Piscinas Naturales Benasque

The natural thermal pools of the Benasque Valley in the province of Huesca, Aragon, are among the most spectacular wild bathing destinations in the Spanish Pyrenees, where geothermally warmed waters emerge from the granite and metamorphic basement of the Maladeta massif — the highest range in the Pyrenees, dominated by the Aneto summit at 3,404 meters. These natural hot spring pools, located in the midst of one of Spain's most dramatic alpine landscapes, have been known to mountain travelers and shepherds for centuries and are deeply embedded in the local tradition of Pyrenean hot spring use. The Benasque Valley itself is a flagship destination for Pyrenean outdoor adventure — ski mountaineering, trekking, rock climbing, and canyoning — and the warm natural pools provide a restorative contrast to the exertions of high-mountain activity in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. The Piscinas Naturales of Benasque represent the elemental pleasure of thermal bathing in the Pyrenees at its most wild and visually magnificent.