The Santa Rosa de Cabal Hot Springs

Water heated deep under the volcanoes of Los Nevados surfaces in the valley above Santa Rosa de Cabal at temperatures you can sit in, and it has been channelled into terraced pools directly beneath a waterfall that drops out of the forest behind them. The contrast is the point: hot water in the pool, cold spray off the fall, cloud forest on the valley walls. There are two separate complexes in the area, one at the waterfall closer to town and one further up the valley reached by a longer track. Both get busy at weekends, and both are more pleasant after dark.

What you actually see

• The waterfall pools - terraced thermal baths directly under a tall fall.
• The cold plunge - unheated river water beside the hot pools.
• The valley track - a rough road climbing through cloud forest and cattle pasture.
• Night bathing - the falls lit after dark, when the air turns cold.

When to go

Open year round, and rain hardly matters when you are already in the water. Weekday evenings are calmest; Colombian weekends and holidays fill every pool. The drier months keep the access road in better shape. Late in the day is best, when the air cools and the gap between water and air temperature is at its sharpest.

Honest expectations

The road up is rough and taxis charge a premium for it. On weekends the pools are shoulder to shoulder, with loud music and queues for changing rooms and lockers. Entry, locker and towel are charged separately. The water carries a sulphur smell that stays on skin and swimwear, and the complex itself is functional concrete rather than a natural setting.

Nearby

Pereira, Salento and the Cocora valley are within an hour or two; Los Nevados rises behind.