Whitewater Rafting

Futaleufu Rafting

Day trips on the Futaleufu River from the Hosteria Rio Grande can be arranged on most days throughout the season. Typically rafting companies open for business about December 15th and finish their season by the 1st of April.  Some companies do offer trips  earlier and later but typically they need to be scheduled/arranged in advance to ensure that guides, transport and infrastructure are in place.

Futaleufu rafting trips generally depart town for the river around 10:00 am and return  to Futaleufu hotel mid to late afternoon. Float trips down the Espolon river can be scheduled at almost any time of the day.  All rafting companies offer: all the required river gear, usually lunch on the river, transport and many of the amenities typical of companies operating in Europe and North America.

Half day rafting on the Futaleufu

Bridge to Bridge Section:  This is the classic big water day trip on the Futaleufu river. The section is filled with continuous Class-IV whitewater.  At safe water levels most companies offer this trip to beginning or inexperienced guests with athletic and swimming ability.  Expect to be on the river for two hours, maybe somewhat longer if lunch is being served. Round trip time from any Futaleufu hotel  is about 4-6 hours.

Day of rafting on the Futaleufu River

There are two other sections of river run by day trip companies in addition to the Bridge-to-Bridge section. These sections contain Class V whitewater. The Terminator Section is above the Bridge-to- Bridge section and the Casa de Piedra section is below.  Typically rafting companies will offer a combination of these sections to make a complete day of rafting.    You can do the entire lower section of the river if you can find a company offering a single day rafting trip on all three sections.

Terminator Section: This section starts at the Rio Azul and goes to the first bridge of the Bridge-to-Bridge section. This section contains the class V Terminator rapid as well as the class IV giants of Asleep at the Wheel, Khyber Pass and Himalayas.

Casa de Piedra Section: This section starts at the last bridge of the Bridge-to-Bridge section and ends at the flat water at the end of the river.  It includes the Class IV+ Mas o Menos rapid as well as the class V Casa de Piedra. After these two giants is the class III+ El Macal section.

Trips including these sections leave from town earlier and return to your hotel in Futaleufu later.  They also require more skill and athleticism from the participants and don’t run as regularly because they are more water-level dependent.  Too high and they won’t go.

The Hosteria Rio Grande is the perfect lodging option to support single day rafting trips on the Futaleufu river. Upon request, for an additional fee, we can even design a custom multi-day itinerary for you by selecting from the best options offered by the competing companies in the village.

The Hosteria Rio Grande is a Futaleufu hotel offering year round lodging in all seasons. During the tourist season we cater to adventure travellers, offering connections to activities like:  whitewater rafting, kayaking,  fly fishing, horseback riding, zip-lining and more.  Make our lodge in Futaleufu your choice for adventure.