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

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

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

Lago Colico gets it juice from the Rio Trafampulli (see description on this site) which flows off the south flank of Nevados de Sollipulli and several smaller rivers such as the Namoncahue which come off the Cerros de Quelhue. The river can be run without a topo map but for orientation purposes the 1:50,000 topo is titled Lago Huilipilun 3900-7200 (Lattitude/Longitude).

The river is two hours from Pucon and is best approached from Villarrica on the new paved portion of the Interlagos road to Pedregoso (12KM). From here one turns right and follows interlagos gravel road approximately 40 KM to the north. Follow signs to Cunco and make a right (still ruta interlagos) and go 1 KM to bridge called Puente Pitrunco # 2 at elevation 300 meters. On the north side of the bridge is a campground called Fisquen-Coyam which we used as a put-in. This point is 2 KM below the exit of the lake. If one continues north on same road it is about 17 km until one hits pavement then another 9 km into Cunco (if coming from North come in from Cunco)

To reach the takeout go 1 KM south from the bridge and turn right (west). One takeout point is approximately 7-8 km. There is a small dirt road going to the river soon after the river first becomes visible from the road the serves a cable crossing over the river (elevation 235 meters). Another option is to continue downstream another 6 km to confluence with Allipen river (elevation 180 meters).

Expect the upper stretch to take 1-1/2 hours and an additional hour for the lower. A good flow for running the river is 25-50 cubic meters per second or 750 to 1500 CFS. Average gradient is 8.5 m/km or 45 FPM

French kayaker Valentin Grollemund

I first started looking at this creek in 1995 but it was not until 2009 that I was able to get back to run it. Equipped with a good topo map, several days of rain, a good group and a newly constructed access road everything fell into place to add another class 4-5 steep creek to the countless options in the Pucon area.

In the canyon of the Trafanpulli

The river is a bit of a geological mystery as it comes within 400 meters of entering Lago Caburgua but then swings northwest and continues another 12 KM before entering Lago Colico. At very high flows some water spills into a flood channel and indeed enters Lago Carburgua. This unique feature means that one river can split and feed two distinct drainages that each runs its parallel course before once again joining each other 80 km downstream where the Allipen joins the Tolten.

To get to the river from Pucon there are two options. Both options take more than two hours although neither option is more than 140 KM. Option 1 is go west to Villarrica and cross over Tolten bridge on main road towards Temuco. Immediately turn right and follow newly constructed road to Pedregozo. From there continue north either on the Interlagos road or the road towards Los Laureles. At a T junction turn right towards Lago Colico and follow its north shore to Puerto Trafanpulli. Continue east and you will begin passing over bridges over the Rio Trfanpulli. Each has a sign with its own bridge number.

The other option is leave Pucon and go east to Curarrehue then north up the Machin valley thru Reigolil and westward down to the Trafanpulli.

Elevations of bridges 2-5 are as follows along with distance between them.

Bridge 2 is at 359 meters and it is 3 km to bridge 3 at 393 meters elevation. It is then 5 km to bridge 4 at 424 meters elevation and another 6.9 km to bridge # 5 at 481 meters elevation. Whitewater is minimal on the bridge to bridge sections but logistics are simple. For the real whitewater us bridge 5 as takeout and proceed east on main road for about 3 km. There will be a turn off to the left with a sign “Al Cercon”. Most likely this gate will be locked and you will need to park the vehicle, climb over the fence and begin hiking with all your gear. After hiking for 3 km (40 minutes) and climbing 200 vertical meters you will come to gravel road forking off to the left with a sign saying “El Zapato”. Follow this road for approximately ½ km as it descends down to a bridge over the river.

This section of river is 4 km down to bridge number 5. The put in is at around 685 meters. We chose to get off the river about 1 km prior to bridge # 5 where we could see the road and from there walked back to get our vehicle 1 KM upstream. The 3 km stretch we ran dropped 185 meters for average gradient of 62 MPK or 310 FPM. We had a estimated flow of 250 CFS which was scratchy and a bit disconcerting at the beginning but as the river quickly channelized in a mature bedrock canyon, the flow proved to be acceptable. Another 100 CFS would be optimal but anything over 500 CFS would be too high. There were 2 short portages that may have been runnable with a little extra juice otherwise the drops were continuous and clean with the largest being a 5 meter falls. For the intrepid boat hiker the maps indicate an additional 2 km stretch upstream with average gradient of 50 mpk but one 300 meter section where river drops 50 meters that must be peppered with waterfalls.

I have seen the river in late January and it had the same flow as when we did it on a rainy spring day on December 1st. For that reason I would guess the run is boatable thru the summer months as the main source of water is snowmelt and groundwater.

Note: Take food and beer and fill your vehicles tank as the nearest stores are at least an hour away.

Other nearby rivers include Blanco de Caburgua, Solipulli, and Truful Truful

Topo maps are very useful and 1:50,000 are available from the IGM Instituto Geographica Militar. The river spills onto two maps with titles being Nevados De Caburgua G-06 and Lago Caburgua 3900-7145

Float this headwater run when the river is swollen from snowmelt. Below the confluence with the Río Rucanuco, the Bío-Bío opens up to broad vistas of the surrounding countryside. For the next 50-60 km, cattle graze in the adjacent fields while you float through occasional class II rapids. Approximately 10 km upstream from Lonquimay, a surprise series of angled ledge drops require precise maneuvering in a raft.

