Pure Patagonia Class 3-4 Kayaking
A 3 week Class 3-4 kayaking road trip, travelling through the heart of Patagonia. We kayak world famous rivers such as the Futaleufu, to the seldom visited Rio Figueroa and further south to the Rio Cisnes. There is also an opportunity to kayak a river that has only been run a few times, a multi-day trip that requires the use of horses to bring us to the put-in. All the while, travelling via remote passes, border posts and villages with an end of the world feel.
This is our Pure Patagonia Kayak Road Trip.
Kayak Tour Overview
We meet everyone at Balmaceda airport in Coyhaique in the far south of Chile. It is then a few hours drive to our first river the Rio Cisnes. We spend a few days kayaking various sections of the Rio Cisnes, then it is a 2 day drive into the heart of Patagonia, where we travel through Argentina crossing the Paso Las Pampas to reach the small outpost village of Lago Verde. From here we start our 4 day self-supported multi-day expedition down the Rio Figueroa. We finish at Lago Rosselot and head to our lovely wooden cabins in the village of La Junta. Depending on the water levels, we may get the opportunity spend 4 days expedition kayaking on a river in the area that is very seldom kayaked. We require the use of horses and gauchos to get to the put-in, from there it is an amazing paddle on a gem of a river, set in a stunning Patagonia landscape! From the village of La Junta on the Ruta 7 we head up to the world class Rio Futaleufu, kayaking the various sections on this famous river for the next 4 days. We drive you to Esquel Airport for your flight out of Patagonia and to Buenos Aires.
Practicalities
Why us
We have been running kayaking trips to Chile for the past 10 years and our commitment to planning and preparation is second to none. We have an extremely strong and professional team comprising of David, Steve, Fran and Yiyi. All of our river leaders are qualified through British Canoeing and have years of experience, guiding, coaching and leading trips in Chile. We have 4x4 private vehicles which means we can drive safely on dirt roads and tracks and Fran our driver stays with one vehicle throughout the day.
To find out more about our leaders, instructors check out our Team page.
Experience Required
You should have plenty of experience of kayaking Class 3 and Class 4 whitewater such as the Sanna, Landeck Gorge and the Lower Oetz in Austria at good levels. Your roll should be solid. Chile’s river classifications tend to be solid so if the majority of rivers you are kayaking are Class 3(4) then we suggest you check out our No Stress Pucon Kayaking Class 3 Trip. We will be kayaking for around 4-5 hours a day so though you do not need to be an Olympic athlete, you should have a certain amount of paddle fitness and stamina.
If you are not too sure you have the right experience for our Futaleufu Kayak Trip then just get in touch. Our team have kayaked all over the world and so we will have some idea of your experience and ability once we have spoken to you.
Patagonia Kayaking Season
Since we are in the Southern Hemisphere, everything is the opposite. Spring in Chile is October/November, Summer is December/January/February and Autumn is March/April. Our Patagonia Kayak Trip can run from early December through to March, so if there are no dates that suit your holidays then just get in touch and we will try and make it work.
As it is Patagonia the weather can be unpredictable, you can and should expect 4 seasons in a day. We have had beautiful sunny days with little wind, to classic Patagonia storms that set in for a few days, we have also had 5 days of rain! If you would like to make this trip early in the season, then we will not be able to cross the rivers to get to the Paso Las Pampas, instead we will head up the Ruta 7 from the Rio Cisnes to La Junta.
Group Composition
Our ratios are extremely low, be it in Austria, India or Chile! The ratio of the group is no more than 1 guide to 3 guests! We will also not take more than 6 guests on this trip! This gives you plenty of whitewater action with the opportunity to become a much more all rounded confident kayaker where you can see the guide or instructors line down the rapid and with such small group sizes you also feel secure and have more contact to your guide/instructor! This is why we like to keep our group sizes small!
Accommodation
When in the villages we spend our nights in Cabañas (wooden cabins). They are the perfect place to relax, get a good nights sleep and of course when it is raining or the wind is howling, there is plenty of space for everyone to chill out before enjoying their meal! If it is cold and rainy the heating can be turned up making the cabin nice and toasty, it is also an ideal way to dry out our thermals and kayaking kit ready for the following days kayaking! When we are on a self-support multi-day kayaking expedition, we sleep in tents by the side of the river. Places like Lago Verde will be a basic room with a shared bathroom, it is just for the night and it is nice to be out of the wind!
Food and Drink
Food can be a real highlight in Chile. Throughout the Pure Patagonia Kayak Trip we eat extremely well with a mixture of cuisines from Europe, South America and also India. Our curries are renowned with our guests and though not spicy they contain amazing flavours and are a real highlight. Also let’s not forget the Asado Patagon - a local sheep that has been carved open and is cooked over a fire throughout the afternoon and evening. It is full of flavour and a real treat. However, if you are a vegetarian then we have some flavoursome options that are roasted over the fire! The spring water is so pure and is extremely refreshing. We also have different tea options and we take our freshly roasted coffee down to Patagonia from Madd Goat Coffee Roasters in Pucon, one of our core partners in Chile.
On the river, we are on expedition mode with breakfasts and evening meals being wholesome, tasty and the perfect food to replenish the muscles and body from the days activities.
Beer and wine can also be purchased on the road or in villages while on the road.
Equipment
Included in the price is a kayak and paddle, we currently stock a wide range of Waka kayaks and a few Zet kayaks. We will be updating our kayak store in Chile for the 26/27 season with Spade kayaks and a few more Waka’s. Our paddles are from Striebel Designs, all of our paddles are Right Handed with a 30 degree feather and we have different lengths for you to choose. If you would like more information about our kayaks and paddles, just drop us an email.
Transport
We have our own 4x4 pick up trucks that will be our main workhorses on the Futaleufu Kayak Trip, it is important for us that we have solid 4x4 trucks with bespoke roof racks that keep our kayaks secured on those Patagonia roads.
Dates & Prices
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!