Baños del Inca

The springs at Los Baños del Inca rise at a temperature high enough that the water has to be cooled before anyone can get into it, and they have been used for a very long time; Atahualpa was reportedly camped here when the Spanish arrived in 1532. The modern complex is municipal and functional rather than elegant: steam drifting off open channels, a large public pool, rows of private cubicles with deep stone tubs that an attendant fills for you, and a sauna block. Locals treat it as routine, particularly at weekends. The water is mineral-heavy and faintly sulphurous, and the whole site sits at around 2,700 metres.

What you actually see

• The private stone tubs - deep filled baths in individual cubicles, booked by the half hour.
• The source channels - open runs of steaming water crossing the grounds before it is cooled.
• The public pools - larger shared pools, busiest at weekends and with families.
• El Tragadero - the walled pool traditionally associated with Atahualpa's stay here.

When to go

The dry season from May to September gives the clearest weather in Cajamarca, though the springs work year-round because you are in hot water regardless. Weekday mornings are quietest. Weekends and Peruvian holidays fill the public pools. Carnival in February makes the whole city busy and accommodation scarce for that week.

Honest expectations

The complex is a municipal bath house rather than a spa: tiled cubicles, plastic chairs and functional plumbing. Cleanliness of the public pools varies and the private tubs are the better choice for the money. The sulphur smell is noticeable throughout. Cajamarca sits above 2,700 metres, so hot immersion can leave you light-headed if you arrived the same day.

Nearby

Cajamarca's main square is ten minutes west, and the Cumbemayo rock formations lie above the city.