The Rio Llancahue located on the southeastern slope of Volcan Villarica is reached via Conaripe.  It is roughly an hour and a half drive from Pucon. It is easily found by following signs to the famous hot springs “Termas Geometricas”. The upper section is a well known classic class 4-5 creek run that was first descented by John Foss and Zack Cowan in 1995.  The upper section is most frequented by boaters and is a warm up run compared to what lurks downstream.
The middle section, contains some unrun rapids and is usually skipped for an easier take out option for the upper section located where the road is first visable from the river, after the “class 5″ rapid, often portaged river right during high water due to a must make eddy at the bottom.  Anyone who has run the middle section usually parked their car at the Termas Vergara, there is an unrun rapid you want to get out above.  The middle is considered a “park n huck” to the daring ones with intentions of running the biggest drop on the river which also marks the end of the middle section… or now… maybe the beginning of the lower section, and is arguably the most bad ass 60′ waterfall in Chile. The drop is called “Gerd’s drop”, first descented by Gerd Serrasolses in 2006. It has since been run by only 6 other huckers. Immediately following this monster drop is one of the cleanest 30′ waterfalls in Chile, called the “Suavemente” or the “Purty Thirty”. In the past when boaters would run this drop they would climb back out of the gorge in fear of what may be around the corner due to a diffucult to scout gorge that appeared to be unrunnable. Numerous groups throughout the years peered into the canyon through dense brush and steep cliffed walls, but no one ever mustered up the courage to drop in to this unknown.

Until, December 23rd 2011 a group of 5 brave kayakers, Jared Seiler, Evan Garcia, Ian Garcia, 3 of the 7 who have run Gerd’s drop, Jonny Meyers, and Anton Immler decided it was time to drop in for the first descent of the Lower section. Before dropping in the crew researched the section with Google Earth and found the run to be 9 km to Puente Llancahue, with the steepest part of the run being in the first 3km, in total dropping over 400 meters of gradient. Roughly 200Fpm, with the steepest 1km at probably around 400fpm. They figured if they could get through the first 1 km they could expect a gradual tapering off of the steep gradient. The day before the mission a crew led by Jared Seiler scouted most of the first 1 km after the “Purty thirty” which proved the findings from Google Earth to be the steepest and most continuous section. What the crew found was very promisingly runnable looking slides and waterfalls stacked between tiny catchable eddies and a potentially portageable left bank at a seemingly perfect water level. Jared informed the boys of the epicness of the run and made plans to drop in the next day. Coming from Pucon in the morning the crew put on below Gerd’s drop at 2 in the afternoon on a bright sunny day. Starting with the “Purty Thirty” they got out to scout on the left. A runnable 15′ first slide to autoboof put them in a must make eddy before a very continuous looking section. On the 2nd descent a boater missed this eddy and was forced to run the succeeding drops blind…The boys spent about an hour scouting an approximately 200′ long slide with a technical 2 part lead in rapid. After much debate Jared Seiler decided to go for it and ran the entire slide cleanly until spinning around backwards and flipping in the last 20′ of the slide. After a quick roll and celebration he caught the small must make eddy on the right at the bottom before another long slide. After a thumbs up, Evan Garcia and Anton Immler followed Seiler’s line with a little carnage of their own, but mostly cleaned it. Ian and Jonny opted for a seal launch half way down the slide which slightly tamed the rowdy beast. The lead in drops to this slide become worse at lower levels and a boater was badly pinned on a separate descent a week later in the lip of the first drop for over 20 minutes before he could be rescued. The entire slide can be portaged on the left. Seiler decided to call the slide “La Longaniza”.

