Río Trancura

Barely half an hour east of Pucón [1], the Río Trancura is not one of Chile’s premier white-water rivers—there are long calm floats between the rapids—but the Class IV waterfalls make parts of the upper sector a wild ride indeed.

Heavy competition has kept prices down to about US$30 per person for the Alto Trancura, half that for the calmer Bajo Trancura. Both are morning or afternoon excursions, but the Alto Trancura means a little longer on the water as well.

One alternative to rafting is hydrospeeding, a sort of white-water body board experience that’s gained some popularity in the past couple of years. A trip down the Trancura Alto costs about US$30.