Aguas Calientes
We very much like nature and visiting natural hot springs in remote areas sounds like a good idea. From Epu Lauquen via Las Ovejas and Varvarco we steer towards hot springs that have been recommended to us by locals and fellow travelers alike. What nobody has mentioned nor can we find anything in our guide books is the section especially after Varvarco. Out of the sudden we drive through a stunning scenery with amazing rock formations. Needless to say that we can only drive a few meters at the time before another picture has to be taken. Not exactly the fastest way to get around but we don’t know if we will come back the same way and now the sun is in a perfect position.
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It's not always the final destination that matters
The ways itself can be very rewarding and fascinating as well
Nobody told us about this great scenery but we really enjoy it
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In the end we make it to the hot springs although again much later than we were hoping. We are on vacation and not on a race across Argentina so we stop where we like and if don’t see all that is on our list for this trip we come back and do it next time.
The hot springs are very different to what we have seen in the past. Here you have a warm waterfall with small basins. The higher you go up the warmer the water gets. Temperatures in the waterfall are marked to be around 35°C which is pretty good for taking a bath. As we arrive on Sunday afternoon there are quite a few people around. However, as we stay over night on the car park we have the entire area almost entirely to ourselves as only a few other people stay in the close by cabanas.
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A waterfall with hot water from the springs - certainly a first for us
There are many springs with some being really hot like this one
Close by is the geyser Las Olletas spitting a bit of water
Also a good place to stay for the night in case you can't camp at the springs
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In the evening during sun set and in the morning we explore other parts as there are different streams with different temperatures. The hottest one featuring water of up to 65°C which is clearly to hot to bath. However, there is one with around 45°C which is great as well. Especially since during breakfast Michael makes a stupid move and some muscle in his back got trapped somehow and it really hurts. But what better place than here to have such a small accident. After a few rounds to different streams it immediately gets better.
Close by there is also the geyser Las Olletas which is spitting a bit of water. Some fellow travelers tell us later that this is also a good place to stay for the night if they won’t let you camp next to the hot springs which can happen.
