Futaleufú Whitewater & Multisport

After arriving to the San Carlos de Bariloche airport from Buenos Aires, a Knowmad Adventures representative will meet you at the Bariloche airport and escort you to the “Switzerland of the South” that lies on Lake Nahuel Huapi. Check in to a lovely hotel with lake views located within walking distance of town. Your afternoon can be spent swimming, walking around town, shopping for Argentina’s famous leather goods, sampling Bariloche’s delicious chocolate or going for a walk along the lakefront. There is also an option to go for a longer hike near Bariloche’s ski resort. In the evening we will gather for a group welcome dinner at one of our favorite restaurants where you can indulge in an Argentinean steak off the parilla while getting to know your guides and fellow adventurers. After the short flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas, Patagonia, transfer from the airport to Hotel Rey Don Felipe (www.hotelreydonfelipe.com). Enjoy a welcome dinner while your trip leader briefs the group.

Awaken on the banks of the Fu and enjoy your first morning in camp! We rise with the warmth of the sun and have breakfast around 9 am. A pre-breakfast yoga class is available on our customized yoga platform with river views! Mornings tend to be crisp so prepare to dress warmly – a fleece is perfect. Today is a river day. We will launch our rafts from base camp after a thorough safety briefing. In a safe ‘eddy’, a short distance downstream, we’ll do a set of practice rescue drills. This allows the crew in each raft to hone their skills and prepare to raft as a team.

We use a cataraft combined with ace safety-kayakers as part of our “safety net.” Each raft is captained
by a highly trained and intuitive river guide, who guides the boat from a stern-mounted oar frame. Guiding with oars does not detract from the paddling experience. The advantage to the oar frame is greater control in pointing the bow straight through holes and 15-foot high “haystack” wave trains. High siding is also an actively used “paddle” command. This style is consistent with any high volume, strong current river where rapids graded 4 to 5-plus rage on. This is the Futaleufú!

Today we become experts at navigating our very own river crafts, known as inflatable kayaks or IK’s. If there is interest, before we paddle we will have a chance to stroll around the quaint little town of Futaleufú.

We venture up canyon to the source of the Rio Espolon as it cascades out of the Lago Espolón to find gin clear water and gentle class 2 and 3 rapids that offer a perfect learning opportunity to become a great captain of your own boat. There is something deeply satisfying paddling your own boat down river, knowing that your destiny is in your own hands. Of course our highly trained guides will be there to coach you, watch over you and provide safety should you need to be rescued. Or if you’d like you can join a guide on a miniature raft known as a pickle boat for an exciting ride along with a guide. The Rio Espolon is one of the major tributaries to the Futaleufu river and flows into the Fu right above the Inferno canyon which is where we take-out in the early afternoon. For those ready to try out a hard shell kayak, this is the perfect class 2-3 river to do it on!

• B, L, D – Adventure Spa Basecamp

Today, we must be mentally and physically well prepared for the river. We call it the “summit day” as we aim to top our already great paddling days with the best day of white water in the world. After a nutritious breakfast, we head up river to the footbridge where we left the rafts yesterday. As our day on the river begins, the blue glacial run-off from the Rio Azul River merges into the Fu from the right. The views of the snow capped mountain peaks and jagged ridges of the mountain “Las Tres Monjas” (translated, “the three Nuns”) are absolutely breathtaking. A six-kilometer stretch of warm-up rapids leads us to the longest and toughest rapid that we will raft, “The Terminator.” We scout and study our line, then we take the plunge and drop in. “Left turn, right turn, dig it in —

hard forward!” are a few of the commands that might be heard. The next three miles are non-stop rapids. After an aerobic workout, we pump through the enormous haystack wave train known as the “Himalayas”.

Just when we need it, a calm returns and we float gently into lunch, served at our base camp. After lunch, we return to the river to complete the last task for the day, tackling as much white water as possible. We raft the whole section of river from camp to below Casa de Piedra. At take-out, cold beers and tea are waiting. We make a triumphant return to camp to celebrate our days spent exploring the Futaleufú Valley and its majestic river.