A Whitewater guide to the rivers of chile
Written by Greg Moore The emerald Río Manso flows through a wild canyon in Parque Nacional Nahual Huapi (Mapuche for “Tiger Island”) south of the ski resort town of San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. The river drains the southeast flank … Read More »
The Palena is a beautiful, although blustery, multi-day trip with nary a trace of whitewater. A dense pall of fog clings to Volcán Melimoyú (2400 m), the lofty summit that overlooks the lower river west of the Carretera Austral. Much … Read More »
The Río Blanco cuts through canyons of geology run amok in the northeastern sector of Reserva Nacional Cerro Castillo. The most prominent peak in the park, Cerro Castillo (2675 m), was so named because its craggy ridges and basalt turrets … Read More »
The Río Petrohué drains Lago Todos los Santos in Parque Nacional Vicente Perez Rosales. It is the largest park in the Chilean Lake District and adjoins Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi in Argentina to form one of the biggest contiguous tracts … Read More »
The lower Petrohué is a popular commercial raft trip and a good run for intermediate kayakers. Its wide-open rapids require a minimum of maneuvering to negotiate safely. Surfing the warm, azure waves entail backing down and stroking hard because there … Read More »
This tributary of the Tinguiririca features great views of the Cordilleras Rubiana and Huemulina, good class III whitewater, and a wealth of desert wildflowers in the spring. Aspiring intermediate boaters will enjoy this river. On our only run, we had … Read More »
Don’t be fooled by the low average gradient on the upper Cisnes. Its citadel rock walls reverberate with the roar of great whitewater rising from the abyss. Located east of the Carretera Austral, this precipitous canyon forms the southeastern boundary … Read More »
On our first descent in February 1998, Joe Larrow, John Hart, Aaron Pruzan, Robby Dastin, and I encountered an irritatingly low flow at the put-in. If there had been a road nearby, I would have bailed out. Nevertheless, we persevered … Read More »
After tumbling through a foggy, verdant canyon upstream, the Resbalón meanders into Bahia Murta, the northwest arm of Lago Bertrand. Because of its lush vegetation and sheer walls, bailouts are virtually impossible. More than a few inconveniently placed logs require … Read More »
The upper roars through a chiquitito box canyon 2.5 km below the put-in in Reserva Nacionál Río de Los Cipreses. House-sized rocks that tumbled down from adjacent talus slopes create terminal hydraulics at high water above this seething cauldron of … Read More »
The lower Cachapoal flows into the Coya industrial zone. None of the rapids are very difficult, and all are boat-scoutable from eddies. Beware of a collapsed bridge on river left approximately 1 km upstream from the take-out. Because of all … Read More »
Cajón de Farellones is a good run flowing through Reserva Nacional Río Simpson. This section courses through a secluded canyon featuring some occasional pool-drop rapids and playful holes between all the of flatwater. More class II-III rapids lie upstream of … Read More »
The lower Simpson flows through a glacially scoured valley that forms the northern boundary of Parque Nacional Río Simpson, and the southern extant of Reserva Nacional Coihaique. Vertical crags, plummeting waterfalls, virgin temperate rainforest, and a lush floral carpet of … Read More »
Like a cement truck, the Teno’s cold, gray torrent churns through a short, sheer-walled canyon 22 km above Los Queñes. This mini-gorge sharply contrasts with the glacially-carved valley above and below it. Virtually the entire run is visible from the … Read More »
At low water, the Mañihuales sports several good play spots amidst a few class III–IV rapids that can be partially scouted from the road that parallels the river. Clear, green water courses through a spacious, pastoral valley offering great views … Read More »
This beautiful creek flows between two unrunnable canyons. Easily scouted from the road, the Claro starts out class IV in difficulty, eases up a bit, then returns to class IV. After turning away from the road, the river drops through … Read More »
Following description was provided by former Sobek river guide Monty Becker In contrast to the tumultuous whitewater upstream, the lower Baker is a beautiful, muy tranquilo, multi-day float through the heart of central Patagonia. The first descent of the river … Read More »
Only 1 km in length this short, difficult run (class V+•VI ) is quite different from the section upstream. After bursting over the lip of the 8 m high falls dowstrream of the hydroplant, the Cochrane explodes in a series … Read More »
We were dead tired after many days of nonstop scouting and boating when we crossed Puente Cañal. Draining the glittering heights of Cordon Contreras (2602 m), the Río El Cañal flows out of the westernmost edge of Campo de Hielo … Read More »
This short 6 km, class V trip makes for an interesting combination of tight, technical boating on the Bosque averaging 53 mpk or 280 FPM @ 300 CFS, culminating with a high volume flush thru the Río Ibañez narrows. The … Read More »