A Whitewater guide to the rivers of chile
Rio Macaé is a river in Brasil within three hours by car from Rio De Janiero. Rio Macaé that stretches approximately 136 kilometers from its source in Nova Friburgo to its mouth in the city of Macaé. Rio Macaé is … Read More »
This springtime gem is full on micro kayaking. Bring a good crew, bring your A game and expect to spend a long day scouting and setting safety. A full face mask and body armor are highly recommended. After finishing the … Read More »
This Winter/Spring run flows of the northwestern flanks of Volcan Tolhuaca 2806 meters and forms the border between Chile´s 8 th Region Bio Bio and The Arauacanía 9th region. Most of the river lies within the Reserva Nacional Malleco The … Read More »
Meaning rainbow in local language the Huepíl is nailbiting run through an overlooked part of Chile´s 8th region… The river would normally have paltry flows in summer months but due to hydrological rerouting water from both the Rio Molcho and … Read More »
Jared Seiler dropping the “Suavemente” aka “Purty Thirty” at the start of the Lower section. 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 … Read More »
A classic multi-day run in Chiles South Central Andes which has all the good stuff you want in a river trip. The river flows basically south through the Reserva Nacional Ñuble in Chile´s 8th region. Towering snow peaks provide for … Read More »
A Native Mapuche word perhaps meaning ¨rock magic¨ Cura-rock, Calcu-witchcraft 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 … Read More »
The Ñiblinto is a newly found classic flowing of the NorthWest flank of the Chillan Volcano in Chile´s Central Andes. The class 4-5 run features crsytal-clear, cold water and a mature granite streambed. Apart from one misplaced tree all drops … Read More »
This is a gem that is well worth to drive south for. About half an hour before you get to Villa O`higgins you will cross the river on your way on the Carretera Austral. Rio Mayer flows lazily under the … Read More »
The Rio Bonito is a new classic in Chilean creek boating. Although short, the river packs a hell of a punch in its 2 km canyon. The river is born at the base of Cerro Puntiagudo (2190 meters) and flows … Read More »
A new classic flowing off the northern flanks of the Puyehue Volcano (2240 meters) in Chile’s Region de Los Rios. The river feeds into southern shore of Lago Ranco. Fields Marshall below first drop This small volume creek has easy … Read More »
The Hueinahue makes a bold statement 7.5 KM before it enters Lago Mahuie. Here the river tumbles over a spectacular bedrock falls before joining the Rio Remahue and flowing into the lake. The Rio Remahue (which contains about two thirds … Read More »
Most people think of the Bio Bio River drainage and envision the three large dams choking a once magnificent river. While true, smaller volume, free-flowing, whitewater opportunities are still abundant in the Bio Bio watershed. Once such gem is the … Read More »
The Rio Las Truchas is one of the few multi-day river trips in Chile and features both outstanding whitewater and spectacular scenery. It is an upper tributary of the Ñuble River (see separate description) and needs to be run with … Read More »
A rumbling steep creek coming off the permanent snowfields of Nevados de Solipulli is the Rio Trafanpulli. In local Mapadungo language the meaning is “junction of the valleys”. French kayaker Valentin Grollemund I first started looking at this creek in … Read More »
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 »
Volcanic ash and cinders blanket the Río Cajón basin, which lies downwind from Volcán Hudson (1369 m). After laying dormant for twenty years, Hudson erupted in August 1991 wreaking considerable property damage and environmental change in Chile Chico and western … 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 »
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 »