We organise your transfer from Temuco airport to Pucon where we will meet you and then take you up to our newly built lodge in the mountains outside of Pucon. Situated on a stunning lake and with the Villarrica Volcano towering above the town, Pucon has a reputation as one of the world’s best kayaking destinations. However, it is not all Class 5 whitewater and huge waterfalls. Pucon has some fantastic Class 3 whitewater on its doorstep. From the medium volume Lower Trancura to the technical Upper and Lower Liucura, the Lower and Upper Maichin are also fun to paddle and of course are set in stunning scenery.  If you come later in the season, rivers have lost a lot of their power and volume. This means some of the Class 4 rivers such as the Upper Trancura and Upper Palguin will be a great option if confidence is high! Within a days drive of Pucon you can find some fantastic Class 3 whitewater. The Lower Truful Truful starts with a punch as you put-in right below a waterfall. There are continuous rapids for the first few kilometres before chilling out with great views of the valley and the snowcapped Llaima Volcano.

The Lower Fuy provides some great waves kayaking on a river with crystal clear water. If the energy levels are good then we can do another lap! The Rio San Pedro is often regarded as a mini Futaleufu. It has probably the clearest water we have ever encountered. You can just roll over and see the volcanic rock, river bed and fish as you float on bye. The action soon picks up and we kayak some big waves and rapids with the feeling that we are in the middle of nowhere. It can also make a great mellow, 2 day self-support multi-day trip. The Rio San Pedro is a firm favourite of the whole team! There is plenty of kayaking in and around Pucon to work on technique and gain kilometres of river time!

Why us?

We are a professional kayak school based in the heart of the Austrian Alps.  Our kayak school has been operating for over 14 years and some of us have over 30 years of experience in teaching kayaking, leading expeditions and exploring some of the remotest places on the planet.  We are extremely proud of our Team here at Kayak School Arlberg, their coaching and guiding are second to none, we do not employ any kayaker or someone who is trying to extend their holiday, this is what our guides and instructors do for a living and they love it!  Some have represented their country at canoe slalom, others are assessors and trainers for Paddle UK but what stands out the most is their love of whitewater kayaking.  All of our guides/instructors/coaches are fully qualified through either Paddle UK (formally British Canoeing) or the American Canoe Association so whether you are looking to improve your technique while in Patagonia or getting tips on how to nail that move or keep that line our team of coaches and guides will be more than happy to share their knowledge with you!

Our No Stress Pucon Kayaking Trip is run by Chileans Josefa and Mati plus Steve (the boss) is also part of the crew.

To find out more about professional and World Class Team just follow the link.

Experience Required

You should have some experience of kayaking Class 3 whitewater such as the Imst Gorge and the Toesens Gorge sections of the River Inn in Austria. Your roll does not have to be 100% however we do expect you to try to roll more than once and wait for a t-rescue before exiting your kayak. We kayak for around 4-5 hours a day and though you do not need to be an Olympic athlete you should have a certain amount of paddle fitness and stamina.

If you are not too sure you have the right experience for our No Stress Pucon Kayaking Trip then just get in touch.  Our team have kayaked all over the world and so we will have some idea of the rivers you have paddled, experience and ability once we have spoken to you.

Chile Kayaking Season

Of course we are in the Southern Hemisphere so everything is opposite for us living in the north!  Spring in Chile is November and early December, Summer is from December through to February ad Autumn kayaking is March and April.

Expect higher water levels and maybe ½ a grade harder in November.  December and January have medium water levels then by March the levels have dropped and so to the strength of the rivers.  We do not offer trips to Pucon in the main part of February as the town is full!  Instead we head to Patagonia.

Check out our Blog: https://www.gokayaking.at/en/blog/best-time-to-kayak-in-pucon-chile

Group Composition

Our ratios are extremely low be it in the Kayak School, India, Peru or Chile! The ratio of the group is no more than 1 guide to 3 clients! We will also not take more than 6 clients on this trip! This gives you plenty of whitewater action with the opportunity to become a much more all rounded confident kayaker! This is why we like to keep our group sizes small

Transport

We have our own 4x4 pick up truck that will be our main workhorse on the Patagonia Kayak Trip, depending on the group size we may have an extra vehicle to make life a little more comfortable on those Patagonia roads.  If we use just one vehicle we have a small dirt bike (motorbike) that we do the shuttle with!

Kayaks and Equipment

We have a bunch of kayaks out in Chile and paddles for you to use.  We teach a modern, dynamic style of kayaking and so our equipment represents that.  With various models of kayaks from Waka, Spade and Zet available and our paddles are either from AT or Striebel Designs/Spade.

For more information about our kayak and paddle models just get in touch.  We have kayaks that fit even the smallest paddler to some of the biggest!

Kayak and paddles are included in the price of our trips!

