After meeting you at Santiago Airport, we drive down towards Curico and onto Los Quenes on the Rio Teno. We spend a couple of nights staying in Tod’s great cabins while getting rid of the jet lag and journey by warming up on the Rio Claro of the Teno and an afternoon run down the Lower Teno. The following morning we go and paddle the Upper part of the Rio Teno before heading to the Parque Ingles and the gateway to waterfall heaven! The Rio Claro is the home of the 7 Tea Cups and the 22 Waterfalls. These are some of the most photographed waterfalls on the planet and are an absolute must. Though it is a bit tricky to get in and out of these sections, they provide a great place to get used to free falling and techniques related to running waterfalls! The 7 Teacups is on everyones list to kayak when they come to Chile. There are 3 medium size waterfalls and 4 smaller drops all set in a stunning canyon. There is no need to say too much about the 7 Teacups (or 7 Tazas as they are known in Spanish), our photos show it all. The 22 Waterfalls are slightly more committing and the next step up for the 7 Tea Cups.  You will have to earn your kayaking air miles as it is a hike in but it is well worth it!  Next stop is the stunning Rio Nuble where tourists seldom visit. We like to paddle both the Upper or Middle Nuble, the Middle is a days kayaking pool drop rapids, the Upper is steeper with longer rapids, very Austrian Alpine style depending on water levels. The valley is beautiful and is a river runners dream! Our Road Trip takes a very familiar pattern, kayak in the morning and drive to the next destination in the late afternoon after lunch. The dam releases on the Rio Bio Bio are a great way to break up the journey heading south. If you like BIG volume, then the Lower Bio Bio is the place to kayak with some fantastic waves to smash or tuck through! The energy created by this amount of water is incredible to kayak and feel.

Now it’s time to head down to Chile’s kayaking mecca and South Americas adventure capital - Pucon. Pucon has built a big reputation as a world class kayaking destination and rightly so! The quality of whitewater and waterfalls around Pucon is second to none, with different styles and character of rivers all set in some stunning scenery. It is part of the Lake District Region that combines huge deep blue lakes with imposing volcanoes scattering the skylines and of course contains some of the best whitewater Chile has to offer!! In Pucon there are plenty of restaurants, cafe’s and bars to enjoy! The town also gives you the opportunity to relax after some mega kayaking, with hot springs giving your body a chance to recover and sooth those aching muscles.

With such a variety of whitewater around Pucon there is something for every kayaker. The Upper Trancura has nice Class 4 pool drop rapids with some dramatic backdrops of the Villarrica Volcano. The Upper Palguin is waterfall heaven, whether you kayak it once a day, do laps to enjoy and make the most out of such a world class river.  The Lower Palguin is also a locals favourite with longer steeper rapids at the start, then followed by some fun waterfalls and drops, including one of the most famous drops, Auto Boof!! The Rio Maichin is a sweet little river set in a beautiful and lush forest where you get the feeling of being in the Amazon. The Lower Trancura is big and bouncy in the Spring and provides plenty of waves to punch through, of course this is just a flavour of what Pucon can offer.  There are plenty of Waterfalls around Pucon to keep everyone happy.

A day out of Pucon gives us the choice of the amazing Rio Fuy, where we can run laps of the lower section in high water or the Rio San Pedro, a full days kayaking on a crystal clear river with waves and rapids given it the reputation of a mini Futaleufu!

Why us?

Josefa, Mati and Steve are a fantastic team.

They are all fully qualified through British Canoeing and have years of experience kayaking, guiding, coaching and leading trips to Chile and further afield!

Steve lives, sleeps and eats kayaking and has coached, guided and led expeditions all over the world.  He specialises in his home of Austria and the German speaking Alps, the Indian Himalayas, Peru and Chile.  The owner of Kayak School Arlberg he has led and spent many a season in Chile guiding and coaching.

Mati has been guiding on our Chile trips since 2019.  His laid back charm and positive attitude will help you overcome your nerves at a top of a waterfall and will inspire you to drop in!  He taught at the prestigious UFRO University in Pucon on their whitewater education degree and there is nothing better than a BIG high 5 from Mati after styling a drop, rapid or waterfall.

Mati is pretty Gangsta but a real lovable one!

Josefa is a beautiful person!  She has represented Chile in Canoe Slalom and has won various Extreme River Races in Chile, including the 2023 edition of the Pucon Kayak Festival.  Her smile and love for life is endless, she loves being on the river and more importantly loves showing kayakers the rivers of Chile.  An extremely talented person, a strong female kayaker with a technique that is super smooth and dynamic as you would expect from a slalom kayaker!

To find out more just click on our Chile Team.

Experience Required

You should have plenty of experience of kayaking Class 4 whitewater such as the Sanna, Landeck Gorge and the Lower Oetz in Austria, or equivalent, at medium-high levels. Your roll should be solid, however, you do not need any experience kayaking waterfalls as we build up your confidence on the 7 Tea Cups before arriving in Pucon.  Chile’s river classifications tend to be solid so if the majority of rivers you are kayaking are Class 3(4) then get in touch with us and we can put together a Class 3-4 Road Trip that will remove any of the stress and pressure of kayaking in Pucon at solid river levels.

Chile Kayaking Season

With each season in Pucon the weather and water levels dictate just what river will be pushy, high, low, medium volume, big volume, what creeks will be working and what waterfalls in Pucon can be kayaked.