Graham Seiler running the bottom half of  “La Longaniza”

The crew briefly scouted the next slide which they ran down a left channel where the river is split by an island with both left and right channels looking runnable and the crew chose the left which ended in a 15′ waterfall. The line turned out to be pretty stout and was named “Survivor slide” aka “fight club”. The right channel has been run since and is equally challenging.  Immediately following the 15′ waterfall the crew caught an eddy on the left above the last slide of the steepest section where their shuttle driver awaited with a rope in case someone was swept into the last slide that ended with a heinous hydraulic and boxed in walls. The crew called this one “the Gambler”. This drop has since been run. A short pool led to the start of a section later named, the “Quality and Quantity” section which begins with a 6′ boof run down the middle then a series of 2 class 4 boogie water sections broken up by a calm section and proceeds into another continuous rapid which Evan nearly ran blind before catching a small eddy to have a look. Good thing because this rapid had one of the ugliest siphons on the run followed immediately by a 6′ weir hole. Evan ran a clean line down the left and boofed the hole in the middle. The siphon on river right was later named “cancha tomate” and the following weir hole “wachito culiado”. Best scouted and portaged on the right. Small eddies on either sides afterwards allowed a set up to run the next 6′ horseshoe hole boofing right of center named “puta la wea”. Continuing mostly down the left through class 4 boogie you come to a drop run left under two big old growth logs perched in an A-frame position. Another half a km brought the crew to a narrow slot boof into a fairly large pool marking the end of the “QQ” section. Continuing roughly a half a kilometer you come to a rapid where the water ramps off the left wall through a fluffy hole. More boogie arrives at a manky slot rapid portaged on the right. Potentially run right. More boogie gradually mellowing out brought the group to 2 stout looking converging channels dropping into a big hole partially backed by a boulder on the right. Scout and portaged left. This drop was later run on the 2nd descent down the left channel and was named “the shitter” upon finding a toilet seat lid at the bottom The river continues at a fun pace and gradually goes flat. At this point the 1st crew thought they were finished with the run, but 4 more 15′ drops awaited downstream along with a landslide that diverted the river through a forest! The first 15′ after the “false run out”was only run by Evan on the first descent where a bad line on the left through a manky pile of rocks coined the name “ass banger”. Jared ran the drop on the 2nd descent with a more thought out line that turned out better off the middle clearing the rocks in the landing zone. More boogie water leads quickly into the 2nd of the last four 15′. Called “el nombre de mi polola” or “La Pacha Mama” one of the best drops on the run. A stout lead in down the left splits two directions with both 15′ drops on either side proved runnable. Big logs piled in the middle between the two falls characterizes the drop. This drop is difficult to see coming and is best scouted by scraping over a far right channel into a small eddy on the right. This drop may be mandatory, but if you feel the need to portage you probably shouldn’t be on the run. Wood could be an issue in this drop in which case a throw and go portage from the logs could be done or maybe hellish bush whacking through the woods on the right would be the best option. Soon after this falls is the landslide forest. Run cautiously through a maze of trees and strainers on the left. More boogie…seriously very little flat water on this run, brings you to a super gnar 15′ falls into a tunnel like siphon on the right, run only by scraping down the FAR LEFT, as far from this potential boater swallowing siphon as possible, one of the nastiest siphons I’ve seen! More boogie water leads to the last drop, 15′ down the middle boof with a possible plug line on the left. Dubbed the 4.20 drop.  Finally, finishing off with 2 km of shallow run out to Puente Llancahue. A gauge for the run can be judged by the middle bridge embutment 3 inches showing on the river right corner of the lowest concrete slab is optimal.  If water is over this the run will become very dangerous due to washed out eddies. The first descent was done in a very low water year in late December. During a regular season I would imagine this section will be runnable in late January. The river holds water very well and if you think it may be too high don’t go!!! (I believe higher water descents will be possible in the future- but not unless you know the run very well-as you will not be able to stop in some of the steep sections).  You can also judge the flow at the put-in by looking at the lip of Gerd’s drop. If water is spilling over a right channel at the lip it is probably too high. This run requires class 5+ skill level with exceptional eddy catching skills. Arguably, the stoutest steep creek run in Chile! Cuidado mother F@*&er$!!!
photos taken by Andraz Krpic

Check out this video with the 1st Descent

Looking for a place to put in

To reach the river go 49 km East from Lanco on Ruta 5 to Panguipuilli then east another 41 km to Choshuenco on the eastern edge of Lago Panguipuilli. Upon reaching the lake turn left and go south 10.9 km alongside the Enco river valley to Puente Rio Blanco. This is takeout at 125 meters elevation and GPS coordinates 39.908486° latitude and 72.149124° longitude.

