Cocalmayo Hot Springs

The Cocalmayo pools sit directly beside the Urubamba below Santa Teresa, at around 1,600 metres where the climate is subtropical, and they are unusually good for Peruvian thermal baths: three or four stone-lined pools of clear water at different temperatures, from warm to genuinely hot, fed by springs and set in a green gorge with the river running past. They are open into the evening, which makes a night soak under the stars possible, and there is camping and basic accommodation nearby. Most people arrive on the Salkantay trek, which passes through Santa Teresa on the way to Hidroeléctrica and Machu Picchu, and the pools come at the end of a long descent from the high pass, which is why they have the reputation they do. They can also be reached by road from Santa María on the Cusco to Quillabamba highway.

What you actually see

• The pools - several stone-lined baths at different temperatures.
• The clarity - clean water, unusual among Peruvian thermal sites.
• The setting - a green subtropical gorge with the Urubamba alongside.
• The trek context - the standard stop after the Salkantay descent.

When to go

April to October. Two to four hours, or an evening soak. Open late, which is when they are quietest.

Honest expectations

Busy in the late afternoon when trekking groups arrive together. Changing facilities are basic. The road in from Santa María is rough and prone to landslides. Mosquitoes at dusk.

Nearby

Santa Teresa is above; Hidroeléctrica and the walk to Aguas Calientes are downstream.