We have also tried to explain the weather conditions, river levels and which of the classic rivers would be running.

Spring - October, November to beginning of December

The Spring in Pucon is a local kayakers dream!  In October and November the rivers are BIG and everything is running in Pucon.  The snow is melting and the rains that fall top up the rivers quite a bit.

However, what this means is that everything is at the grade given or at least ½ a grade harder!!

As we get to the end of November and the beginning of December, the rivers drop a little and start to become more manageable and friendlier compared to a couple of weeks ago!!  Again everything will be running and at a solid grade but by the end of November the rivers are not as intimidating and you will not need to go to the toilet as much before you put-in!!

The Spring is THE best time of year if you are looking to kayak the waterfall sections of the Rio Claro such as the 7 Tea Cups or the 22 Waterfalls.  The Rio Nuble will also have great levels and is a highlight on the way down from Santiago to Pucon.

Rivers and around Pucon such as” Upper Palguin, Lower Palguin, Upper Trancura, Lower Trancura, Rio Maichin, Rio Nevados, Puesco, Upper and Lower Licura will all be running with possibilities of a todo Palguin (a whole run of the Palguin) possible.  Rivers close to Pucon such as: Lower Fuy, San Pedro and Truful Truful will all be at high levels.

If you are wanting a slightly more mellower kayaking trip and you are looking at Class 3+ to IV+ then we would suggest coming in late Spring or early Summer.  You will still get the opportunity to kayak the waterfalls of the Rio Claro but Pucon will not be as intimidating.

Summer - December through to February

If you cannot make it over to Chile in the Spring then we can also offer a Road Trip from Pucon down to the gateway of Patagonia in Summer.  We would spend a week in Pucon kayaking the classics such as the waterfalls of the Palguin, the drops of the Trancura and of course you get some fantastic whitewater on the Rio San Pedro, Petrohue and we will spend a few days kayaking on the stunning Rio Fuy.  Be it the waterfalls of the Upper section, the technical middle section or the big water and great waves of the Lower Fuy, this is Josefa’s local and favourite river in Chile, so you know it will be world class!!

Group Composition

Our ratios are extremely low, be it in the Kayak School in Austria, India, Peru or Chile!  The rain of the group is no more than 1 guide to 3 kayaking guests.  We will also not take more than 6 kayaking guests on this trip!  This goes you plenty of whitewater action with the knowledge that the fully qualified guide will be leading and showing the line on a rapid or setting up safety at the bottom of a drop or waterfall.  This is why we like to keep our group sizes small!!

Abilities

As mentioned above we have different Chile Kayak Road Trips for all abilities whether it is Class 3 or Class 4.  The time when to come to Chile can also greatly affect the difficulty of river or section and that is why we run separate trips so there are no mixed ability groups, we do not want to pressure a Class 3+ kayaker to push themselves beyond their limits everyday just as much as we would not want a solid Class 4 kayaker being on a Class 3 trip.

Accomodation

On the way from Santiago to Pucon we stay in wooden cabins, known as cabañas, which are great to relax, get a good nights sleep and heat is the temperature is cold up in the higher reaches of the valleys.

In Pucon we stay at our own beautiful lodge with stunning views over to the Volcanos of Villarrica and Llaima plus the snowcapped mountains of Nevados de Sollipulli.  Each bedroom has an ensuite bathroom and a terrace to relax and chill after a great days kayaking.  The open plan living, eating and cooking space is very nordic with copious amount of light from the surrounding windows and the balcony gives you a feeling of living in the trees as our woodland is within touching distance.  With power provided by the sun, 24hour hot water and central heating the lodge is one amazing place to stay!

Food & Drink

Food can be a real highlight in Chile. Markets are full of vegetables and fruits of the season. There are some great restaurants in Pucon serving Spanish and German influenced cuisine. Back at the lodge we cook authentic Indian curry with different flavours with nothing too spicy! Also let’s not forget the Chilean asado - a grill laden with various meat, sausages and we have even some great vegetarian alternatives as well! Our water is from a mountain spring and Josefa usually makes sure there is a cold drink waiting for you at the take-out.  Our coffee is roasted in Pucon by Madd Goat and tastes amazing, we even brought a fruit press from the Himalayas so that we can squeeze every bit out of the succulent oranges, lemons and limes!  Oh and did we mention Chile also produces some quality red wine!

Extensions

If 2 weeks of kayaking is not enough and you would like to extend your trip, we can head south to the gateway of Patagonia, kayaking rivers such as the Rio Petrohue, the amazing Rio Puelo where we take a ferry over a fjord to access the region and of course the stunning Rio Blanco and the waterfalls of the Rio Negro are also possible!  If you are wanting to head further south into Patagonia and the Futaleufu then again just let us know and we can put together a plan for you.

Dates & Prices

Tour dates & price

We have tours planned on the following dates:

16-29 November 2024 (2 Weeks) - Class 4

01-13 December 2024 (2 Weeks) - Class 3-4

19 January - 01 February 2025 (2 Weeks) - Class 4

No dates to suit your plans? Just let us know through the contact form, we are pretty flexible here at the Kayak School trying to give you more of a chance to make that dream trip to Chile.

Tour Prices

For an itinerary, price and more information about this Adventure Trip, please send us a message through the contact form and we'll get back to you soon.

Contact us about the trip