Scouting on the Rio Blanco

To reach the put in continue 200 meters past the bridge to gate on your left. If the gate is open you are lucky and can drive up the farm road but most likely it will be locked and from here you shoulder your boat for the 3-1/2 km hike in. After about an hour of walking the road turns into more of a track and at one point (just before another wooden gate) a faint track veres off towards the river and provides a sketchy trail down to the river put in which is at GPS coordinates 39.896537 latitude 72.125368 longitude elevation 260 meters

Blanco whitewater

The put in point is 300 km below what the locals call ¨La Escalera¨ which is a most likely un-runnable 15 meter falls flowed by some class 5+, 6 whitewater. Accessing this rad stretch is almost impossible due to vertical walls of the canyon and dense undergrowth.

Blanco falls

Rodrigo Tuschner bashing his way to the put in

Class 6 Gnar stretch

Total drop on river is 135 meters in 3.2 KM for 42 m/km average (210 FPM). The gradient is concentrated in the first half then relaxes considerably so actual drop in upper stretch approaches 60 m/km but with mature, boulder choked bedrock river is very manageable.

Volcan Mocho

Other nearby rivers include the Fuy, Neltume, San Pedro (soon to be dammed), Llancahue, Reyehueco and Llizan

IGM Topo map for the area is titled Choshuenco G122

Section of top map

Located in the comuna de Cunco, Region de la Araucania, Chile´s 9th region… A low elevation run flowing off the north western flank of the permanent snowfields of Nevados de Solipulli with adequate water levels in the winter-early spring months from August to mid October or after a period of several days of substantial rain. This river is a tributary of the Rio Allipén.

Typical boulder garden style rapids

To reach the river from Temuco on ruta 5 take the paved road east 59 km to Cunco or from Pucon you reach Cunco easiest via the paved road from Villarrica to Freire 55 km then paved road 57 km to Cunco.

Once in Cunco go east 9.1 km and turn right at sign to Curacalco. Continue 2.4 km to the T intersection passing Allipén river bridge en route. Turn right and in 1.3 k you come reach a fork in the road. Go right and after a few hundred meters you come to a bridge over the Curacalco. The river is braided here so continue to the second bridge and make this your takeout.. Return to previous fork in road and head upstream 4 km to the suspended bridge over the river. It is possible at this point to get to river level, but due to the falls landing in the cave rapid immediately beneath the bridge, you should shoulder boats and head a few hundred meters downstream to find a way to get into the canyon (it is real bitch!!) The reward will be an un-run class 5 stretch with 3 significant rapids. Once you drop in there is no portaging or turning back so scout carefully before committing. We spent 3 hours scouting on our first descent and understood each of the 3 rapids and where to go but we simply gave up on trying to find a way down to the river. I am sure there is a way with rappelling being the last option…

As an alternative return the car about 1 km downstream to just after the second farmhouse. From here there is one gate to cross and a grassy road to the river.

From this point down the river is a fun, continuous 250 FPM boulder garden. We had low flow of around 200 CFS on our Nov10, 2011 first descent but it was not scrappy until 2 km downstream where a piscicultura is taking water from the river. Ideal flow would be 300-500 CFS

If you put in near the bridge elevation 570 meters, the first km will be a canyon with average gradient in excess of 70 m/km then it tapers out to 50 m/km for 2 km and final km at 30 m/km. Takeout bridge is at 370 meters.
put

8 meters falls landing in Cave immediately under bridge

First Drop in canyon stretch

Second drop in canyon that feeds right into third

Aerial view of third drop-the 10 meter falls

10 meter drop viewed from below

Local kids near takeout

Entry rapid on Curacalco

IGM Topo map is titled Villa Garcia G-085

GPS coordinates Put-in 38.943329°, 71.872962° Take-out 38.931738°, 71.908976°

Other nearby rivers include Codihue, Calbuco, Truful Truful, Trafampulli and Quepe

To arrive from Chillan take the paved road northeast to Coihueco then follow the road to Ñiblinto crossing the Cato bridge en route. In the town of Bustamante head east up the dirt road alongside the Rio Cato. Along the way there are several nice campsites and swim holes. After 17 KM you come to a bridge over a tight canyon on the the river.This is the takeout From here you have to jump a gate, shoulder your boat, and head upriver. River left is more flat so a better choice but an old logging road on river right is also an option.

