Chile Guide
The Carretera Austral
Futaleufú
The pretty, pastel-painted village of FUTALEUFÚ, 8km from Lago Espolón, was until fairly recently a remote frontier outpost and now serves as a popular summer base for rafting, kayaking, fishing and hiking.
Originally settled in the 1920s, the town completely depended on Argentina until a horse trail was built to connect it with the Chilean coast in the 1930s. Communications with the rest of Chile increased slightly in the 1950s with the arrival of an aerodrome and light plane services. Notoriously changeable weather, however, made flying an unreliable form of transport and in 1952 one plane had to make an emergency landing on one of the village's streets, which now bears the name of "Piloto Carmona" in honour of the unlucky pilot. Following the completion of the nearby stretch of the Carretera Austral in 1988, Futaleufú finally became connected to the rest of Chile by road – though it's easier to travel north and south by crossing the border into Argentina than plod along the bumpy Carretera. Twice-weekly buses (Mon & Fri) head to the Argentine border at Paso Futaleufú at 9am and 6pm (customs post open daily 8am–10pm), 10km east of Futaleufú.
Most people come to Futaleufú for the slew of outdoor activities, including hiking, horse-trekking, mountain biking, fly-fishing, floating (drifting down a river on an inner tube), canyoning (abseiling down canyons) and canoeing, in addition to the obligatory rafting and kayaking trips. Various outfits offer these activities, including Centro Aventura Futaleufú, run by the American Olympic team kayaker Chris Spelius, which operates out of the Hostería Río Grande; 
www.raftingchile.com ). Club de Rafting y Kayak at Cerda 545 ( 
65/721298), Austral Excursiones, on the corner of Hermanos Carrera and Rodriguéz ( 65/721239) and Guias Nativos at Cerda 697 ( 65/721281) also organize professional outings on the river. Expect to pay around CH$15,000 for a relatively simple run down the Río Epsolón, CH$35,000 for a half-day excursion on the Río Futaleufú and CH$60,000 for a full day on the Futa that includes tackling Class V rapids. For horse-riding contact Rancho Las Ruedas on Piloto Carmona 337 ( 65/721294, 
rancholasruedas@123.cl); horses cost around CH$3000 per hour or CH$12,000 per day.