Accomodation

The Lodge

We have a newly built lodge set in 10,000m² up in the mountains of Los Nevados just outside of Pucon.  The Lodge has a Nordic style build with an open plan living room, dinner and kitchen on the upper floor, all of which has a 360 degree surrounding view of the forests, mountains and of course 2 snowcapped volcanoes.  Llaima to the north in the distance and Villarrica towering to the south of us.  The light on the snowcapped Villarrica changes a lot throughout the day and the warm evening light can be followed by a stunning glow into the clouds just above the crater!!

There are currently 2 ensuite bedrooms, one of which is a double and the other can hold 3 people easily.  Set in woodland the bedrooms are nice and cool during the hot summer but with significant insulation throughout the house means it is nice and toasty on a cold Spring day or a wet Autumn day!  We have a terrace that you can walk out onto where you can relax, stretch or do yoga in the peace and tranquility of the mountains.

There is a drying room to hang up our kayaking equipment if it has not dried out by the evening and there is nothing better than putting on dry thermals and even a bone dry drysuit when kayaking the following day.  Electricity is supplied by the panels and batteries integrated into the lodge from the beginning, our hot water is from gas so you can have a powerful hot shower anytime of the day and finally the house is centrally heated by a wood burner upstairs and radiators downstairs.  Our wood is either sourced from our own woodland or locally from one of our friends farm!

Our lodge really does make our No Stress Pucon Kayaking Trip that more special, this is no ordinary wooden cabin as everyone who has stayed there will tell you.  It is the perfect place to get some rest, plan the following days kayaking and enjoy the beautiful nature that surrounds it!!

Food & Drink

Food can be a real highlight in Chile. Markets are full of vegetables and fruits of the season. There are some great restaurants in Pucon serving Spanish and German influenced cuisine. Back at the lodge we cook authentic Indian curry with different flavours and nothing too spicy! Also let’s not forget the Chilean asado - a grill laden with various meat, sausages and we have even some great vegetarian alternatives as the markets are packed with fresh vegetables, salads, avocados and fruit!

Of course Chile produces some quality red wine and there are options of craft beers and juices.

Our coffee which is served in the morning and also once we have arrived back from a great days kayaking is roasted in Pucon by Madd Goat, a core partner of ours and it tastes amazing!

Finally, our water is from a mountain spring close to the lodge and we will have some cold drinks in a cooler at the take-out waiting for you.

Extensions

If you would like to extend to make a 12 day (or even longer) trip then just let us know. It is a long journey to Pucon and we understand that some kayakers would rather spend more time running those sweet drops, waterfalls and really making the most of what Pucon and its surrounding areas/destinations have to offer.

We have the option of to stay longer in Pucon giving you the chance to paddle your favourite section or river some more, be it the waterfalls and drops on the Upper Palguin, the amazing colour water of the Rio Fuy be it the big waves on the Lower Fuy or the waterfalls on the Upper Fuy to the pool drop rapids of the Trancura with stunning backdrops provided by the snowcapped Villarrica Volcano.

The second option would be a mini road trip to Argentina and the beautiful Rio Alumine with huge monkey puzzle trees lining the banks to the Truful Truful river in Chile on the way back to Pucon.

Just let us know if you would prefer to extend to a 12 day trip.

Dates & Prices

Tour Dates

26 January- 02 February 2025 8 Day Trip

02 - 09 March 2025 8 Day Trip

02 - 13 March 2025 12 Day Trip

No dates to suit your plans? Just let us know through the contact form, we are pretty flexible here at the Kayak School and we will try and give you more of a chance to make that dream trip to Chile.

All of our Chile Trips are guaranteed to run with just a minimum of 2 persons!!

Tour price

The cost of our No Stress Pucon Kayaking Trip is:

EUR 2500.- per person for an 8 day Trip

EUR 3850.- per person for a 12 day Trip

Like we said we guarantee to run our trips with just a  minimum of 2 persons, however if there are 4 people or more then the price will be cheaper.

Please contact us if you are keen for the mini road trip to the Rio Alumine in Argentina.

Included in the price is:

• All coaching and guiding from fully qualified and extremely experienced Expedition Kayakers and Instructors / Guides

• Full Board Accommodation - At our private lodge based on 2 people sharing with wholesome, healthy meals cooked by ourselves.

• Private 4x4 truck and fuel throughout the trip

• Organised transfers from Temuco airport to Pucon (return)

• Modern whitewater kayak and paddle.

Not Included in the price is:

• Visas & permits, passport and vaccination charges

• International Flights

• Medical & Kayak Insurance, laundry, personal clothing and any items of a personal nature

• Kayaking apparel

• Medical expenses or Emergency evacuation charges

• Alcohol for the duration of the trip

• One lunch and evening meal (taken on a relaxed/rest day) for the 8 day trip

• Two lunches and evening meals for the 12 day trip.

• Domestic Flights or Bus Journeys

Contact us about the trip