Hiking in to the Cato

Put in at 520 meters elevation and takeout at 390…Run is 5.5 km in length and drops an average of 24 m/km or 120 FPM. On our November 1st run we had a scratchy flow of 250 CFS..Optimal flow would be 500 CFS or more and those levels would be found in winter months to mid October. In the summer months the river is almost dry.

Topo map of Cato River<

youtube video just under 2 minutes..Shot just before sunset

The GPS coordinates of the takeout bridge are 36.630467° south latitude and

71.635102° longitude. topo map from IGM is titled San Fabian de Alico F-102

A cool little detail is that the bridges over the Cato and the Ñiblinto on the Coihueco-Bustamante road are only 250 meters apart so that the water levels of both can be checked almost simultaneously.

Other nearby rivers include Ñuble, Las Truchas, Ñiblinto, Chillan and Renegado

To arrive at the river follow the paved road east out of Chillan towards the Termas de Chillan. Pass through town of Pinto and at KM post 36 go right on gravel road following sign to Los Pellines

From this turn off it is 9 KM to a nice camp along the river, which can also serve as one of many put-ins or take outs for the lower run. At 12.3KM you come to Puente Mañiguales which is probably the best put in for lower part of river. Continuing upstream one reaches Fundo Los Ciegos at KM 14.2. Park here and walk 100 meters to see the as of yet, still un-run, 35 meter Salto Pellines.

Salto De Pellines

Upstream at KM 15.2 is a gate in front of a bridge over the river. Once across the river Fundo Los Pellines is to the left and Fundo El Plan to the right (upstream). The gate is likely to be locked so be prepared to walk from this point. If you are lucky and gate is open cross the bridge and continue following road upstream for another 4 KM (or more if one is willing to keep walking) To find the bridge with Google Earth use GPS coordinates 36.826707° South Latitude and 71.615750° Longitude

Jake Greenbaum headcam shot Rio Chillan

This 5 KM upper stretch is likely to have 300 CFS in early spring (Sept-October) and be too small from November to July. Average gradient is roughly 30 m/km or 150 FPM. It is highly recommended to scout the falls before running the river. A very enticing 100 meter long slot canyon leads to the lip of the falls.. If you find your way into the slot canyon you will be doing a first D of the falls assuming you make it past the decapitation flake at the lip.

Typical action Rio Chillan

The falls are a logical takeout with easy access to the road 100 meters away. Portaging the falls is possible (best of river right) but looks like a real bitch over loose talus. A more wide open river is available below the falls and can be run for an additional 13 km to a downstream bridge at 450 meters elevation.

Short video clip of river by Jake Greenbaum

The IGM Topo map is titled Recinto F-111

Other nearby rivers include Diguillin, Renegado, Ñiblinto, Cato and Ñuble

Puente Ñirementum

This walk in creek is only runnable in winter or early spring in years with good snowpack or after periods of prolonged rainfall. (September/October) In the shadow of Volcan Callaqui, the principal source of this river is the Cordon Ñirementum (pronounced Nyreh-men-tum) and the volcano itself at 3164 meters.

To reach the put in take the Los Angeles exit off ruta 5 then head east up the Bio Bio drainage thru Santa Barbara and on the Ralco. In Ralco follow the gravel road north towards Trapa Trapa. After 35.4 km you come to Puente Ñirementum at lattidtude 37.715 and longitude 71.406 and elevation 700 meters.. The put-in is 5 km upstream where a foot bridge crosses the river. Start hiking at the caribinero station on river left side of bridge.

