Termas de Jahuel

Jahuel sits at around 1,200 metres in the hills above the Aconcagua valley, with springs that have been used since the colonial period and a hotel that grew around them from the nineteenth century. Charles Darwin came up here in August 1834 during the Beagle's time on this coast and stayed several days, and he was seriously ill for part of it - an episode that appears in his account and has been used in the long argument about what the illness that dogged him afterwards actually was. The site looks down the valley to the Andes, with Aconcagua itself visible from parts of it on clear days.

The landscape

• Springs used since the colonial period - at about 1,200 metres.
• Darwin's stay in August 1834 - and the illness he recorded there.
• A hotel from the nineteenth century - grown around the springs.
• A view down to the Andes - Aconcagua visible on clear days.

When to go

Year round. Half a day, or a stay.

Things to know

This is a private hotel and access for non-guests is by day pass with limited numbers. Prices are high. The road up is winding. The water is warm rather than hot.

Nearby

San Felipe is below; Portillo and the Argentine pass are east.

Key facts