Hot pools
Warm mineral water.
Pertile — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pertile — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dario Alpern — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gonzalez Alicia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dario Alpern — CC BY-SA 4.0
Termas de Río Hondo is Argentina's largest hot-spring centre, a town on the Dulce river in Santiago del Estero province, built over a broad reservoir of hot mineral water extending some twelve kilometres around it. It grew as a health resort in the late nineteenth century and now has more than 170 hotels, many with thermal pools. Its best-known season is winter, when Argentines come for warmth and hot open-air pools while the rest of the country is cold. Near town lies the wide Río Hondo reservoir, for fishing, sailing and water-skiing, and an international racetrack that has hosted the MotoGP world motorcycle championship for several years. The town itself is free to explore, while thermal pools at hotels and complexes charge varying fees. It lies on the road between Tucumán and Santiago del Estero, about an hour and a half from Tucumán.
Warm mineral water.
Fishing and sailing.
MotoGP host.
Río Hondo department, Santiago del Estero, on the Dulce river
Winter, May to September, when the hot pools feel best and the weather is mild.