Hike is 2 hours and put in elevation is 848 meters. The 5 KM stretch averages 30 m/km of 150 FPM. Volume is around 300 CFS. The river is very continuous but with no big drops. The main danger are trees growing in the river.

Hike in view of river

Typical action Ñirementum

After the river continue up the Queuco 11 km to the Termas de Nitrao which are part of the Trapa Trapa community and worth a soak for $ 1000 pesos. We had lunch with local Cacique or headman 1 km upstream from the termas before heading back downstream.

Rodrigo and Kurt waiting for lunch

Mapuche woman arriving on horse to Temas De Nitrao

A topo map is useful for the area but not necessary. The 1:50,000 map is titled Queuco G-032.. Nearby rivers include Pangue, Duequeco, Quillaleo, and Laja but the best option is the Upper Queuco starting at swinging bridge 1 KM above Termas de Nitrao and taking out 9.4 km below the Malla Malla Canyon. This class 4* section can be done as a short day stretch or combined into a multi-day with middle and Lower Queuco for over 60 km of whitewater.

Rio Quillaleo

The Quillaleo has its headwaters in the Cordillera Tricauco with the most outstanding peak being the snowcapped behemoth Cerro Macizo 2224 meters above sea level.

For 20 years I had driven over the Huequecura on the way up the Bio Bio and always wondered what was upstream. Low water levels is what kept me from exploring but this year with a high snow pack and early season run off the river valley beckoned for some exploration. Rodrigo Tuschner had just returned from a season in Italy and joined me for some exploration. The lower elevation snowpack makes this river runnable in only the winter months of July to early spring. Most likely the river is not runnable after end of October, unless after a period of very sustained rainfall..

Rodrigo Tuschner at put-in

The logistics are easy. From the Los Angeles exit on Ruta 5 follow the paved road to Santa Barbara. From Santa Barbara continue west 15 KM towards Ralco. Turn left at the sign for El Huachi and follow the gravel road 15 km into El Huachi then another 4 km to the river and Puente Las Balsas. One km upstream is a low head dam with a class 4-5 rapid below it. Take out here or at another bridge 450 meters upstream. The elevation is 431 meters above sea level and GPS coordinates 37.652 south latitude and 71.713 degrees longitude. Beside the bridge is a house owned by Don Segundo Viviano Araya who provided us with local information and let us leave our bicycle for shuttle.

Takeout rapid below the damm

To reach the put-in continue driving upstream 3.7 KM and you will come to a metal gate Ruca Trayen. If the river gate is locked you have to park and continue walking upstream. From this point onwards you are in land belonging to the indigenous Mapuche community of Ayan Mapu so, although not populated, be respectful. On our descent we walked another 3 km upstream from the locked gate and put-in 500 meters above an abandoned campground at elevation 578 meters.

Collecting eggs with Don Segundo

I would estimate the flow at the put –in on our October 5, 2011 descent of 250 CFS which reached 400 CFS by takeout. The class 3 run drops 138 meters in 6.7 km for average gradient of 20 m/km or 100 FPM. There are no portages and the river is raft able if the level is strong.

Note: It is possible to continue walking or driving upstream another 7 km to the Estero Monton de Trigo at elevation 875 meters. The river tightens up in this section and drops an average of 45 m/km so should have class 4 and maybe some class 5 rapids at average of 225 FPM.

It is also possible to continue downstream from takeout another 14.6 km down the Huequecura to the Bio bio confluence at 283 meters. The confluence, however, is just upstream of the newest dam being built on the Bio Bio so as the dam is completed and starts to fill the lower reaches of the river (probably 5 km or more) will become a lake. We heard there are some small waterfalls on Upper Huequecura tributary but we did not have time to explore.

It is nice to have a 1:50,000-topo map of the region, which is G-031, titled Cordillera Tricauco.

Other nearby rivers include the Duequeco, Queuco, Ñirementum, Pangue and Laja.

Class five lead up to the waterfall

The takeout is only 90 km from Pucon so makes for a good day run or because of its high quality camping options, can be combined with other local runs to serve up a multi-day itinerary.

