Your first day of rafting is mild (class 3/4), an introduction to big water. Your guide will teach you how to maneuver the raft as a paddle team. The guide is in the back of the raft on stern mounted oars for supplemental control. You will float to our riverside eco camp "Campo Tres Monjas" greeted by a white sand beach at the confluence of the Futaleufu river and the Rio Azul. The RiverNest Cabins are hidden between the river bank and the Riparian forest of exotic looking Patagonian Trees. Each cabin is accessed by a private sand trail. After dinner you can enjoy a camp fire on the beach as you watch the moon rise between the impressive spires of Tres Monjas peak standing guard over head. There is a Sauna, flush toilets, a drying room for your river clothes, dining lodge, a selection of hot showers, including an outdoor shower masterly hidden within huge natural boulders. All this is designed with great thought blending in with nature.

In addition to rafting the Futaleufu you will find available an exciting array of multisport activties in this spectacular river valley. From Campo Tres Monjas, there are four trail heads that allow you to venture out on horseback, mountain bikes, and on foot to explore this magical paradise. You can also sea kayak on nearby lakes, sit on top kayak, or learn to whitewater kayak on the easier Rio Espolon. If you are an experienced kayaker you can kayak along with our raft trips or in distinct groups that match your experience level. Rafting in Patagonia has never been more comfortable or more customizable with the spectacular and strategic location of Expediciones Chile's Campo Tres Monjas.

Day by Day:

Day 1 Friday: Depart your home town:
Fly to Miami and connect on an over night flight to Buenos Aires Argentina. Welcome to the warmth of the southern Hemisphere in summer.

Day 2 Saturday: Travel to Trevelin, Patagonia Argentina
Early morning arrival in Buenos Aires. Change airports with a taxi or shuttle bus and catch another flight to Esquel Argentina. Trevelin Argentina is a charming mountain village gateway just 45 minutes from the Esquel aiport and 45 minutes from the Futaleufu River in Chile. Check into the Casa de Piedra hotel and walk to one of several Argentine restaurants with the Chilean Andes in view. Unwind, relax, and get a good nights sleep before the start of your trip the next morning.

Day 3 Sunday: Your trip starts. Raft from the near the Border to Campo Tres Monjas
After a relaxing night's sleep at a hotel in the quaint Welch town of Trevelin deep in Patagnia Argentina, we begin this exciting trip with a quick shuttle across the Chilean/Argentinean border and into the Futaleufu Valley. After clearing customs we go direct to the Futaleufu put in where we will meet your guides and rafts. After changing into our river gear, your luggage will be whisked away and magically show up at your tent or cabin at our river eco-camp before you arrive. After the introduction of whitewater and paddling skills we encounter a section of mild class II water flowing through the Las Escalas valley. A couple of hours later the river shows its wild side and we encounter "Zeta" and "Throne Room", two of the most challenging (Class V+) rapids on the Futaleufu. We study and will portage both. After the portages, we get into our first action, the section called "The Wild Mile" which contains Tres Islas (III), Roller Coaster (III), Honorable Mention (IV minus), Wild Mile (IV minus) and the climatic Thing. The excitement doesn't stop until we get to the confluence of the Futaleufu and Azul rivers as we take out on the unspoiled beach at our Camp Tres Monjas with the stunning peak of the same name standing guard. At our secluded camp you find your luggage in your RiverNest cabin. You will be given a tour following trails to the sauna, showers, drying shed, bathrooms, and dining hall. This idyllic spot will serve as the take out and put in for your activities for the rest of the week's adventures. This setting is arguably one of the most stunning on the river. Relax in the sauna and ready yourself for a sit down meal.

Day 4 Monday: Triple Crown of Rafting: Terminator Section, the Heart of the Futaleufu, and Casa de Piedra Section
This has to be the most fun and action packed day of rafting, anywhere on earth. We take off from our sand beach at camp and head downstream to a couple of warm up rapids before the river takes on an extremely powerful nature, with the longest rapid on the Futa, the "Terminator" (Class V). After a careful scout and plan we will run this rapid. Just below, we'll have to negotiate the hole filled "Khyber Pass" (Class IV+) and the Himalayas (Class IV), with perhaps the biggest standing waves in the hemisphere with a huge pool below. After Lunch we run another complete section called the the Heart of the Futaleufu. This section, from the Zapata swinging bridge to the Puente Futaleufu, includes five miles of Class IV+ rafting action. Rapids such as "Entrada", "Pillow", "Tiburon", and "Mundaca" with its must-see explosion hole, will keep you on your toes. Though drop pool the pools are short and the action non stop. As we begin our final section of river today we will thread through the well named Maso Manos rapid getting ready for the magical and daunting rapid Casa de Piedra. Casa, as commonly called by our expert guides, is a long class V rapid appropriately named for the house size rock that must be navigated before flying past the helicopter eddy and down through a maze of truck size holes and waves. The take out is at a spectacular cliff wall with towering glaciers in the distance. After the trip we return to our Camp and take advantage of our sauna and massuse and work out any sore muscles you might have after a big day of paddling.

Day 5 Tuesday: Sea kayaking Loncanao/Mountain Bike back to the Campo
Today is a multi sport day with pre-arranged options available. A sea kayak trip on the pristine and calm Lago Lonconoa is planned. A short drive takes us to the put-in. Here you will select a single or two person sea kayak and listen to a short introduction to safely navigating these stable craft. After lunch on the lake we will have the option of riding Mountain bikes back to the camp (mostly downhill) on back roads along the Rio Azul. Soft pastures juxtaposed with towering glaciers will, surely, remind you of scenes from the Sound of Music or Heidi. We will cross the turquoise Rio Azul on a swinging bridge on our way to a meadow with an overlook on the river and to the glaciers towering above. Luckily, we will continue biking down the Azul Valley back to camp ensuring you've had all your eyes can handle of this amazing, idyllic natural beauty.