To find the headwater lakes, drive east from Victoria, 614 km south of Santiago, to Lonquimay. From Lonquimay, drive southeast approximately 75 km toward Laguna de Gualletué (Mapuche for “land where the oak trees grow”) and the Pehuenche town of Icalma. An alternate route to Icalma leads east from Temuco through Cunco and Melipeuco. Put in on Laguna de Icalma (Mapuche for “clean as a mirror”) out of which the Río Rucanuco flows, or turn off just before the lake at a sign pointing towards Laguna de Gualletué and the Bío-Bío. Numerous dirt tracks and a lack of signs can lead to confusion. Persistence will pay off by staying on the main two-wheel track and continuing north toward the distant hills approximately 10 km from the turnoff. The elevation at put in is 1145 meters.

The takeout is reached by returning to Lonquimay and driving north 20 km to the put-in at Balsadero Caracoles. This 100 KM class II•III run is best in spring or early summer but I have seen it in early February and it still looked boatable. Flows range from 1000 to 5000 CFS and average gradient is 4 mpk or 20 FPM making it suitable for multi-day family raft trip. The fishing is very good so bring a rod.

Nearby rivers include Llanquen and the Cautin. A gate on a private road prevents access from the lower Bio Bio and other tribuataries such as Queuco, Lomin, Ralco and Chalquivin.

Topo maps titled • Laguna de Icalma, Liucura, Laguna Marinanqui, Lonquimay

Narrow stretch of river visible from the road

The Bío-Bío valley was the southern terminus of the Spanish colonial empire. Excluding a few coastal settlements, the conquistadors never subdued the inland Mapuches, who held fast for nearly 300 years by fiercely defended their homeland. They were one of the few indigenous tribes in the Americas to withstand the Spanish onslaught, maintaining a traditional lifestyle long after Chilean independence in 1821.

Two of the six proposed dam sites in the Bío-Bío watershed, Huequecura and Aguas Blancas, are situated along this section of the river. If built, these dams would flood most of the run. Plans for the lowest hydroelectric site, Quitramen, include a four-dam complex that would inundate the floodplain between Santa Barbara and the Pan American Highway.

From Los Angeles, 517 km south of Santiago, drive 3 km south on the Pan American Highway, then turn east on the paved road to Santa Barbara. Continue upstream 42 km to the put-in at the confluence with the Río Queuco at elevation 330 meters. Take out at Puente Quilaco, 1 km upstream from Santa Barbara elevation 145 meters. To decrease the amount of flatwater, take out 16 km upstream from Santa Barbara immediately after passing under a concrete arch spanning the narrow canyon. You will have a short, strenuous climb to reach the highway.

This 40 km stretch is best run in high water spring runoff but is adequate for year round paddling. With average gradient of 5 mkm or 26 FPM the river provides plenty of puch and play oppourtunites with springtime flows exceeding 10,000 CFS.

Topo maps of region Laguna de la Laja • Loncopangue, Rucalhue

Dillo whitewater

The land owner’s name and phone number is Raul Coulon Lopez 89224878

To reach takeout from Puente Dillo continue west on paved road but after only 100 meters go straight onto the gravel road and follow it 8 km to Rari Ruca bridge on the Cautín at 420 meters elevation. There is a fluvial gauge on the north side of bridge. This 8 km stretch of class 3 and 4 whitewater drops 80 meters for average drop of 10 mkm or 50 FPM. After 2 km on the Dillo it joins with Rio Blanco doubling the flow then after another 4 km joins with Cautín. The takeout is 2 km downstream at Puente Rari Ruca. There is a fluvial gauge on the north west side of the bridge and on our mid November first descent it registered 7 (possibly .7 as it was hard to read).

A for sure radical class 5 adventure lies upstream. 22 additional km of as yet un-run river remain virgen. A potential put in for this stretch is on the major tributary at Puente Corcoludo which can be reached via the unpaved road to Termas Tolhuaca at an elevation of 1063 meters. Bed rock sluice boxes, heavy vegetation will makes this a time intensive venture. If someone gives it a go please let me know how it worked out.

Use topo map 1:50,000 scale of the area titled Curacautín G-063

Other nearby rivers include Cautín, Blanco del Sur, Blanco de Cautín, Captren, Truful Truful, Calbuco and Quepe

Approach to the falls

Roger and Emilio scouting the falls

To reach the put in from Temuco take ruta 5 north to Lautaro then to Curacautín. At the eastern edge of the town follow signs to RUTA INTERLAGOS or Parque Nacional Congillio. Follow the road until you reach Puente Blanco Del Sur. Immediately after the bridge turn right on a gravel road and follow it 400 meters until you reach the wooden bridge over Captren. Put in here by seal launching off the bank.

To reach the takeout continue approximately 5-6 km downstream and find a gravel road to the right that leads to the old bridge over the Cautín River.

On the 6 km run the first 2 km has swift moving clear water passing through a densely forested mini canyon. Some class 3 rapids quickly turn to the class 5+ Captren falls. At 7 meters in height these falls need just the right flow to safely make it to the lip with multiple holes, fallen trees and volcanic razor rocks guarding the approach.

After either running or portaging (a bit difficult but possible) the falls the river enters a 30 meter deep canyon and within a few meters enters the big water of the Cautín.

Other nearby rivers: Quepe, Truful Truful, Alpehue, Queupude, Calbuco, Blanco del Sur, Cautín.

I would recommend a 1:50,000 scale topo map of the area titled Curacautín G-063

Tolhuaca Volcano view from put in