6 meter falls into the pothole

To arrive from Pucon first travel to Villarrica then turn north and follow interlagos road towards Cunco. Before reaching Cunco turn towards Lago Colico. A few kms before reaching the lake is a left hand turn that says Tres Horquetas and Codihue. Take this turn and pass a Pisicultura (fish farm). In 2 KM you will come to a bridge which is the simplest takeout option. At elevation 400 meters.

Continue 5 KM upstream to elevation 600 meters and put in where ever you have seen enough. The road can be very rough and muddy after a strom and will require 4 wheel drive in some spots and good clearance.

The 5 KM run drops 200 meters or 40 m/km average with the bulk of the class 4 action in the first 3 km tapering off to class 2. A good level is anything over 250 CFS.
In the first km you will come to a class 5 rapid leading into a 6 meter waterfall that lands in a pothole. This drop can not be seen from the road so take care approaching it. The right wall cliffs out so a portage on the right is not an option .

scouting on the first descent

This run requires a lot of rain so is only runnable after prolonged precipitation.

Other nearby runs include Trafampulli, Calbuco, Truful Truful and Curaco

Although a short run there are 3 overlapping topo runs that cover its course. Lago Huilipilun G-095, Nevados de Carburgua G-096 and villa Garcia G-085

Note: Although the topo maps indicate the river up the Codihue continues up and over mountains into the Allipen drainage, this is not the case. The road dead ends high up in Alto Codihue

Slide drop rapid

Waterfall

Scouting a big drop people are in upper right corner of foto

Mariann Saether first descent Rio Perez

Put-in on the Lago Christie and paddle to the outlet. This put-in is among the most beautiful in all of Chile, with a deep blue lake sparkling in the sun as we put on. The road is newly built and in a good condition. From the put-in, paddle downstream till the gradient eases, about 4 kms downstream. The character is pool-drop, and there are no portages, execpt from the 20 meter which is portaged on the left.  

Anne Hubner on Rio Perez

This river can definitely take some juice, so if rivers are high in the area, the Perez could be your local park-n-huck backyard pool-drop run… Just make sure you have a 4×4. First descented in February 2011 by Ron Fischer, Severin Haberling, Stefan Paetsch, Max Siech, Anne Hubner, Mariann Saether, Seppi Strohmeier and Jakub Sedivy.

Typical drop on Rio Bonito

The water is crystal clear and the bedrock channel makes for some classic drops.

To reach the put in exit Ruta 5 at Osorno and go 47 km to Entre Lagos. Here head south on road currently being paved for 25 km. turn left on gravel road and 25 km to shores of Lago Rupanco. Pass thru town of Piedras Negras and in 2 km cross Puente Bonito. Go 5.5 KM to Islote and here turn right. In 4.4 km turn right (just before Puente Frutillar) and go 400 meters to swinging bridge over the river. This is the takeout at GPS coordinates 40°54’52.89″S and 72°24’37.72″W. The altitude is 250 meters.

Put in under the bridge

To reach put in return back 400 meters and turn right. Cross over Puente Frutillar and proceed 2 km to the bridge over the Bonito.

Take out bridge

The river starts out calm but quickly walls up in a rain forest covered canyon. Drops come in quick progression and require careful scouting on the fishing trails. Portaging is possible but a pain in the ass. Towards the end of the canyon there a landslide has created a junky rapid.

On our Jan 22, 2011 first descent we had a flow of about 150 CFS which was on the low side but runnable. Another 100 CFS would make run optimal and my guess is that November/December is time to have guaranteed good flows or after heavy summer rains.

Puntiagudo view on way to the river

Topo map of area is called Cerro Puntiagudo IGM 035

Absolutely huge fish lurk in the pools so bring a rod and your A game.

