The raft bobs at the river’s lip, spray flinging light across helmets as the instructor counts off. You push off into the throat of the Verdon—the water a hard, alpine green that seems to want to test every corner of your raft. For the next hour and a half the river alternates between broad, panoramic pools that invite quiet eye contact with the canyon walls and sudden, bouncy rapids that fling laughter and wet sleeves into the air. The guide steers, calls commands, and dials the action to suit families and first-timers while still saving room for a few athletic bursts down class II–III drops.