Whitewater, ARGENTINA
RÍO GRANDE-COLORADO (Argentina) Ecotourism Trip:
There are plans to drown the best expedition river remaining in Chile/Argentina-- let's go while we still can, and hopefully make a change.
Ask about our next launches
TRIP COST: Grande-Colorado (14 days)
$1860
Expertly Guided Expedition, Transfers to River from Flight, Food, Raft/Kayak and Paddles all included; if you'd like to add rental of personal gear (vest, helmet, tent, sleeping bag) on this trip-- let us know, as this can be done inexpensively.
A deposit of $500 holds your place:
Río Grande-Colorado is one of the best whitewater kayaking and rafting rivers in Argentina. On this trip we will start at the river's beautiful higher elevation area, pass through class III and IV rapids in the Reserva La Payunia with its eerie lunar volcanic landscape, and finish on Río Colorado at the northern border of Patagonia. We'll explore caves, narrows, and volcanic craters. Each participant will see firsthand what will be lost with a series of planned dams that will drown most of the upper river. The raft trip is one of the best ways to visit the unique Payunia reserve.
Río Grande-Colorado begins its raftable stream about 70km upstream of the highway connecting Bardas Blancas (Argentina) to Talca (Chile). The river is fed by springs and snow accumulated from winter storms and melted during the warm spring season. Being the northernmost boundary of Patagonia and on the dry east side of the Andes, sunny weather and warm temperatures are the norm in late spring and summer. The first 4-5 days of this expedition will have class III and IV as well as one portage around the short narrow unraftable La Pasarela basalt gorge, followed by a more remote 4-day wilderness class III canyon section in the eerie volcanic Payunia Reserve. The reserve is currently under consideration as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site due to its unique concentration of volcanic cones/craters and flora/fauna, and the Argentinian government is seeking to expand the protected area. Some trips will continue an additional 4-5 days on Río Colorado down past Rincón de los Sauces through the final beautiful basalt canyon of the river.
There are already 3 groups considering reserving trips next season (Dec-Feb) so if you’re interested in running this river, it’s important to make a reservation now. We provide outfitting, food and lodging plus expert guides, all you need to do is get there.
In December 2016, guide Rocky Contos supported rafting expeditions to explore and document several threatened rivers in Argentina, and came to the conclusion that the Río Grande-Colorado in Argentina is one of the most incredible rivers remaining in the world and makes for a fun moderately challenging class III-IV expedition of 7-20 days. Although a preliminary exploration was conducted in October 2015, the full raft-support expedition took place in December 2016. Unfortunately, the Portazuelo del Viento complex is planned to put in 5 dams that will drown the entire upper 150km of river. This project is contentious among Argentinians, and can still be stopped. It’s important to add a voice now to support this precious river. See the following to learn more about the river and do a small part to help protect it by signing the petition against the dams.
Petition: PETITION (Grande-Colorado)
Slideshow1: GrandeColorado1_(Slideshow)
Slideshow2: GrandeColorado2_(Slideshow)