A Whitewater guide to the rivers of chile
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 »
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 »
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 »
Estero Lechoso is an intense, class V+ committing run of great beauty. Directly below the put-in lies a majestic, runnable slot canyon with a navigable cataract at the bottom. The river then meanders for a couple of hundred meters until … 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 »
The Río Los Maitenes is only recommended for that paddler who loves the commitment of a slot canyon, is willing to climb on crumbly rock, and thrash through thick, inpenetrable thorn bushes. At medium-to-high flows, you will have to endure … Read More »
The Río Avilés is my favorite of the many streams that empty into Lago General Carrera. First explored by Arnd Schaeftlein, Bernd Sommer, Josh Lowry, Dave Kashinski, Oliver Grau, and Manuel Arnu in January 1996, this committing trip requires a … Read More »
While paddling down the still free flowing stretch of the Upper Bío-Bío, the magnificent view of Volcán Callaqui (3050 m) first comes into view at the confluence with the Río Llanquén. This little drainage offers a fun, short, steep creek … 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 »
The run is 4km long with average gradient of 165 FPM. Put in is at 1100 meters at Salto Las Chilcas and takeout is at the ENDESA reservoir 975 meters. Class 4 +/5- run best in spring and summer. The … 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 »
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 »
Vertical ramparts of columnar basalt tower above the Río Colorado, the Lontué’s major tributary. Compared to the Lontué, the Colorado is cold, turbid, and a much greater whitewater challenge. Coursing through sequentially layered lava flows run amok, the river cuts … Read More »
For ambitious boat hikers, Cajón de González is an outstanding whitewater gem featuring adrenaline packed rapids from start to finish. Below two runnable 3 m waterfalls on Estero de Las Tragedias, the action heats up when the canyon walls narrow. … Read More »
The upper Volcán is a cold, raging, silty flush plummeting out of the high Andes. Tight and pushy, its churning waters feature some of the most continuous action in Chile. Emplaced from landslides, the rapids seem to be in perpetual … 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 »
A trip up the Cochamó valley is an incredible experience. Tumbling from the massive granite domes of Cerro Torrecillas (2164 m) and Cerro Cuernos Del Diablo (1920 m) is one of Chile’s most extreme kayak runs. For the true adrenaline … Read More »