Guatin Canyon

Guatin is where the Puritama and Purifica rivers join north of San Pedro, in a narrow canyon whose floor is walkable between rock walls. What grows there is the point: cardón cacti, the big columnar Echinopsis atacamensis, standing several metres tall out of the dry ground, some of them well over a century old since these grow at only a centimetre or two a year. The walk goes downstream between them with the water crossing back and forth. Altiplanic summer storms in January and February can send sudden flows down these canyons, and that is a real hazard rather than a formality.

What you actually see

• Two rivers joining in a canyon - the Puritama and the Purifica.
• Cardón cacti several metres tall - growing a centimetre or two a year.
• A walkable canyon floor - crossing the water repeatedly.
• Flash flood country - in the altiplanic summer.

When to go

April to November; avoid the January and February storm season. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Feet get wet - the route crosses the stream many times. Flash floods in summer are a genuine danger and the canyon should be avoided when storms are forecast over the altiplano. There are no facilities and no shade.

Nearby

Puritama hot springs are up the same road; San Pedro is south.