A Whitewater guide to the rivers of chile
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 »
This Río Claro was the former training site of the U.S. Olympic slalom kayak team. The gringos are gone, but a few of the slalom gates remain upstream of Puente Los Queñes. Even if you’re not a racer, it’s fun … Read More »
How many Rio Claros are there in Chile? Quien sabe. The conquistadors could have been a little more creative with their claros. For example, how about: Muy Claro, Tan Claro, Clarito, Clarissimo, or the Mapuche word “Aluminé,” meaning “one sees … 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 lower Volcán is a much easier version of the upper run. Although this turbid river maintains its steep, continuous gradient, the rapids lack the intensity of those upstream. The best drops, located near the take-out, never get more difficult … 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 »
This Río Colorado, one of 37 by the same name in central Chile, is a churning quagmire down to its confluence with the Río Aconcagua. It is a good run to do when Salto del Saldado is frighteningly high. Tight … 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 »
The Rio San Pedro (SP) is one of Chile’s premier play kayak/rafting runs through and which descends through a spectacular, yet threatened, river corridor. Draining a series of five major lakes the SP has guaranteed year round flows and relatively … Read More »
The Longaví is a short but attractive option for class 3-4 boaters. Located in the 7th region, the Longaví has a nice flow in winter, spring and early summer and is best run before January. It’s crystal clear waters are … 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 »
I first ran the Río Blanco back in 1991 with John Foss. We had come across the river while driving south to Futaleufú. I had not seen the river again until December of 2008 when I returned to area to … Read More »
For years I had heard rumors of a waterfall infested river in the South of Chile named the Río Negro. This year I ran into a Swiss boater named Toro who not only had heard of the river but in … Read More »
The Diguillín River (pronounced Dee-Gee-Yin) is a low volume winter/spring run in Chile’s 8th region. Having a granite streambed, crystal clear water, and fun pool-drop rapids, makes the Diguillín an attractive springtime option. Nestled into a canyon at the base … Read More »
The Río Clarillo is a high-quality springtime creek run in the Santiago area. The beauty of the Clarillo (like its name implies) is its crystal clear waters tumbling unimpeded over granite boulders. Unlike the other runs in the Santiago area, … Read More »