Imagine yourself immersed in naturally heated sulfurous waters and facing lush forests and gigantic snow-capped mountains. Or around volcanoes, many of them active, or from more than 270 hot springs. This is a good premise of what is found along more than 4 thousand km of the Andes Mountains in Chile.
The water temperature varies between 30ºC and 47ºC, and in some places it can reach 80ºC or more. In addition to high temperatures, water from natural sources has large amounts of minerals with healing properties, such as potassium, selenium, calcium, zinc, chlorides, magnesium, among others.
For those arriving in Santiago, the tip is to rent a car and drive towards the Atacama Desert or the temperate forests of Patagonia. In other words: from north to south of the country, there are natural hot springs for all tastes and pockets. Remember that some are free.
One of the best known, the Termas El Médano, on 7th. Maule region, in the city of San Clemente, 360 km south of Santiago. To get there, the driver must take Ruta 5 SUR and then Ruta 115-CH towards Paso Pehuenche, on the border with Argentina.
The natural pools, superheated by “mother nature” are located at the top of the Andes Mountains, at km 104 of the highway, right on the banks of the Maule River, which, in the language of the Mapuche indigenous people, means “river of rain”.
There, tourists have the option of staying in small cabins with all the infrastructure, if they want to spend a few more days enjoying other leisure options, such as trails, horseback riding, volcanic sauna, or simply contemplating the cinematographic scenery of the region.
To enter the hot springs, you only need to pay one thousand Chilean pesos, about R$6 —a much lower value than others in the region—, to enjoy and relax in the waters for two hours. The limited time is due to tourist turnover and coronavirus protocols.
Also at El Médano Thermal Springs, right after the natural pools, there are signs encouraging visitors to walk a 150-meter trail towards a small hill.
This route, which has the Andes and the Maule River as a visual, leads the tourist to find, on the left side of the trail, a rocky wall with three small caves from which hot steam emanates that form a kind of “natural sauna”.
The sulfur-rich gases come from the Descabezado Grande volcano, which has been inactive since 1933, according to Chile’s National Service of Geology and Mining.
To keep the steam, the owner of the property built three wooden houses in front of the caves, where the visitor can get in a bathing suit and relax for about 20 minutes. It is worth remembering that the temperature of the rocks reaches 75ºC.
And, despite the therapeutic properties of the steam bath, excessive exposure to heat can be harmful. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the body’s own responses.
Those on a tight budget can walk along the banks of the Maule River and, in a few meters, bathe for free in portions of warm water that contrast with the icy waters that flow in the river. The natural pools are small and shallow, but big enough to warm up your body and relax your muscles.
Not far from El Médano hot springs, towards the Argentine border, travelers can visit the Inverted Waterfall, whose waterfall, with more than 100 meters of waterfall, is located at km 125 of Ruta 115-CH.
Travelers may be surprised by the waters of the waterfall rising towards the sky, a phenomenon caused by the strong winds in the region – an image that impresses and gives a taste of the force of nature.
It is worth remembering that the waterfall is not always inverted, as the phenomenon is due to weather conditions, that is, when there is strong wind precipitation in the valley.
To get close to the waterfall, it is necessary to park the vehicle on the side of the road and walk along a dirt track for about 200 meters. There is no admission charge to enjoy the scenery.
When approaching the site, great care must be taken to avoid accidents due to the slippery rocks and the precipice. In the company of children, it is recommended to hold hands during the journey.
