Day 1 Friday: Depart your hometown
Overnight flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina
Day 2 Sarturday: Travel to Trevelin, Argentina Patagonia
Welcome to the warmth of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, with an early arrival in Buenos Aires. Change airports with a taxi or shuttle bus and catch another flight to Esquel, Argentina. Taxi 45 minutes to Trevelin, Argentina, a charming mountain village just 45 minutes from the border and from the Futaleufu River in Chile. If you prepay, ExChile can meet all of your transportation needs until we pick you up at the Argentine-Chilean border the following day. Check into the Casa de Piedra hotel and walk to one of several Argentine restaurants with the Chilean Andes in view. Relax, unwind, and get a good night’s sleep before the start of your trip the next morning.
Day 3 Sunday: Raft from the near the border to Campo Tres Monjas
After a relaxing night's sleep at a hotel in the quaint Welsh town of Trevelin, deep in Argentinian Patagonia, we begin this exciting trip with a taxi to the Chilean-Argentine border, where an ExChile representative meets you. We are now in the Futaleufu Valley. After clearing customs, you will meet your guides and change into our river gear. Your luggage will be whisked away and will magically show up at your RiverNest cabin at our river Eco-Camp. Our first day on the river will be on the introductory Las Escala section. After our guides introduce you to safety and paddling skills on the river, we will encounter a section of mild class II water flowing through the Las Escalas valley. A couple of hours later, the river shows its wild side and we encounter Zeta and Throne Room, two of the most challenging (Class V+) rapids on the Futaleufu. We will study and portage both rapids. After the portages, the action starts with the section called "The Wild Mile," which contains Tres Islas (III), Roller Coaster (III), Honorable Mention (IV minus), Wild Mile (IV minus), and the climatic “Thing.” The excitement continues until we get to the confluence of the Futaleufu and Azul Rivers. We take out on the unspoiled beach at our Campo Tres Monjas, where a stunning Patagonian peak stands guard. You will be given a tour of the trails leading to the sauna, showers, gear drying shed, bathrooms, and dining hall. This idyllic spot will serve as the take-out and put-in for your activities for the rest of the week's adventures. This setting is arguably one of the most stunning on the river. Relax in the sauna and prepare for a sit-down meal.
Day 4 Monday: Rafting Terminator Section and the Heart of the Futaleufu
Today has to be one of the most fun and action packed days of rafting anywhere on Earth. We take off from our sand beach at camp and head downstream to a couple of warm up rapids before the river takes on an extremely powerful nature with the longest rapid on the Futa, Terminator (Class V). Just below, we'll negotiate the hydraulic hole-filled Khyber Pass (Class IV+) and the Himalayas (Class IV), which has perhaps the biggest standing waves in the hemisphere. After lunch, we run another complete section - Bridge to Bridge - which is the heart of the Rio Futaleufu. This section, from the Zapata swinging bridge to the Puente Futaleufu, includes five miles of Class IV+ rafting action. Rapids such as Entrada, Pillow, Tiburon, and Mundaca - which has a must-see explosion hole - will keep you on your toes. The action is non-stop and the calm between the rapids is short. This is world class rafting at its best! Even our most experienced river runners tell us that they have never seen such continuous non-stop action. After the trip we return to our Campo and take advantage of our sauna and massage room to work out sore muscles you might have after a big day of paddling.
Day 5 Tuesday: Lower Futaleufu Rafting: The Heart of the Futaleufu and Casa de Piedra
We take off from the beginning of the Heart of the Futaleufu. This is the action-packed section from the day before that includes five miles of Class IV+ rafting action. As we begin our final section of river today, we will thread through the aptly named Mas o Menos rapid, preparing for the magical and daunting Casa de Piedra rapid. Casa - as the rapid is commonly referred to by our expert guides - is a long class V rapid appropriately named for the house size rock that must be navigated before we fly down through a maze of truck-sized holes and waves. The take-out is across the river from a spectacular cliff wall, and glaciers tower in the distance. We then return to the Campo and to the RiverNest cabins.
Day 6 Wednesday: Rafting Infierno to Las Escalas
Infierno Canyon is the most demanding, committing, and hazardous section of the Futaleufu, and it is the highlight of our Patagonia rafting program! (It is also optional.) If you feel that you have rafted enough, however, a multi-sport activity (i.e. sea kayaking, whitewater kayak lessons, mountain biking, or trekking) can also be scheduled. To raft this section safely, the river levels must be ideal. You must also have rafted the "Bridge to Bridge" section with us and have met all of our safety requirements. We put in at the Río Espolon bridge and raft to the the confluence with the Futaleufu River. At the Gates of Inferno, we enter the "Infierno Canyon" with several consequential and continuous Class V drops. After an exciting morning of rafting in the Inferno canyon, the river widens with spectacular views of Las Escalas Valley. At the take out of Las Escalas, a vehicle will be waiting to take you directly to the border for an early evening taxi back to your hotel in Trevelin. Shower and go out on the town for a delicious dinner.
Day 7 Thursday: Return to Capital City
Depending on your connections, you are ready for an early departure from your hotel to the Esquel airport in a cab, and for your Thursday afternoon flight back to Buenos Aires.
Day 8 Friday: Continue your adventure in Argentina or return home from Buenos Aires
Campo Tres Monjas
Interactive Map of Campo Tres Monjas
Condor Nest Ranch
| Price and Departure Dates |
Active Days: Four Full Days
Price per Person: Single Occupancy 2,595 USD (if available)
Price per Person: Double Occupancy 2,195 USD
Scheduled Departure Dates: Activity Calendar
Your described itinerary, guiding, instruction, specialized equipment, and all transportation from your trip pick-up point to your trip drop-off point, all accommodation (RiverNest Cabins are double occupancy), all meals, and wine with dinner. (To see the gear that we provide, please check the packing list of your activity.)
Multisport Choices: If you have a scheduled multisport activity or if the river is too high to run, the group can decide to participate in the following activities: Beginning Kayaking / Inflatable Kayaking (Class II-III) / Trekking / Sea Kayaking / Mountain Biking.
All pre and post-trip enroute transportation, food, and hotel(s).
Once you are on an ExChile trip, you should incur no extra expenses unless you’d like laundry services, massages, gifts, or alcohol beyond what is included. If you would like to add multisport activities that are not listed as options on your itinerary, we are happy to cater to your wishes, though these activities may be subject to an additional charge. These additional activities include fly fishing, horseback riding, and canyoning.
Weather and River Flow: ExChile will work to make your trip a total success, though your trip itinerary may vary based on unforeseen circumstances related to weather, river levels, or to other unpredictable variables. Given that the weather in Patagonia and the water level of the Rio Futaleufu can change, some runs may be dangerous at certain points in time. However, our experienced guide staff will work closely with you to determine the optimal substitute option, if relevant. If you have any concerns, please feel free to reach out to ask us more about potential risks and options.
Transportation: Expediciones Chile and G & G Travel and Tours are not financially responsible for travel complications associated with arriving at your trip pick-up point or returning home from the trip drop-off point. However, we will be your relentless ally 24/7 in offering our influence to help solve any issues that you may encounter en route. This is our part of the world and we are very well connected. Our clients provide significant business for the transportation services that we recommended, and they know that we aggressively represent our guests in finding solutions while they are en route to ExChile trips. We also recommend purchasing travel insurance.