Oher nearby rivers include Gol Gol, Petrohue and Pilmaiquen

Hike in to Pilmaiquen

From Ruta 5 take the Osorno exit and go east on paved road 47 km to town of Entre Lagos. From Entre Lagos the put in is reached by returning 5.3 KM and turning right in Pilmaiquen and proceeding 2 km´s to La Central. Cross over the dam wall and there is a place to park on right side just before coming to the gate to enter power plant. Walk into the magical, old growth forest on the left and walk about 200 meters and take second fork in trail to the left. It leads to some steps and another trail that leads down to old river corridor. Put in as soon as you have water and paddle out below the dam discharge and the main flow. From here it is almost one continuous class 3 wave train rapid to the takeout at Puente Rucatayo 7 km downstream. The GPS coordinates of this point are 40°38’17.88″S and 72°38’59.57″W.

Beginning of river

To get to the takeout return back to the paved road and turn right towards Osorno. Go 6.1 KM then turn right towards Rucatayo. The road forks and stay to left and you reach takeout bridge in 2 km. Cross bridge and enter a field. The obvious trail leads to a religious shrine so walk upstream about 150 meters to find the trail the reaches the river. Takeout GPS coordinates of this point are 40°36’56.81″S and 72°42’48.69″W

On our Jan 22, 2011 trip we had an estimated flow of 3000 CFS.. It was big and fun but there is no limit to how high you can run the river. Probably the bigger the better.

Giant Arrayan tree on hike-in

On a sad note the river could shortly be gone. Just above the takeout we came to a dam site buzzing with activity. Damm walls are already being built but a local told us the project will be halted for 1 year. This is a cool river so get it before it is gone.

Nearby town of Entre Lagos is a nice place. There is a great restaurant called K on Pedro de Valdivia 307.

Other nearby rivers include the Gol Gol, Iculpe and Rio Bueno

Topo map of region is titled Entre Lagos IGM 025

To reach the river from Ruta 5 take the paved road to Puerto Octay. From here travel east around the north side of the lake for 44 km. Take the gravel road to the left for 25 km. En route you will pass over Puente Blanco (which offers a short 2 km low volume run) and Puente Chapulco before traveling up the Coihueco drainage. We reached a locked gate on our Jan 2011 exploratory run so made this our takeout. At this point there is an unlocked side-road which leads down to the river. The GPS coordinates of this point are 40°57’35.22″S and 72°28’12.76″W and the elevation 275 meters. The flow we had in January at the takeout was around 500 CFS.

The giant Mañio tree that marks trail to put- in

To reach the put in we shouldered our boats and climbed over the fence and started walking upstream on a logging road. After 6 km a small hidden trail leads down to the river. The trail can be spotted as it is opposite a massive Mañio tree. Here the river is about 1/4th of the size as at the takeout but it quickly grows while heading downstream. Put in elevation is 340 meters.

Fields Marshall at put-in

The 7 km stretch drops on average 11 meters per kilometer or 55 FPM. Although lacking in whitewater the trip is a pleasant float through Chilean forest with lots of birds and camping opportunites.

Other nearby rivers include Petrohue, Bonito, and Rio Blanco de Coihueco

Topo map of area is titled Cabildo Rupanco IGM034 and Cerro Puntiagudo IGM 035

Put in Rio Blanco de Coihueco

To reach the river from Ruta 5 take the paved road to Puerto Octay. From here travel east around the north side of the lake for 44 km. Take the gravel road to the left for 10.8 KM and you will reach Puente Blanco. There is a pisicultura on the left so best to put in 100 meters downstream on river right. The GPS coordinates of this point are 40° 58´21.76¨S and 72°35´15.77¨W and elevation 250 meters.

To reach the takeout return 1.2 KM on gravel road and turn right right. Follow this secondary road 1.5 km to log bridge over the river. Part of this road is steep and might require 4 wheel drive. Takeout is at 200 meters elevation.

The 2 km stretch drops on average 25 meters per kilometer or 125 FPM. We ran the creek in mid January and it about 150 CFS which was low but reasonable.

There are no big rapids, a few dangerous logs but plenty of boogy water. The creek is by no means a classic but is on the same road as for the main Coihueco run so can easily be combined.

Other nearby rivers include Petrohue, Bonito, and Coihueco

Topo map of area is titled Cabildo Rupanco IGM034

Fields Marshall below first drop

This small volume creek has easy access and requires little water to make it runnable. The volcanic riverbed provides for multiple small waterfalls and in between continuous, boulder garden rapids.

