In November and December 2025, I went on a paddling trip with my three friends, Michi,
Ben and Jan, to Chile. There, we experienced many adventures,
made new friends, and, of course, did a lot of paddling. In the following
article, you can read all about it.
Rio Maipo
After a slight delay, because my boat was the only one that hadn't arrived,
on the second day of our Chile trip, we headed to the Rio Maipo. After a
restful night at a campsite that was actually too expensive, we put in on
the upper section. We were greeted by wonderful Read and Run-
whitewater. After the long journey and issues with the boat, the river felt
like a well-deserved reward. The landscape, though barren,
was still somehow beautiful. Apart from a somewhat unexpectedly long
portage, the Rio Maipo offered only cool spots and moves. The perfect
warm-up creek.
Rio Yeso
Having explored the Rio Maipo, it made sense on the way back
from the campsite to paddle a tributary. The Rio Yeso originates at over 2000
m from a reservoir. Shortly after, there's even a cool 10m waterfall,
which unfortunately had significantly too little water when we were there. So we put in about 4 km before
its confluence with the Rio Maipo. Initially, it flowed quite gently.
After scouting the first section, it quickly became quite fast-paced.
The creek narrows, and it rushes downhill through steep boulder gardens.
Fortunately, there were no trees across the creek anywhere, and we were able to
complete the run to the confluence with the Maipo unscathed.
Rio Claro, Ventidos
Dreams come true! The Rio Claro is probably one of the most famous and
most photographed rivers in the world. I've long dreamed of one day
kayaking through this distinctive canyon. What no one
tells you beforehand, however, is that you first have to hike 2 km through the wilderness to reach the put-in for the Ventidos Saltos (22 waterfalls).
Once that's done, however, a kayaker's paradise opens up. A
an approximately 2 km long gorge with perfect waterfalls and drops. Simply a
dream.
Rio Claro, Siete Tazas
Another well-known section on the Rio Claro is the Siete Tazas (7
Waterfalls). The perfect creek to practice or learn waterfall jumping.
Within about 10 minutes, you navigate three waterfalls between three and
six meters and four small drops. However, you shouldn't miss the exit.
After that, you enter a deep gorge and shortly after reach La Leona,
a 20 m high waterfall.
Blanco Sur Waterfall
The Blanco Sur is probably the best high waterfall for practicing and sending.
Near the Rio Claro is this perfect park and huck. Approximately 10
m high, with easy access, a perfect lip, and a huge pool. We spent almost
an entire day, even though I only did two runs, which was more than anyone else. We met a
group of Americans who were running the waterfall in every conceivable way:
Freewheels, Cobra Flips, or backwards. Later we would meet up with
team up with this crew.
Upper Palguin
After about two weeks, we had made it to the whitewater mecca Pucón.
After the police and the rain had made for an uncomfortable night,
it was now time for the Upper Palguin. Another classic. Although the
section actually only has four rapids and a steep path for put-in and take-out,
it is still one of the best runs in Chile. Everyone has probably seen the
double drop and the 4-meter waterfall on Instagram at some point. Here
we did countless laps, tried out tricks, and had a great time.
Hauling the boats in and out excluded.
Rio Fuy
The Rio Fuy is one of my two favorite creeks in Chile. The Upper Fuy has
5 km with several waterfalls, drops, kickflips, and surf waves. Thanks to a
From the cabin right at the put-in, four laps a day were not uncommon. Party laps
all day! The lower section is, apart from the national park rangers,
significantly easier. After a cat-and-mouse game to get past the national park
entrance, class three whitewater awaits – pure joy paddling.
Rininahue
This short section consists of two smaller drops and a 12-meter high
waterfall. The challenge is not getting caught in the large undercut
between the first and second drop. The final waterfall is perfect
and lands in a large, beautiful pool. Because of the undercut,
I had some concerns here, so I didn't get into my boat right away and provided safety for
my friends as best I could. However, after everyone made it down safely,
I gathered all my courage and ran it too. Everything went well for me too.
Rio Puelo
My absolute favorite creek in Chile, and perhaps even the world. To get here,
you take a small ferry and then drive for about another hour
to Nacho's Camp, right at the take-out. A dream campsite. Nice
People, perfect location, and cheap. It's important to fill up your tank beforehand and stock up well
on groceries. Behind the ferry, there's only a small and expensive shop. The run
on the upper Puelo itself is an absolute dream. 8 km of powerful whitewater
class IV to V. No carrying in or out, and no portages. One of our
American buddies even set a record: ten laps in one day.
My arms were already heavy after four.
Futaleufú
The southernmost creek of our trip. Getting here is almost a
journey in itself: 7 hours by ferry and countless hours in the car. But once you're there, Patagonia's big-water paradise opens up to you. On the
Bridge-to-Bridge section, you can shred all day and hit the biggest
kickflips ever. We also did Todo Futa, meaning the entire creek,
twice. This involves paddling through the impressive Inferno Canyon, portaging
or running Zeta, and conquering the Throne Room and Terminator – all massive
rapids. However, there's also a lot of flatwater in between. In total, you paddle
about 50 km on a Todo run. We stayed in Futaleufú with the
father of a paddler we had met earlier on the Maipo. With him, we had
at least five Asados and a great place to crash. After the Futa, it was time for
all of us to head back towards Santiago and home, or Mexico.
A huge thank you to Jan Haller for the great photos!
