River Rafting on the Manso

Among the many attractions protected by the Nahuel Huapi National Park, the Manso River stands out by its turquoise waters, typical of thaw, and by its plentiful course that forms ideal rapids for the practice of river rafting. One of the proposals is the tour that reaches the Chilean border, and another one is the lower Manso stretch.

After leaving Lakes Gutiérrez, Mascardi and Guillelmo behind, the tour takes the Villegas River detour up to the La Pasarela camping site, which is crossed by the Manso River. The guides from the various companies rendering this service await at this point to give a brief lecture on safety and basic techniques.

Afterwards, once everybody has been furnished with life jackets and helmets, they get on the raft and start to paddle along the quiet course of water.
The native forests and snow-capped mountains act as a frame for this classical adventure activity that may be enjoyed either with the family or with friends.

To the Border

The raft is constantly escorted by a safety kayak which heads the way as it studies the course of the river. At the beginning, the rapids are mild and present low difficulty. This way, the paddlers can gradually become adapted to the conditions.
But when the impetuous sound of the river begins to be heard, just as the raft leaves the Terciopelo ravine, the pulse and the movements start to accelerate. In this part of the tour, the Manso loses its temper and gives shape to class-II rapids, combined with violent class-IV torrents.

The guide encourages the team to paddle in order to successfully overcome the most difficult parts of the river, located very close to the Chilean border.
The amusing descent on the raft ends up in Argentinian-Chilean territory, inside a private venue, with a dream scenery where the river waters become quiet again.


Classical Manso

River rafting in the lower Manso is an ideal well-known adventure proposal for the entire family and for beginners to take their first steps in mountain rivers and to see the core of the Nahuel Huapi National Park.

After passing by some of the parks's panoramic points, from where the Huala – Hue Lagoon and Lake San Martín may be appreciated, the agencies selling this excursion get to the Steffen water mirror, where the Lower Manso begins.

Once the rafts are well inflated and the river rafting equipment is ready, a brief chat on security and navigation techniques is given to start going down the river.
The first hour is quiet. The raft goes down along the Manso surrounded by coihues, cypresses, myrtles, maitenes, radales, cañas colihues and chilcos. Birds such as kingfishers, ibis, avutardas and lapwings may be observed flying over the crystal-clear waters of the river.

In the next stretch, the tour becomes more interesting and amusing, as the class II and III rapids begin.
After paddling for a while, a stop is made to enjoy a picnic by the river and recover one's energies.
The second part of the tour presents exciting surprises. The Uvasal, Banda de Billar and the hard Diente de Hipopótamo are passed. Then, the raft will pass by an area known as “Montaña Rusa” (Roller-coaster) and a challenging obstacle called Roca Magnética (Magnetic Rock).

Finally, when the Manso joins the Villegas, quiet pools are formed where it is possible to swim in the summer. But before reaching the valley where the tour comes to an end, the last rapids are to be overcome.
Once on solid ground, the guides offer the members of the group some delicious tortas fritas and some tea, coffee or a cool soft drink so as to call it a day.