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Corridor Cuyo > Province: Mendoza > Malargüe

Rafting on the Salado River

Marcelo Sola

Adrenaline in its purest state: we went river rafting down the Upper Salado River. An adventure to enjoy with the entire family amidst the vastness of the mountain range.

The rivers of Malargüe provide an ideal scene for the practice of river rafting. Their waters teeming with falls and rapids make it possible for us to enjoy this magnificent natural environment from a boat with a good dose of adrenaline. Adventure led us to the Upper Salado River, approximately 50 away from Malargüe.

We left the city following Route 40 to the North and, after about 20 kilometers, we took Route 222, which leads to Las Leñas Ski Resort. We stopped at the District of Los Molles, a small town with lots of cabins for rent. Once there, we went down a path up to the banks of the Upper Salado River.

This torrent is perfect to enjoy the adventure with the entire family, as it is class 2 + in the International Scale of River Difficulty, ideal for grown-ups and children to feel as absolute protagonists free of any risks.

River rafting consists in going down mountain rivers on rubber boats. As this is a team sport, it is important to pay special attention to the instruction chat dictated by the guide before giving free rein to adventure. Thus, everybody may enjoy the ride as they paddle according to the directions.

We were furnished with all the necessary equipment to go down the Salado. Dry suit, helmet, life jacket and neoprene leg warmers were some of the elements we should wear. After asking for permission to embark and doing the typical wave with the paddles in an upright position, the raft turned around and before we could notice, we were already floating the Upper Salado.

The rafting circuit goes along about 10 kilometers in all. The guide was giving us the directions with his commanding voice so that we did not bump into the rocks.
Suddenly, there came a big fall before us. Thrill and vertigo took hold. We had to paddle with all our strength in order to surpass that geographical feature. “Paddle hard!”, our guide yelled as he used his paddle as a helm. The crystal-clear waters would break against the boat sprinkling our faces.

The boat seemed to dive into the rapids. Everything happened in a matter of seconds. Fortunately for us, and after a remarkable bounce of the boat, we managed to leave behind the waterfall that had disturbed our quietness.

In a backwater zone and feeling calmer and more confident, we let ourselves be seduced by the scenery around. It was impressive to watch the ravine created by the river. Little by little, we were getting deep into the Andes Mountain Range surrounded by vegetation fields crowded with rala, molles, jarillas and alpatacos.

We went from pure adrenaline to absolute beholding. Other rapids came along and then everything was translated into calm.
The professionalism of the guide made us feel quite confident. Besides, we were being escorted by a safety kayak which verified that no one fell to the water.

It was a very pleasant experience and, after going down the river for about 2 hours, we reached the end of our tour. Before finishing, we were congratulated by the guide and holding our paddles straight up, we hailed all the participants.
As we went off the boat, we were welcomed with a delicious snack on the riverbank. Soft drinks, mineral water and cookies and the memories of the exciting moments enjoyed a few seconds before.

With the sunshine on our backs, we set out on our journey back to town. We had enjoyed river rafting in the Upper Salado River and we were feeling like real adventurers. An experience highly recommended.