Churín

Churín is at about 2,300 metres in the upper Huaura valley, and it exists for its water. Several bath complexes operate in and around the town - La Meseta, La Juventud, Mamahuarmi, Fierro Viejo, Tingo - each with its own springs, temperatures and mineral composition, and each claimed locally to help with particular ailments; the waters are hot, mineral-heavy and often strongly coloured or scented by sulphur and iron. It is a domestic destination, busy at weekends and on holidays with Peruvian families and older visitors, and almost unvisited by foreigners. The town is a strip of hotels, restaurants and shops selling manjar blanco and dairy from the valley. The road up from Huacho is long and winding. Any health claims made about the waters are traditional and local, not medical advice.

What you actually see

• The bath complexes - several separate sites with different springs and temperatures.
• The mineral water - hot, heavily mineralised and often sulphurous.
• The domestic scene - a Peruvian weekend spa town, rarely visited by foreigners.
• The valley produce - manjar blanco and dairy sold along the main street.

When to go

May to October for road conditions. A weekend. Weekdays are far quieter; national holidays fill the town completely.

Honest expectations

Four hours from Lima on a winding valley road. Facilities are old-fashioned and vary in cleanliness between complexes. Claims about what the waters cure are traditional, not medical - treat them as such. The town has little to do beyond the baths.

Nearby

Oyón is further up the valley; Huacho and the coast are west.