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DAY 1: Travel
You will leave the United States and travel to Santiago, Chile.
DAY 2: Santiago, Puerto Montt, Chaiten
Arrive in Santiago, pass through customs, and transfer to flight to Puerto Montt. At Puerto Montt we board a twin-engine, 18-passenger plane and fly over fjords and mountains to the small fishing village of Chaiten. We have a welcoming dinner that evening at our hotel.
NOTE: Those who arrive in Puerto Montt before noon will have time to take a taxi into Porto Montt for lunch. Porto Montt is a coastal town situated on the inner end of the 20-mile long Reloncovi Sound. It is a fun place to visit, and perhaps buy some local handmade goods.
DAY 3: Chaiten, Rio Futaleufu, Terminator Camp
We board a comfortable Mercedes bus and drive three hours past rivers, lakes and snow-capped mountains to our put-in on the lower Futaleufu.
After
lunch, those who want to run the Class V stretches of the river take
a swim test and flip drill. This drill is a good way of determining
if you are capable AND willing to run Class V rapids. Then we all run
a series of solid Class IV rapids, including Puente Colgante, Mundaca
and Alfombra Magica. In the early afternoon we take out and drive to
the Terminator Camp trail head and hike a mile to camp. Our gear is
hauled in an ox cart.
Terminator Camp is the first of four wonderful camps on our trip. It is located on over a mile of privately owned riverfront and sits on a bluff overlooking the river. The camp has 12 private, two-person, hand-hewn cliff dwellings, each with beds and a bird’s-eye view of the river. At the center of the camp is a large cypress deck where we can meet, visit, and stare at the beautiful stretch of river below us. The camp also has hot showers, flush toilets, and a covered dining area in the event of rain.
DAY 4: Terminator Camp, The River, Cave Camp
Those wanting to run Class V whitewater will hike for half an hour and then drive to the put-in for the upper river. The river here runs through Infierno Canyon, with sheer rock walls rising hundreds of feet above the water. The world-class rapids, as wild as any rapids run commercially anywhere, include Infierno, Purgatorio, and Escala De Jacobo. Each rapid, while very challenging, is followed by a pool of slow water. These pools are great for rescue and recovery if we should have swimmers.
Those who choose not to run the Class V rapids can hike or ride horses down the river, and meet the rafters for lunch.
After lunch we all raft down to Campo Casa de Piedra, or House Rock Camp, a 1,000 acre private preserve. The place gets its name from a massive slab of white granite that rests on two boulders, creating a cave-like interior of over 1,600 square feet. In front of the shelter is a lovely spring-fed pond named Laguito Azul, or Little Blue Lake. We will have kayaks, and the water is so incredibly clear that kayaking on it feels more like we are floating on air. Swimming below us 30-fee we can see trout and salmon weighing up to 25 pounds.
From camp we can walk down to scout Zeta, the most spectacular rapid
on the river. At high flows Zeta is unrunnable. At its
easiest it is solid Class V. Those who wish to run the rapid
do so. The rest walk a short distance downstream to Cave Camp. Cave
Camp features a smooth pothole carved by the river that has been made
into a hot tub that can hold twelve people easily. Soaking in
the tub at night, beneath the southern stars, is a real treat. Sleeping
quarters are a series of private nooks perched along the river, overlooking
Zeta. This camp also has flush toilets and showers.
DAY 5: Cave Camp, Tyrolean Traverse, Tree House Camp
We begin the day setting up a Tyrolean Traverse across the river.
Those who want to can don a climbing harness, and pull themselves along
a rope suspended above Zeta Rapid. This is a safe yet exhilarating
experience. It is also optional. Those who choose not to use
the traverse can cross the river in rafts. A moderately strenuous
hike past waterfalls and through an old growth hardwood forest follows
this to Lake of the Frogs, a 10-acre lake offering swimming, canoeing
and fishing. Here we find Tree Camp, which features a gazebo
for meeting and eating, a hot tub, and beautiful tree houses. A
master carpenter who used no nails built these houses.
