakfast, we will launch our rafts from camp once again and have lunch on the river. The morning is aimed at settling the group into a river rhythm that will be utilized in order to successfully raft the next few sections of the Fu. After we pass the Puente Futaleufu (yesterday’s take-out), we immediately round the corner to meet a continuous cascade of waves known as “Mas o Menos” (More or Less). This is a good stepping-stone towards our first true Class V rapid, “Casa de Piedra” (House of Rock), which is right around the next corner. We will get out of our rafts and up on the shoreline to scout this massive boulder-choked rapid.

The remaining Class II-III rapids help our hearts return to their normal rates. We then drift into a nice calm section that offers perfect fishing from the rafts, as well as a great place to get in hardshell kayaks. The next three miles, we will have a floating happy hour and reach our take-out just above Lago Yelcho. Upon return to camp, we will continue to celebrate the day, enjoy the spa and get ready for another fabulous dinner prepared by our jovial crew.

Inflatable Kayaking the Rio Azul

Today we become experts at navigating our very own river crafts – inflatable kayaks. We venture up the Rio Azul canyon, finding clear water and fun Class II-III rapids. 

There is something deeply satisfying about paddling your own boat down river, knowing that your destiny is in your own hands. Of course, our highly-trained guides will be there to coach you, watch over you and provide safety. The Rio Azul is one of the major tributaries to the Rio Futaleufu and meets the Fu just above the Terminator section, which is where we take-out. The late afternoon is free for you to relax, fish for trout or go for a bike ride along the road that meanders through the river valley before another laid-back night in camp.

Horseback Riding and Hiking in the Rio Azul Valley

We’ll further explore the beautiful Rio Azul Valley. After breakfast, we take a short drive to the local stables where our trusty steeds will be saddled-up and ready for adventurous riding. After a safety briefing, a local expert equestrian guides us up a pristine side valley where the Rio Azul flows unhindered from its glacial headwaters.

Riding far up the valley to where our picnic lunch is prepared, you’ll have the option to hike to a beautiful waterfall. After our return journey down the valley, we arrive back to the stables where we bid farewell to the horses and their caretakers. If you’re still up for activity, you may choose to walk or even run back to camp. You will be glad to return to camp and enjoy the soothing hot tub, a cold beer, or a glass of wine as you wait for another homemade meal.

Rio Futaleufu Rafting – Inferno Canyon

We will have an early breakfast in camp then drive 15 miles up the road to the Rio Espolon where we launch to raft the Futalefu’s renowned Inferno Canyon! This upper canyon requires aggressive Class V paddling and is potentially the most intense section of whitewater on the river. Guests who prefer not to participate in Inferno Canyon can meet us below the canyon at our lunch stop or stay in camp and choose another activity.

Five distinct rapids form a narrow sinuous river passage creating a full-on adrenaline rush. The fourth rapid was, until recently, the smallest, but due to road building debris landing in the river, has now become nearly impassable at some water levels and may require a walk-around and lining the rafts through it. As we come out of the last rapid, we enter into a long calm and arrive at our lunch stop. Here, folks who chose not to run Inferno Canyon can rejoin the group.

The current remains swift and we cruise many miles downstream arriving at the mandatory portage around the fierce “Zeta” rapid. Our next obstacle is “Throne Room,” a Class V rapid for kayaks and a portage for the rafters. By walking around this rapid, we get a great bird’s-eye view of an almost river-wide hole that could destroy a raft. Back aboard our rafts, we are dealt a Royal Flush – a continuous Class IV corridor of rapids that does not let up until we get to our take-out below the confluence of the Rio Azul.

The late afternoon is spent in camp getting ready for the evening festivities. Our good friends from the nearby farm prepare a very special treat for us—a delicious dinner called “curanto” that is typical of the south of Chile and the island of Chiloe. We spend the evening by the fire singing and dancing the night away.

Note – rafting Inferno Canyon is dependent on the level of the river and therefore may not be an option on every trip.

Rio Futaleufu Rafting & Celebratory Chilean Asado

We call today the “summit day,” as we aim to top our already great paddling days with the best day of whitewater in the world. After a nutritious breakfast, we head back upriver to where we left the rafts yesterday. The views of the snow-capped mountain peaks and jagged ridges of the mountain “Las Tres Monjas” (“The Three Nuns”) are absolutely breathtaking. An approximately 4-mile stretch of warm-up rapids leads us to the toughest rapid that we will raft, “The Terminator.” We scout and study our line, then we take the plunge and drop in. “Left turn, right turn, dig it in—hard forward!” are a few of the commands that might be heard. The next three miles are non-stop rapids. After an aerobic workout, we pump through the enormous haystack wave train known as the “Himalayas.” Just when we need it, we float gently to our base camp where lunch is waiting.

After lunch, we return to the river to complete the last task for the day, tackling as much whitewater as possible. We raft the whole section of river from camp to below Casa de Piedra. At take-out, cold beers are waiting. We make a triumphant return to camp to celebrate our days spent exploring the Rio Futaleufu valley.

For the last evening’s festivities, our beloved culinary team will prepare a typical Chilean Asado—lamb and a pig roasted over a bed of coals, salad, potatoes, and farm-fresh bread. Under a bright starry sky, and our last night on the banks of the mighty Fu, we toast the river and give thanks for our safe passage.

Chaiten / Puerto Montt / Santiago

This morning after breakfast we’ll drive three hours to the Chaiten Airport to catch our flight back to Puerto Montt. In Puerto Montt, the OARS representative will assist you with arranging a transfer to Puerto Montt’s El Tepual Airport (for a flight to Santiago or elsewhere) or a transfer to your next destination in/around Puerto Montt. A departing flight out of Puerto Montt should be scheduled for after 4 PM in case of delays out of Chaiten, often due to weather.