On my first trip down the Futaleufu with Expediciones Chile in 1985 I knew this was a unique place. I had run rivers all over the world but I had never seen anything like this with its huge playful whitewater in a deep canyon surrounded by jagged peaks. Pristine water, pristine shoreline, some of the greatest whitewater in the world.. The lack of development reminded me of protected rivers I had paddled in the United States, but the Futaleufu river was not protected it just had not been developed. We were the first outfitter on the Futaleufu and we selected the premier area for a base camp with a sand beach at the confluence of two rivers. This location was more beautiful than anything that I had ever seen, even in National Parks of the United States. The natives refer to the Futaluefu valley as "a landscape painted by God". I felt Expediciones Chile had an obligation to develop our camp in a way that respected the environment, kept our guests close to nature, respected the view shed and the wilderness experience of other river users that were sure to come.

Our camp is a work of art in a natural setting. It runs on solar power, there are no vehicles and is only accessed by walking and water. It has the appearance of a virgin camp but with all the comforts anyone could ever want. Nature dominates not our structures. The following are a list of our efforts to conserve the Futaleufu environment.

• To preserve the spectacular greenway corridor of the Futaleufu river none of our structures are visible from the river. Expediciones Chile, in accordance with the policy of the Nature Conservancy, International Ecotourism Society and other conservation organizations, feels that the development of pristine river corridors for the sake of obtaining spectacular views for clients is completely unacceptable. As a company we are opposed to any construction in view of the river and work with other outfitters and organizations for the removal of all existing structures.
• Our camp designs are models of eco-architecture, construction and operation. Based on a minimal footprint they strive to integrate with the natural surroundings as much as possible. Our camps run on solar power, grow their own produce and recycle (as much as possible) all trash generated by the operation. Access to the camp areas is restricted and no vehicular traffic is allowed.
• Because the Expediciones Chile office is located in the village of Futaleufu we strive to support the local community and culture as much as possible. The majority of our employees are native Chileans. Over the years we have helped the local community to spearhead efforts to improve the local airport, telephone systems, library, and acquire access to the worldwide web.
• We were instrumental in founding of the Futaleufu Outfitters Organization that allows companies doing business in the valley to more closely work with the local Chilean government. Currently we are looking at ways to regulate the river and preserve it for future generations.
• The Futaleufu is an endangered river. Its scheduled to be dammed in 2013 by Endessa, a multinational hydroelectric development corporation. Expediciones Chile was instrumental in founding FutaFriends the organization that is working to get legal protection for a free flowing Futaleufu river. Expediciones Chile, along with our clients have been continuous supporters of FutaFriends and their efforts to save the river. We urge you to join and offer resources for this campaign.
• Our Fly Fishing operation is fully supportive of the Catch and Release preserve that have been implemented to preserve sport fisheries worldwide. We have worked with the local government to make the Futaleufu watershed an officially designated catch and release area in in Chile.

At Expediciones Chile we look forward to the challenges that lie ahead in making and keeping the Futaleufu river valley a world class adventure destination. We invite to come explore this beautiful paradise and find out why we call it the greatest playground on earth!

With sincere thanks,

Chris Spelius
President & Founder