After rest, relaxation, swimming, etc., we take an afternoon hike to a scenic overlook that offers us 360 degree vistas of snow capped peaks, lakes, and seven miles of the Futaleufu. Condors are often spotted here, as they soar in the updrafts created by the peaks. We then return to Tree Camp for the dinner and sleep.
DAY 6: Tree House Camp, Zip Line, Cave Camp
This
morning we take a leisurely hour and a half hike back down to the river,
which we traverse with a zip line that drops us 25 vertical feet into
a pool below Zeta Rapid. A zip line is a rope stretched tight across
the river, slanting so that gravity carries us across and down. We
attach a loop, a safety line and a pulley to the rope. We simply hold
on to the loop, and let nature do the rest. The safety line makes a
fall impossible. Like the Tyrolean traverse, this is safe but exhilarating.
But those who don’t
feel comfortable with it can cross the river in rafts. Cave
Camp is nearby.
After lunch at Cave Camp guests can choose between relaxing, horseback riding, kayaking Laguito Azul, or climbing The Tower. The climb involves some serious rock climbing, including rappelling back down. People aged 5 to 75 have done it, but it is not for those afraid of heights.
We spend the night at Cave Camp.
DAY 7: Cave Camp, The River, Mapu Leufu Camp
Back on the river!! After an easy float we arrive at Throne Room Rapid, which is unrunnable. We “ghost boat” it, which means we let the boats float empty and pick them un- at the other end. Then we have two hours of nice Class IV whitewater before arriving at Terminator Rapid.
Terminator got its name on the first raft descent of the river,
in 19--. It was a Steve Currey Expeditions trip but besides Steve himself
the crew were Peter Fox, Dan Bolster, and Brad Lord, all from ECHO.
The river was very high, and Brad flipped his 20-foot raft in the rapid,
which, of course, had no name at the time. They decided to terminate
the trip at this point, and hence the name, which stuck. Below Terminator
are the Himalayas, a series of huge waves and solid Class V action.
Those who choose not to run this section can hike along the trail and
watch the action.
After lunch we walk upstream 1.5 miles to the mouth of Rio Blanco Canyon. Those who wish can “canyoneer” this canyon Canyoneering is traveling up (or down) a steep river canyon, by swimming and climbing. In this case wetsuits and river shoes are required. The wetsuits are provided. Those who forego the canyoneering cross the river to Mapu Leufu Camp.
This camp is 120 feet above the river, and offers wonderful views of the river in one direction, and of alp-like peaks in the other. Activities from this camp include mountain biking, swimming, kayaking, hiking and fishing. Our quarters are wood cabins built along the river’s edge. Once again there is a hot tub, showers, and flush toilets.
Meanwhile our rafts have been taken by oxcart back upstream, so those who want to can challenge Terminator again the next morning.
DAY 8: Big River Day, Mapu Leufu Camp
This is our
last day on the river. It is a fitting climax to the trip, and one
of the most exciting rafting days in the world. We begin by tackling
Terminator and the Himalayas again, but this time we continue through
a long stretch of Class IV water before lunch.
After lunch we face more Class IV and two Class V rapids: Mas O Menos and Casa De Piedra. After this series of rapids the canyon opens up and we have vistas of distant mountains and glaciers. We camp at Campo Mapu Luefu our last night. Our farewell dinner celebration includes a traditional Chilean Asado: a sheep roasted over a fire.
DAY 9: Chaiten, Puerto Montt, Santiago
In the morning we hike 20 minutes to the road and the bus. We drive to a trail head where we take an easy three-hour hike through a rain forest to the base of a spectacular glacier. After lunch we board the bus, drive to Chaiten and fly to Puerto Montt. There we board a plane to Santiago. In Santiago we either catch a plane for the US or get a hotel in town.
DAY 10: Santiago and Beyond
Arrive home or continue vacation in Chile.
What Next?
- Call us at (800) 652-3246. We love to talk about our trips!
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