OK, I will concede there were plenty of cacti, many in bloom, and you would be hard pressed to drown in the river. What that description neglects to mention are the multiple times you get to scale rock faces, climb down same, and ford said river multiple times. See the above image.  Slipping and cracking your head was not out of the realm of possibility. Oh, and at the end was a further trek of a mile of so into a howling wind to the transport, to be followed by a long slow climb across a truly lunar landscape. I see now why  the Atacama desert has served as the location for a number of space movies.

Don’t get the wrong impression, however.  We loved the excursion.  The trip leader was a professional high mountain guide that leads climbers in the Andes during the winter season, so for him this was a jaunt in the park. He also gave very clear instructions when we had to deal with the more technical maneuvers and was always nearby to lend a hand when needed.  The guides and drivers are all very safety conscious. It was, all in all, exhilarating.

We enjoyed it so much that we essentially reversed course through another canyon this morning. The first trek was generally downstream and downhill. The second was upstream and had a totally different feel. It ended at thermal springs where we got to enjoy warm soak.  This trek had a few tricky climbs but for the most part was more of a traditional hike. We listened to the rushing river throughout the walk.

Photo below is of one of the cacti blooms from the first trek.