The Futaleufú's turquoise glacial water and Class IV-V rapids have made it one of the world's benchmark rafting rivers.
The Futaleufú runs an improbable turquoise, fed by glacial lakes on the Argentine side of the Andes, and drops through a canyon of named rapids — Terminator, Casa de Piedra, Mundaca — that put it on every serious rafter's list, alongside scenery of steep forested slopes that rivals anything else on the river's résumé.
Commercial trips run the river in sections graded from a manageable Class III float to the committing Class V Bridge to Bridge run, and outfitters based in the town of Futaleufú typically pair a few days of rafting with side-canyon hikes and riverside camps.
Go with an operator that limits raft size and trains hard on swim and flip drills before putting you on the water — the Futaleufú is unforgiving of complacency — and bring a wetsuit even in the Patagonian summer, since the water rarely climbs out of the teens.
