Puritama hot springs

The name "puritama" simply means "hot water" in an ancient, pre-Inca tongue, suggesting that these medicinal springs have been used for millennia. The high concentrations of relaxing lithium and minerals accord all sorts of health benefits. Temperatures hover around 33°C (91°F), so they aren't ridiculously hot, making daytime visits a treat.
Though most pools have been left in a relatively natural state, there are changing rooms, eateries, campsites, trails, handicrafts vendors and other improvements all around.
Open daily 9am - 5:30pm
The "hot springs" are property of Hotel Explora, a five-star brand located in all of Chile's hot spots. The facilities are basic, yet elegant and extremely functional. The entry fee's something to watch out for: 15.000 pesos (25 USD). The landscape is stunning, and the water perfect. Ancient agricultural terraces line the canyon-sides, along with massive stone walls, and even some cacti. The layout of the place is as follows: there are eight artificial pools, cleverly made with volcanic rocks, so that they mesh perfectly with the scenery. The 1st one is the warmest as it is nearest to the source. In the seventh, the water is just a little bit colder, but the pool is very large, and has a sizable waterfall that doubles as a hydro-massage.
The entrance fee after 2pm is a reasonable 9000 CLP.

We reached there at around 3 pm and decided to start from the 7th pool as the water would be cooler and it was still quite sunny and then work our way up to the 1st when it would be the coldest in the evening.Leggi altro