Futaleufu

The Futaleufu River houses some of the best rafting in the world; best known for the technicality and quantity of its rapids, the incredible turquoise colour and clarity of the water and the stunning mountain scenery.

It is possible to do a rafting day trip, taking on the ‘bridge to bridge’ section of the rapid about 20km further down stream than the village of Futaleufu. If you have more time there is another section that you can do a little further down stream with larger, more technical rapids - this stretch houses the famous ‘Casa de Piedra’ rapid, where the raft has to do some ferocious paddling to get around an enormous rock in the middle of the rapid.

For those looking to do more than a day's rafting, there are multiple day rafting trips offered, which would take on the bigger rapids further up stream and also include a day of duckying, kayaking or paddle boarding (this varies depending on the programme). For more details see our rafting trips.

The valleys and mountains of the Futaleufu Valley beg you to hike up into them. Located just outside of town is the Reserva Nacional Futaleufu. It hosts two main trails which are reasonably short so both can easily be completed in a day. There is also a number of shorter hikes to view points around the town which are well worth it.

Depending on where you are staying, there are other hiking options to hidden lakes, waterfalls, hidden valleys and stunning untouched forests and peaks. If you are coming to Futaleufu, it is worth factoring in a day or two of hiking into your itinerary. 

Cars are only a recent introduction into the Futaleufu Valley so there is an abundance of horse trails. Much of the horse riding in done up the Epsolon Valley and Azul Valley, both of which flow into the the Futaleufu.

Horse riding will get you higher up into the hills, generally on private land to otherwise unreachable locations. The horse riding tends to be a day rather than multi-day trips.

Stopping at Futaleufu is an absolute must when on the Carretera Austral via Esquel/Futaleufu, and also makes a wonderful option for a detour if you are on the road, driving north or south between La Junta and Chaiten.

Depending on how active you want to be, we would definitely recommend a minimum of three nights in the valley. For places to stay, please see below.

Futaleufu doesn't have a huge range of accommodation options but the lodges, hotels, cabins and base camps it does have are unique, with stunning views and a really high level of comfort. There is something for everyone!

Choose to stay either in the village, in cosy but simple lodging or head out of town to a luxury hotel with pool and spa facilities.