By Wendy Lautner

Haven’t had enough of summer? Fortunately, you can have two. Plan a luxurious mid-winter break by booking a trip with Bio Bio Expeditions on the Futaleufu River in southern Chile and watch your pent-up, must-paddle stress melt like the glaciers do.
The aquamarine waters of the powerful Futaleufu are home to some quality Class III to Class V kayak runs and beginners can enjoy learning to paddle along the clear waters of the nearby Rio Espolon, featuring gentle Class I and II rapids.
Native Californians Marc and Damara Goddard along with lifetime friends Lorenzo and Nicole decided to build their adventure resort on the Futa 12 years ago because “it just felt like a second home.”
The worldwide adventure guides certainly had a repertoire of places to choose from when selecting a second location to call their home away from home. “Everywhere you travel you love the trip. You go to Peru or Africa and you’re having a great time when you’re there but you can’t wait to get back home,” Marc says. “When we found Chile we just thought to ourselves we loved it as much as we loved California so we decided to build here.” Leasing land from the Chilean Diocaras farming family directly on the prismatic Futaleufu, the Goddards have developed an eco-resort that lives in harmony with the land and the landowners. Much of the delicious food served in the spacious, hand-built Galpon dining area comes directly from the land the resort is built on. In addition to good food, there’s also plenty of good wine to be had at the riverside sunset bar where weekly wine tasting parties spill over onto the deck overlooking the river. And poised in a perfect position to the bar is the wood-fired community hot tub, where guests often end the evening soaking their muscles to sleep. You’ll find sleep is a necessity after a long day (the sun often sets around 9 p.m.) in order to restore for the many activities available at the resort. Kayaking is only the tip of the iceberg here in the Southern Hemisphere’s “Wild West.” Once you’ve had your fill riding the river, hop on a real working horse (we’re not talking but sniffers here) to explore the Rio Azul valley, culminating in a stop in at Bio Bio’s ultra-remote camping location nestled beside a steep waterfall and idyllic creek. Back at the lodge, enjoy daily yoga classes and massage by appointment.
With this year’s sizable snow pack, Marc says he’s expecting high flows through December and January on the Futaleufu. Flows are expected to mellow into February and March. For more information on booking a trip to Bio Bio on the Futaleufu this winter, call (800) 246-7238.