A Whitewater guide to the rivers of chile
Draining the South Western flank of Volcan Llaima (3125 meters) is the deceivingly innocent Rio Calbuco. After meandering thru braided debris flows coming off the flanks of the volcano, the river tightens up at Puente Calbuco for it’s thundering 8 … Read More »
Boaters migrating down the Carretera Austral inevitably flock to the Piedra del Gato overlook to check out the Río Cisnes. For good reason, this roadside canyon is a great place to unwind and stretch your legs after circumventing the southwest … Read More »
Flowing warm and transparent out of Lago Pirehueico deep in the heart of Chile’s Lake District, the Fuy’s astonishing clarity is a sight to behold. With a dense canopy of coihue trees overhanging its banks, the river has an exotic, … Read More »
During our failed attempt to explore the headwaters of the Río Melado in December 1997 (a wicked high El niño year) , John Foss, Josh Lowry, Robby Dastin, and I came upon this little creek. Quebrada El Toro is a … Read More »
Bordering the northern edge of Parque Nacional Queulat, the Río Figueroa flows through a beautiful valley of old growth forest. Cordillera Queulat and Sierra Negra peek above the horizon. Excluding some excellent drops in the gorge above Puente Figueroa (which … Read More »
This description was written by Greg Moore The Clarillo’s clear water, fun class III pool-drop rapids, and lack of flat water make for an enjoyable run. This small drainage only has boatable flows in the spring when the desert is … Read More »
Without a doubt, the hydro-developed Río Pangal is one of the most radical whitewater stretches in Chile. The river is only runnable when the right amount of cold, silty water is released from the dam and allowed to churn through … Read More »
The Rio Jeinemeni flows through a very unique part of Chile. Located in Aiysen in the 11th Region of Southern Patagonia, the Jeinemeni is one of the upper tributaries of the Baker and empties its waters into South America´s second … Read More »
The terminator stretch combines big water playboating potential with the heart stomping option of running the gut of its biggest rapid terminator. The water is irridescent blue and generally warm and the scenery spectacular. Due to an upstream dam in … Read More »
This is a 9 km run with a drop of 124 meters or average of 16 m/km (80 FPM). Best run in spring or early summer when flows exceed 700 CFS but can also be run well into summer at … Read More »
Often overlooked amid all the class 3, 4 and 5 rivers to be found in Pucon, the class 2 Rio Tolten is big, beautiful and much warmer than the upstream rivers: Trancura and Liucura. The Rio Tolten is a scenic … Read More »
This description was actually written by kayaking legend Lars Holbek Salto del Soldado canyon sports a wild class V+ run through a imposing, vertiginous chasm. According to Chilean folklore, a soldier once jumped across the canyon on a horse! The … Read More »
The lower Trancura is Pucón’s local playground and sports the most popular day raft trip in the country. This section of river is also popular with Kayakers, duckies, shredders and Hidrospeed river boards. On any given summer day dozens of … Read More »
Another run in Pucon area this one is pretty small and is therefore called an Estero instead of a Rio. Apart from the Ojos de Carburgua and the infamous “MP” this is probably the most popular park and huck. From … Read More »
The Florin is a seldom run, low volume creek in Lago Ranco region known for its stout falls. It is reached by driving up the Florin from town of Futrono. Some slightly ghetto hot springs add to the attraction. Fotos … Read More »
This river, although interesting, is not worth going out of your way for. If you are in the Pucon area and more specifically up near the headwaters of the Liucura near the “Los Posones” or Termas de Huife hot springs … Read More »
Flowing off of the permanent snow fields of Sollipulli is an ice cold tributary of the upper Maichin. It is short, not very difficult but incredibly beautiful. I ran this with Zack “Del Sapo” Cowen in early December 2004 I … Read More »
This novelty run is only for those curious folks who are in the Pucon area and have already done every river imaginable. It is one of dozens of rivers named Rio Blanco in Chile. I first looked at this river … Read More »
Accumulating first in a lake on the flanks of Volcan Tolhuaca, the Rio Malleco then plunges off a breathtaking 50 meter (165′) falls before starting its western journey towards the Pacific Ocean. It is at the base of Salto Malleco … Read More »
The Ventisqueros is a seldom run glacial torrent born on a spectacular hanging glacier in Parque Nacional Quelat about 220 KM south of the town of Futaleufu in Chile’s XI Region. It is an attractive option to break up the … Read More »