Rafting in the Futaleufú River: Peace and Adrenaline
Ricardo Landoni - Aventurarse Collaborator

Some say that the region that surrounds the Futaleufú river, sometimes called the Río Grande in Argentina, was painted by God's own hand. I agree. That is why I moved away from the city where I grew up, Buenos Aires, twelve years ago. I settled, together with my family in a villa near Esquel, in the Chubut province, next to the Patagonic mountain range. In order to be near to nature, I decided to work in adventure tourism; a couple of years ago I specialized in river descent aboard inflatable boats; an activity also known as rafting.

Every guided trip is a new adventure to me. The Futaleufú´s Chilean section is one of the world's best river for rafting, it is classified as Level V (the greatest difficulty in rafting rivers). It combines a good volume with an adequate slope, the two most important qualities in rivers for rafting. Its volume depends on the Futaleufú hydroelectric company. During a regular season, 260 to 280 cubic meters of water are released from the dam built where the river is born. This factor, combined with the slope and its great rocks, make the Futaleufú one of the world's most wanted river, this is why it was chosen for the latest rafting worldwide competition, during February, 2000.

My last guided trip to the Futaleufú was unforgettable. It began on a perfect day, as the Mountains Nahuel Pan and 21 shone, cut out against an almost fluorescent blue sky: Esquel´s natural background.

After a healthy breakfast, I got on the minivan together with my companions, and set out to pick up the group that were to make their first run down the river. The Futaleufú is not an easy river, but with good navigating and a security kayak to lead the way, anyone who knows how to swim can enjoy the experience. "I never did rafting," say some of the excited tourists with a frightened face. It is time to explain that the rafts are safe and that just by keeping to a couple of simple precautions, there will be no problems.

On the way to the river

Drinking mate, we arrived at the shores of Mr. Futaleufú. On the Argentine side, it is sometimes called the Río Grande because it becomes a wide and tranquil river: quite the opposite to what occurs on the other side of the mountain. Amid this beautiful scenery, we stopped for lunch. The tourists were hypnotized by the emerald colored waters.

After some simple paperwork to cross the border, we arrive at the Futaleufú, a tidy and friendly town. We are received by another couple of guides. One will ride the rafts with us, the other will ride a whitewater security kayak. We set of to the starting point of our descent. The ride is 25 kilometers long, and shows us forests, canyons, lagoons, waterfalls… an amazing sight.

When we arrive at the spot, we give some time to the contemplation of nature. Even after so many years of navigating the Futaleufú, I never cease to be amazed at its serene and imposing beauty. But we don't waste too much time, we begin to equip the rafts. Some tourists are surprised to see that we use a lot of equipment similar to the one used for mountaineering: Rope, carabineers, straps and pulleys, which we attach to the sides of the rafts for emergencies. What is more important is that each member of the team is equipped correctly with a neoprene suit, a helmet, a life vest and an oar.

Once each one is well equipped, we begin with the technical information, we explain to the adventurers how to handle the boat. The participants must feel that they are members of the team, and therefore completely necessary to control the boat. This team must sort out the difficulties of two full hours of action in the river. To be sure, we practice weight shifts that are vital for the boat´s equilibrium, right-side rowing, left-side rowing, towards the front and towards the back, until we reached the coordination and speed necessary for the adventure.

South America´s best rapids

Finally, we set out into the river. We left the hanging walk-way behind and soon caught sight of the first rapids, the Hanging Bridge(Class IV). I felt my heart-beat accelerating, and I yelled "Forward!". There was foam all around us. The boat was moving as if a giant were shaking it from underneath. Water getting in through the front or the sides. Laughter and shrieks of joy. As we got over the first rapids, I took another look at the group's faces, they all showed happiness and excitement. There was no time to talk about it because we were entering the Magic Carpet, a Class IV+ that stretches for a full kilometer, and almost left us out of breath.

When the water slowed down again, we got together with the other boats. Javier, the security kayakist, smiled at us from afar. After a short rest, we prepared to face the Cushion, our first Class V rapid. The crew couldn't believe that it was shaking us like it was. We weighed half a ton, and the river was throwing us around like a toy in the ocean.

As we got out of this impacting rapid, the team smiled, still in a state of shock. As guides, we were forced to interrupt their moment of happiness, "Come on, this isn't over!" Mundaca, the run's most enjoyable Class V, was upon us. We could hear shouts and laughter in the boats in front of us, we could see their helmets appear and disappear with the rapid's waves. We already had the first wave in front of us and had no other option but to go right through it. My team made without blinking.

"Forward!," I shouted amid the water's rumble. We had received a lot of water, which got out through the special floor of the raft. The other rafts had stopped at the shore once the Mundaca was over, and they were cheering for us. Once we all got over Mundaca, the descent carried on. We were about to cross the Limbo Canyon, one of the most beautiful sceneries in the Futaleufú trip: High walls covered in moss and ample vegetation, plus several Class IV and IV+ rapids. Pudú, Puma, Wiña, Condor and Tiburón are linked, one after the other. It is hard to decide which one is best. River lovers say that they each have their own style, their personality.

Behind a curve, to the right, the Futaleufú bridge appeared, it was the end of our travel. Everyone aboard the boat sighed with a mixture of relief and sadness: they wanted those last moments to last forever. But the river always holds a surprise, and when we thought it was all over, the boat went over a crevice and got everyone on it wet. It was the river's last surprise for us, its farewell. Maybe that is why whoever visits the region painted by God's own hand will always remember the Futaleufú river.