Domuyo Hot Springs

Cerro Domuyo rises to about 4,700 metres in the far north of Neuquén and is often called the roof of Patagonia, and the geothermal field on its flanks is one of the most active in Argentina. Around Villa Aguas Calientes and Los Tachos, water emerges boiling from the ground: small geysers throw jets into the air, streams run hot enough to scald, mineral crusts stain the ground orange and white, and steam drifts across a valley of bare rock at over two thousand metres. Rustic pools have been built where the water cools enough to bathe. Almost nothing has been developed here, which is the point and the difficulty: the roads are rough, the villages tiny, and visitors are few.

What you actually see

• The geysers and boiling springs - active vents and jets on the mountain flank.
• The mineral ground - orange and white crusts around the hot streams.
• The bathing pools - rustic pools where the water has cooled enough.
• Cerro Domuyo - Patagonia's highest peak above the field.

When to go

December to March, the only reliable window; snow closes the access tracks for much of the year and cold nights are severe at altitude even in summer. Storms can make the fords impassable within hours.

Honest expectations

Access is genuinely difficult and needs a capable vehicle, spare fuel and supplies; there are almost no services. Some pools and streams are hot enough to cause serious burns, and none are supervised. Phone coverage is absent over most of the area.

Nearby

Varvarco and Andacollo are the nearest settlements; Chos Malal is the regional town far to the south.