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Río Manso: from Tronador’s glaciers to the Río Puelo

Río Manso guide: Tronador-fed river with class III–V sections in Argentina and an easy Chilean stretch to the Puelo, plus the live Manso gauge.

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Where the Manso runs

The Manso is born on the glaciers of Monte Tronador in Argentina’s Nahuel Huapi National Park, south of Bariloche. It passes through several large lakes, including Lago Steffen, crosses into Chile and joins the Río Puelo as its main tributary. “Manso” means gentle, a name its gorges don’t live up to.

Sections in Argentina

Most of the Manso’s famous whitewater is on the Argentine side, out of Bariloche:

• Manso Medio (class III+): about 6 km of fun rapids, surf waves and holes, with at least one bigger drop.
• La Cascada / Manso gorge (class IV+ to V+): a steep, remote run of about 16 km plus some 8 km of paddling across Lago Steffen to the take-out. It starts below Cascada de los Alerces, a 16 m waterfall. Rivers of Chile rates it class IV+ at about 18–23 m³/s with two portages, V- at about 23–37 m³/s, and V–V+ above about 37 m³/s. Hiking out is not realistic once you are in the gorge. Park rules apply: running Cascada de los Alerces has been prohibited, and rangers have required permission from the park office for the gorge.
• Manso a la Frontera (class III/IV): about 15 km through a narrow canyon to the Chilean border, typically ending with a horse-supported hike out.

The Chilean Manso

Below the border, the Chilean Manso is described by packraft guides as mostly flatwater with a couple of class II rapids before it meets the Puelo. Published detail on this stretch is limited.

Season and flows

For the Argentine gorge, Rivers of Chile reports December flows near 48 m³/s, which can make it frightening, and recommends waiting until early January and watching for rain. Runnable bands for the gorge are given above; we have no published bands for the Chilean section.

How to read our Manso gauge

Our Puelo page shows the DGA station Río Manso antes Junta Río Puelo, near the river’s mouth in Chile. It sits far downstream of the Argentine runs and below lakes such as Steffen that store and release water, so it is a broad indicator of how wet the basin is, not a direct reading for the Argentine gorge. Its flow adds to the Puelo below the confluence.

Safety

The Argentine gorge is expert-only, remote and committing, with difficult portages at high water. On any section, check park rules and permits first.

Frequently asked questions

What class is the Río Manso?

From class II in Chile to class III+ on the Manso Medio, III/IV on the Frontera run and IV+ to V+ in the gorge in Argentina.

Where can I see the Manso water level today?

On <a href="https://chilewaterlevels.com/puelo/">chilewaterlevels.com/puelo</a>, from the DGA station above its junction with the Puelo.

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

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Sources: riversofchile.com/rio-manso-nahual-huapi · riversofchile.com/manso-gorge-in-argentina · exchile.com/adventures/patagonia-custom-kayak-trips · scoutingrios.cl/patagonia-packrafting-immersion · paddlepatagonia.com/trips/rio-puelo-valley-andean-lake-crossing-argentina-to-chile · es.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%ADo_Puelo · Updated 2026-10-26