Copahue

Termas de Copahue in Neuquén Province, Argentina, emerge at the foot of the active Copahue volcano on the Argentine-Chilean border, in one of South America's most dramatic high-altitude geothermal environments where the volcanic crater lake, iron-rich mud pools, and sulphate springs create an otherworldly landscape of steaming vents and coloured mineral deposits at 2000 metres above sea level. The ferruginous and sulphated spring water is among the most distinctive in South America, drawing visitors within a long thermal tradition during the short summer season when access to this remote Patagonian valley is possible before the heavy Andean snowfalls close the roads. The Mapuche people, who have inhabited these Andean territories for centuries, regard Copahue as a sacred place of healing and spiritual power, lending the thermal experience a cultural depth that enriches the already extraordinary natural setting.