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Río Bravo: roadside canyons on the way to Villa O’Higgins

Río Bravo guide south of Puerto Yungay: roadside canyons for kayakers, access via the Mitchell fjord ferry and our level-only Bravo gauge.

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Where the Bravo runs

The Río Bravo rises in glaciers south of Cerro San Lorenzo and runs about 91 km to the Mitchell fjord. It is a separate river from the Baker and the Pascua and reaches the sea on its own. The Carretera Austral meets it at the Río Bravo ferry ramp, across the fjord from Puerto Yungay, and follows its valley south toward Villa O’Higgins.

Paddling

Published whitewater information on the Bravo is thin. One trip report describes a roadside section with three canyons:

• Put-in: a small roadside lake about 30 km after the ferry crossing, just before the road turns south again, followed by a scramble through bog and forest to reach the river.
• First canyon: read-and-run, with pushy waves and the occasional hole.
• Second canyon: noticeably more serious. Paddlers who found the first canyon challenging are advised to take out where the road comes close before it.
• Third canyon: also run on that trip; no grade or length was given.

We have no reliable class rating or section lengths for the Bravo, so scout from the road and go with an experienced team.

Season

The Bravo is glacier-fed. No runnable season or flow range has been published for its canyons; reports come from the summer months when the southern Carretera Austral is most travelled.

How to read our Bravo gauge

The DGA station on the lower Bravo (11614001-2), near where the Carretera Austral crosses the river, publishes water level only, in metres, with no flow (m³/s). Our Baker page shows it as a level and its 72-hour trend. Use it to see whether the river is rising or dropping, not as a flow, and never compare it directly with the Baker’s m³/s.

Access

From Cochrane, drive south toward Puerto Yungay and take the free government-subsidised ferry across the Mitchell fjord to Río Bravo. Ferries run on fixed seasonal timetables and load on a first-come basis, so arrive early. From the ramp the road continues about 100 km to Villa O’Higgins.

Safety

This is a remote area with little traffic and long distances to help. Horseflies are common in summer. Treat any canyon you haven’t seen as unknown.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a flow gauge on the Río Bravo?

DGA publishes level only for the Bravo station, so our page shows metres and the trend, not m³/s.

Does the Bravo flow into the Baker?

No. The Bravo empties into the Mitchell fjord on its own.

Provisional real-time data from DGA Chile. Always scout and check conditions on the river.

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Sources: ilikekayaking.com/blog/beyond-the-bakerjourneying-south-in-patagonia · carretera-austral.cl/10-rios-impresionantes-de-aysen · ferrypatagonia.com/post/cambio-a-temporada-media-2025 · es.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%ADo_Pascua · Updated 2026-10-26