Las Trincheras Hot Springs

The springs at Las Trincheras rise at around ninety degrees, hot enough that they are often described as among the hottest thermal waters in the world used for bathing, and the water is heavily mineralised with sulphur. A spa was built here in the nineteenth century and the site has run more or less continuously since, with the water cooled through a series of pools to bearable temperatures, mud baths, and a hotel attached. Humboldt recorded the springs in 1800.

What you actually see

• The source pool - water arriving at around ninety degrees, too hot to enter.
• The cooling pools - a sequence dropping to bathing temperature.
• The mud baths - mineral mud used in the traditional treatments.
• The nineteenth-century spa - the resort buildings around the springs.

When to go

Year round; the water temperature does not vary. Weekends and holidays are busiest. Evenings are pleasant when the air cools.

Honest expectations

The buildings and facilities are dated and maintenance is uneven. The sulphur smell is strong throughout. The hottest pools are genuinely dangerous and the temperature warnings should be taken seriously.

Nearby

Valencia is south, and Puerto Cabello is north.