Day 6 Wednesday: Rafting Infierno to Campo
We ride toward the backside of Lago Lonconao through the spectacular glacier ringed This is the most demanding, committing, and hazardous section of the Futaleufu. The highlight of our Patagonia rafting program! To raft this section safely, the river levels must be correct, you must have rafted the "Heart" section with us and met all of our safety requirements. We put in at the Río Espolon bridge and raft to the the confluence with the Futaleufu River. At the "Gates of Infierno", we enter the "Infierno Canyon" with several consequential and continuous Class V drops. After an exciting morning of rafting in the Inferno canyon, the river widens with spectacular views of Las Escalas Valley. After a section of mild class II water, the river returns to its wild side and we encounter "Zeta" and "Throne Room", two of the most challenging (Class V+) rapids on the Futaleufu. We will portage both. After the portages, we get into an action packed section called "The Wild Mile", which contains a continuous stretch of Class III and IV rapids. Futaleufu river rafting does not get any better than the whitewater we have just experienced! After the Wild Mile we arrive at the Río Azul under the sentinel of the Tres Monjas peaks. Tonight, we are pulling out all the stops with a huge asado or open spit gill. We'll enjoy a fantastic last night at the camp with drinks, Patagonian lamb and outstanding company!

Day 7 Thursday: Trekking around Tres Monjas
Today is an Multisport day with pre-arranged options available. A trek is planned around the Tres Monjas peak. One trek takes us around the backside of the Tres Monjas peak crossing creeks and through Coyhue forests (4 hours). The most challenging choice is the all day climb (12 hours) up the the Monjas and through the enchanted forest of rare Lenga trees that have adapted to the thin soil high on the mountain. Their fight for survival coupled with their vulnerability contribute to a fascinating environment and an exciting hike! You can experience an incredible view of the area just beneath the dramatic spires. If you just want a day at camp to yourself to relax, swim, read on that beach, grab a massage or just take in the natural beauty...take the day off and do whatever.

Day 8 Friday: Sit on Top Kayak or learn to roll a kayak. Upper Rio Espolon
The upper Rio Espolon is a clear Class II river lined with sand beaches. A perfect learn to kayak environment. Three rocks rapid and Rosi's wall are class 2 rapids that can be descended by first timers after a few hours of instruction to build your confidence. It is amazing how such small rapids can be so exciting when you are in your own little kayak. If you are more cautious a sit on kayak is for you. If you ever wanted to learn to whitewater kayak this is the place to take a lesson learning how to roll and see if this sport could be for you. We will practice the ferrying technique, crossing the Espolon several times, as well as strengthen our ability to identify river features such as tongues, waves, holes, and eddies. As the finale of the day we meet your first real rapid, Three Rocks class 2+. The take out is just after this rapid. After we finish this section our vehicles will be waiting at the take out as we make our way toward the border on our way to Trevelin after changing into dry clothes. Check into your hotel, take a shower and change clothes before enjoying your last night in Patagonia. There are a handful of outstanding and reasonably priced restaurants in Trevelin that we can recommend. Relax, recover and look back on the exciting week of rafting before heading home the following morning.

Day 9 Saturday: Return to Capital City
Depending on your connections you are now are in Argentina ready for an early departure in a cab from you hotel to the bus station in Esquel for the trip to Bariloche and your flight back to Beunos Aires. A private transfer can be arranged direct from your hotel to the airport in Bariloche. If you have a flight from Esquel you have the morning to enjoy and buy gifts in Trevelin before your 2 pm flight to Buenos Aires and the connection back to your home country.

Day 10 Sunday: Return Home

Accomodations:

Eco Camp Campo Tres Monjas/tent $2695.00 per person

Riverside Eco-Campo Tres Monjas $2995.00 per person

Condornest private group 2 to 8 $3195.00 meals at Eco Camp

Price per Person: $2695.00 USD to $3195.00 USD

Special Flexibilities: Exchile will be flexible to make your Chile rafting trip a total success. The actual program for your custom trip will vary according to the desires and skill level of your group, weather, or other factors. Patagonia has constantly changing weather patterns that might affect what day is best for a certain activity. If a certain part of your trip is not possible due to danger risks and weather extremes, our experienced guide staff will work with you to figure out the best possible option to substitute for the weather complications. If you have any concerns, please feel free to ask us more about the situations and what is guaranteed on the trip.

Included: Your described trip, guiding, instruction, activity equipment, local transportation, shuttles, all meals, wine with dinner, acomodations at our eco-camps, cabins, ranches or lodges, while on your trip. We offer a free pick up on Sunday mornings at 9 am in Trevelin at your hotel, and drop off to your hotel in Trevelin, Argentina on Fridays at 9 pm. See the packing list of your activity, for the specific clothing that is required.

Not Included: Transportation to and from your home town, and your accommodations and meals in Trevelin, Argentina or alternate trip pick up point. You can reserve and prepay on the web for your transport from your final air destination, to and from your pick up/drop off point before and after your trip, or you can direct us to charge your visa card and do it for you. We higly recommended having exchile make hotel reserves in Trevelin. (room capacity in this small village is limited). Expediciones Chile is not financially responsible for your travel complications getting to your trip pick up point and from the drop off point, HOWEVER, we will be relentless allies in offering our services to help solve any issues that you may encounter.