By Steve Brooks

Just the mention of Pucon conjures up images of kayaks dropping off big waterfalls. However, there is another side to Pucon that does not often get a mention and that is its mellower side!

Steve Brooks Bio

Steve has lived in Austria now for over 20 years and from being a place to come and work seasonally on the river, to a base camp and finally making Austria his home! Steve’s love for kayaking and adventure is infectious and this can especially be seen in the kayak school he set up eight years ago. Based out of the Arlberg region in western Austria the school runs courses for beginners plus coaching and instructing kayakers through all the whitewater grades, including creeking and river running. In-between the kayaking season in Austria, Steve can be found kayaking and leading adventure trips and expeditions in the Indian Himalayas, Peru and Chile in South America. He speaks German like a local and is fluent in Spanish. When he is not kayaking he searches for that perfect powder run in the back country in his home mountain of St Anton am Arlberg or riding his Royal Enfield Bullet in search of undiscovered rivers in the Himalayas. For more information check out: www.gokayaking.at and www.gokayaking.at/blog

The mellow side of Pucon

How do you think all these great local kayakistas learnt to kayak? It may look so natural for them kayaking the steeps and waterfalls of Pucon, while adding their own flair or influence into the moves or drops they kayak but they had to start somewhere and Pucon with its surrounding area, has it in abundance!

Pucon is situated on the shores of Villarrica Lake, some 730km from the capital Santiago, in the south of Chile. Standing over the town is the impressive snowcapped Villarrica Volcano. Villarrica is one of the world’s most active volcanos and it also has a few ski lifts working in the winter. If you visit Pucon in the early spring, you can combine ski (or snowboard) touring up to the rim of the volcano with amazing vistas out to the many surrounding volcanos and lakes that make this region so unique. If you come in the summer, then a hike up is also worth the effort – if you ski bring a set of fiegls, or big feet, as it is way quicker and funnier descent!

The Rio Liucura is a great place to learn and the sections are set away from the road. The lower river flows through dense forest, where there are many eddies and easily attainable lines down the pool drop rapids, which gives you the ability to concentrate to nail your line and relax, recover or refresh your mind before the upcoming rapid.

The upper river is quite different in character. At first you meander down the river, going with the flow for a few kilometres then one time when it goes around the corner it will drop into continuous class 3 with a bit of gradient! Plenty of rocks are about to catch eddies and your read and run skills will be put to the test on this fun little river. Towards the end, it starts to mellow out and works its way past ranches, stunning lodges and you can even finish by some hot springs!

The Lower Trancura is a fun big and bouncy section that includes different channels and different moves to make. There is one rapid you may want to scout as it can take you by surprise as there can be a big hole at the bottom! The take-out is right on the outskirts of Pucon and it’s a river that can be done anytime of the year. With a few days kayaking these two rivers, your confidence will be up and your skills sharpened!

Rio Fuy and the Rio San Pedro

Within a day’s drive of Pucon are some stunning rivers. Heading slightly south you will find the Rio Fuy and the Rio San Pedro, both of which are in the Los Rios (the rivers) region of Chile. The drive to the river is stunning and there are plenty of vista stops where you can look out over a huge lake, with haciendas and rural communities spread around the base of a volcano.

The Rio Fuy is a great paddle with bouncy rapids, clear water and more views of snowcapped volcanoes. The lower section is a short stretch that gives you the opportunity to go and kayak a few laps as the shuttle is easy, the put-in or take-out is effortless and it just becomes more and more manageable with time spent on this river.

The Rio San Pedro is also close to Pucon and the Fuy and is often regarded as a mini-Futaluefu. It has probably the clearest water we have ever encountered. As you leave Lago Rinihue and begin to work your way down to the rapids, you can just roll over and see the volcanic rock, river bed and even fish as you float on by upside down! The action soon picks up as you kayaking some big waves and bouncy rapids with feeling that you are in the middle of nowhere.

The Rio San Pedro can also make a good mellow, two-day self-support multi-day trip, grilling fish, meat or vegetables over an open fire and camping under the stars with no light pollution, is a great option. If you have never done such a river trip, then what a river to start out with! The Rio San Pedro is a firm favourite of our team of instructors/guides.

Rio Truful Truful

To the north of Pucon, is the Rio Truful Truful. It takes 2-3 hours to get there but it is well worth it! The put-in for the upper section is by the border of Conguillio National Park and at the base of the Llaima Volcano, the setting could not be more dramatic. Once you have worked out how to get down to the river it makes a statement as soon as you slide in.

The upper section is continuous class 3 that just never stops. The river whisks you down as you negotiate a few sticky holes around blind bends and overgrown bush but as long as you are on top of your game you will have plenty of fun kayaking it – just remember to scout the take-out just above the gnarly Truful Truful waterfall. The waterfall has been kayaked but only at certain levels and the lead is extremely tricky!

The lower section begins below the waterfall and so if you want to get a bit of a feel of what the upper section is like, then do the lower part first. Though it is just the first third of the river that is similar in characteristics with the upper, it is not as continuous but still has the power and strength. Once the main rapids have disappeared you begin a nice float out to below the town of Melipeuco, just keep an eye out for strainers and if the river has changed its course into the trees by the side.

October and November

For kayakers, October and November are the biggest water months, with the sun getting stronger, the snow starts to melt and couple with the odd intense spring shower, the rivers can feel a little intimidating if you are not used to so much water. If you are comfortable kayaking on the Imst Gorge section of the River Inn in Austria for example, you will enjoy the extra volume that October and November bring. Just remember October in Chile is the equivalent of April in the Alps, if the temperature drops then snow can be expected at lower elevations. Great news if you can ski and snowboard as there will be powder up on the volcanoes!

December and January

In December and January, the weather has become more stable, the temperature is rising and the rivers are now at their medium levels. There are more tourists around in the town of Pucon, which provides some nice people watching when drinking a coffee and eating cake at one of the many cafe’s in town. There’s also a good vibe in the town, where you can easily get carried away at one of the many bars during an aprés kayaking celebration!

February

By the time it gets to February, the place is packed! The downside of Pucon’s reputation as the adventure capital of South America, is that there are thousands of tourists around. The roads become blocked into the town, hotels, hostels and camp sites are close to overflowing and the price to stay becomes more expensive! The restaurants are full, the staff no longer have time for a chat and it just is not fun. If we are in Chile in February, we escape south and head to the emptiness of Patagonia!

March

When March arrives and autumn slowly creeps in, the rivers drop, giving the intermediate kayaker the option of running some of the classic sections in Pucon. The rivers have lost much of their strength and sometimes what can be an extremely intimidating drop on the Upper Trancura to a class 3 kayaker will now have them focused and ready to drop in! The town has also calmed down, people have time to chat and again it is nice chilling either outside catching the last rays of sun or by a fire enjoying a drink once the sun has disappeared!

These are just a few of the mellow rivers that Pucon and its surroundings have to offer and you can combine a mini-road trip to various destinations. For instance further north you will head into the Bio Bio Valley where the upper section reaches Class 2 and the lower section Class 3 with its huge volume of water making for some fantastic surf waves.

To the east of Pucon is the stunning Rio Aluminé in Argentina and you can look up a previous edition of The Paddler about an article I wrote for that amazing place. Finally further south of the San Pedro you can head to another favourite of ours – the Rio Petrohue and the list is endless!

Needless to say that with so many options for rivers and adventures it is not just the hard core kayakers hucking big drops and gnarly rapids in Pucon, there is something for every kayaker!

Come over and visit, you will not be disappointed!