Typical view on the Iculpe

From ruta 5 take the La union exit towards Rio Bueno and follow highway T-85, 50 kms to town of Lago Ranco on southern shore of lake of same name. Go east 2 km and you cross Puente Iculpe. Here the flows can look low but very little water is needed for the run upstream. Continue east 1.2 KM and turn right onto a road leading to Salto Los Mañios. Continue 7.2 km from this point and you will reach the takeout. The forest is very dense along the river and a small cliff band makes access and egress difficult. Every 200 meters there are small yellow km markings hanging on trees on right side of road as you head upstream but you need to be paying attention to see them. At km 7.2 there is a break in the barb wire fence just big enough for a car to enter. Immediately turn left and you will find a trail that heads some 200 meters down to the river where a small gauge is installed at On our scratchy Jan 21, 2011 first descent the gauge read just under 60 and I estimate the flow at 150 CFS. I would guess a perfect flow would be 65 to 70 on same gauge and around 300 CFS.

Sunset over Lang Ranco with views of Molcho Volcano to North

To reach the put in continue upstream 2 km from takeout and put in below the second bridge. The first bridge is over an un-named tributary.

Fields Marshall on upper Iculpe

The 2 KM stretch described here is class 4. Adding another 2 km below this takeout will provide non stop class 5 low volume creeking. Carefully choose your takeout or you might wind up on the 200 meter or 650 foot Salto Los Mañios…….

Topo map of area is called Lago Ranco IGM 016

Other nearby Rivers include Hueinahue, Riñinahue, Curringue, Canahue, Rio Bueno, and Nilahue.

Fileds Marshall below first drop of middle canyon

The river is crystal clear and offers boating opportunities from class 4-5 creeking, to bigger volume class 5 river running and finally mellow and scenic class 2-3 floating into the lake. The headwaters are in the 2000-meter peaks on the Argentine border and are more rain fed than snowmelt.

final drop in middle canyon

The drainage is in Chile´s Region de Los Rios and is best reached from the Futrono turn off on ruta 5, 17 km below Los Lagos. From here it is 44 km of paved road to Futrono on shores of Lago Ranco. Continue another 28 km on good paved road around the north shore of Lago Ranco to Llifén. From here it is another 35 km to Puerto Hueinahue at the mouth of the river and on the eastern side of Lago Mahuie. The elevation here is 81 meters above sea level.

The beautiful Lago Mahuie

The put in for the middle and lower sections is reached by following the new road upstream along the river. The lower put in is at a field, 6 km upstream just before the point where the road goes from flat to steep. From this point the river is class 2-3 boulder gardens all the way to the lake. We ran the river in mid January after several days of rain and had nice level of around 1800 CFS. The elevation at lower put in is 150 meters giving the 6 km stretch an average gradient of 12 m/km or 60 FPM.

Slide leading into falls on upper Hueinahue

If one continues upstream another 1.2 km you will cross over a log bridge over the Hueinahue Canyon with a thundering waterfall. It is here that one leaves the car. There is a small gate on the right leading up to the home of Antonio Rossi (cell phone 9-78541368) who is the caretaker for El Fundo La Encantado and after asking permission you can follow a trail down to La Junta, or the put-in for the middle stretch. Here the elevation is 200 meters and the one km stretch drops 50 m/km or 250 FPM. The rapids are big and long and interspersed with flat stretches. The first two rapids are solid class 5, followed by two class 3 rapids then one, long final class 5+ which at normal flows can not be portaged at river level. The middle stretch is more runnable when the lower stretch getting low.

Above the waterfall the main branch of Hueinahue is much lower volumen and more creek like. The Access requires shouldering the boat and walking up a good trail on river right. The river is bedrock and reminiscent of the Rio Nevados. A 3 km walk will provide 2 km of class 5 kayaking that averages 50 m/km.

The upper and lower sections of the river are best run in spring months of November/December and the middle section can be run lower.

The IGM topo map of the área is titled Hueinahue 018