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. Once we have settled in, we fit out our kayaks and go through equipment in the afternoon before chilling and relaxing to get over the journey to Pucon. As we have continuously mentioned, the variety of rivers in and around Pucon is World Class. Depending on the season and water levels we have a range of rivers to choose from and below are just a few of the rivers that we can kayak.  As our Team know the region and its rivers extremely well, we know what section or river will be ideal for you on each day. The Lower Trancura is a great river to warm up on, with some big hits and moves to make throughout, this section certainly gets rid of the cobwebs! We spend a morning working on our boof technique at a sweet feature/drop on the Lower Palguin and after lunch we continue down the Lower Palguin to run drops like auto-boof! The Upper Palguin is probably the most well known section of river in Pucon. It is waterfall heaven and you get the opportunity to run it 2 or even 3 times! The Upper Trancura has nice pool drop rapids with some dramatic backdrops of the Villarrica Volcano. It is a great place to spend time running a couple of the drops more than once to get that sweet shot so that you have just more than a memory of your time kayaking in Pucon. The Rio Maichin is also a firm favourite of the Team and if the river levels are on our side it is a beautiful place to spend the day kayaking the drops and rapids that are all set in a lush green canyon, reminiscent of being in the jungle but without the bugs!!!

Within a days drive of Pucon you can find some fantastic whitewater. The Truful Truful gives us the option of kayaking the un-relentless rapids on the upper section, something that most kayakers have never experienced. The mellower 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 HUGE waves and rapids in the Spring and if the energy levels are good 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!

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 Pucon 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 Pucon Kayak Mecca Trip is run by Chileans Josefa and Mati plus Steve (the boss) is also part of the crew.

To find out more about our professional and world class Team just follow the link.

Experience Required

You should have plenty of experience of kayaking Class 3 and Class 4 whitewater such as the Sanna, Landeck Gorge and the Lower Oetz in Austria at good levels.  Your roll should be good.  Chile’s river classifications tend to be solid so if the majority of rivers you are kayaking are Class 3 then we suggest you check out our No Stress Pucon Kayaking Class 3 Trip.  We will be kayaking for around 4-5 hours a day so 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 Pucon Kayak Mecca 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 February as the town is full!  Instead we head to Patagonia.

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 Pucon Kayak Trip, depending on the group size we may have an extra vehicle to make life a little more comfortable on those roads in and around Pucon.  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 Pucon Kayak Mecca 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 Rio 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.

Dates & Prices

Tour Dates & Prices

We have tours planned on the following dates:

• 22 Dec 2024 - 02 Jan 2025 (12 Day Trip)

• 12-19 January 2025 (8 Day Trip)

• 12-23 January 2025 (12 Day Trip)

• 01-12 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!!

Trip Price

The cost of our Pucon Kayak Mecca  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

• Excess baggage charges both international and domestic

Want to find out more about our Pucon Kayak Mecca Trip then just get in touch via the contact form.  We also have a pdf with more in-depth information about the trip that we can send you.

Contact us about the trip