AFAR Magazine: Rafting the Futaleufú in Chilean Patagonia
Chile’s Futaleufú River provides a rare, thrilling experience that’s possible only with continued environmental protection.
Paradise Carved by Whitewater
The white-water outfitter Eric Hertz spent a lifetime searching for the perfect river. In 1990, he finally found it, in Patagonia.
Fu Fighters
Cutting through the green, snowcapped Andes in southern Chile like a satin ribbon, the “Fu” is nirvana for paddlers. Along with mind-bending Class V rapids, the river has two unique…
Rafting the Futaleufu
Editor's note: This article describes Earth River's original camp-based Futaleufú trip. Today, every night of the trip is spent in a boutique lodge with private bathrooms and hot tubs. See…
Fighting the Fu
Time may be running out for adventurers who want to tackle Chile's Futaleufu River - A 100-mile cerulean stripe that roars out of the Andes across the top of Patagonia…
THE SOUND AND THE FURY
The Futaleufu River's Terminador rapid can be heard surging from a quarter of a mile away. The Class V stretch of white water cascades over and around imposing granite boulders…
The best Whitewater Rafting
short of measuring the size of every wave, it's impossible to create an empirical list of the world's best whitewater. In addition to the water itself, we looked at the…
On the Wild Side of Chile
FUTALEUFU, Chile—So, my neighbor said, you really should come along. It's summer down there in February and this river is supposed to be beautiful.Chile? Yeah, right. That'll happen. Rafting? On…
The Next Adventure
CHILE White-water raftingin thewinter? Hell, yeah. In northern Patagonia, the Rio Futaleufu snakes out of Argentina and into Chile for 100 miles before dumping into the Pacific.The "Fu" isCaribbeanclear, a…
A River Too Far
THE JOO-MILE-LONG Futaleufu River begins as an icy trickle high in the Argentine Andes and picks up speed and volume as it roars across the Chilean border toward the Pacific,…