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El tibio chorro de hidromasaje y la piscina de lodo son particularmente bien acogidos entre los visitantes. / The warm whirlpool jet and the mud pool are particularly well acclaimed by visitors.
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Hot Springs in Venezuela

A TOWN IN THE VENEZUELAN STATE OF CARABOBO, PERCHED ON A MOUNTAINOUS ENVIRONMENT LADEN WITH LAVISH FOLIAGE, HARBORS THE WORLD’S SECOND-BEST HOT SPRINGS

Quite likely, warmth was the first thing human beings first sought for. For ages people have said time and again that work shipped mankind into shape, but saying that heat made that possible is no understatement. Pleasure and health are linked to climate, so that explains why that when it comes to traveling, we always take a closer look at temperatures. And it’s that inquiry the one that can bring us straight to such places as Las Trincheras (The Trenches) thermal center.
Nestled in the state of Carabobo, in the town of Trincheras, and hemmed in by a mountainous environment laden with lavish foliage, the complex boasts the second most important hot springs in the world in terms of temperature (92 degrees Celsius) and the number one around the globe as far as chemical composition and healing powers are concerned. It’s way too hard to pass up the chance to relax in such a place. Stress, the so-called epidemic of our century, has in this South American enclave a formidable foe. Muscle relaxation, blood oxygenation and cellular rejuvenation are three of the benefits that water can turn like magic for those who make up their minds to call that place their secret getaway, far from the worldly noise.
This haven of peace has 103 hotel rooms where guests can choose between double rooms, executive, colonial and triple. From the coziness of their rooms, they can handpick the right time for them to make use of the spa. The warm whirlpool jet and the mud pool are highly acclaimed among visitors.
Pure magic rolling down from the mountain. Despite the wafting steam that resembles what magicians usually do on stage with their hat tricks and magic wands, this is no doubt certified magic at its best. Patients suffering from arthritis, backbone conditions, rheumatism, as well as muscular, respiratory, digestive, gynecological, traumatic and dermatological disorders get remarkably well in a couple of shakes. In the meantime, the charm of the place and the quality of the service make them forget that they once got there suffering from some kind of acute body pain or discomfort.
A place like this deserves the history it treasures. Its name harkens back to the times of the colonial rule, when forts were built on the premises and were called “Las Trincheras de Aguas Calientes” (The Hot Waters Trenches) in a bid to prevent pirates –those annoying visitors who had no bearing with tourism- from ransacking and looting locations between Puerto Cabello and Valencia. As time rolled on, the named was clipped to “Aguas Calientes” (Hot Waters), and that moniker still holds water, especially at the thermal center.
And there’s more. The legend goes that the energy of the Guaicaipuro, Tamanaco, Cayare, Yoraco and Charaima came precisely from those springs, to which several tribes used to drop by on a regular basis in search of health, vigor and courage. Chronicles have it that in an environment of magical rituals, on the verge of temporary huts erected for the estancia, warriors strengthened themselves in those waters, while the sick and the old received renewed moxie from the heat.
It is also said that the hot springs were rediscovered –like virtually everything else in the Americas- in the early 19th century by Agustín Codazzi and Alejandro de Humboldt. The latter, who explained to the world like no one else the spirit and nature of the American people, probably took a few good dips in those springs before putting out his first studies on this natural therapy.
From then to date, presidents, governors, member of parliaments, artists, sportsmen, scientists and, above all, ordinary people, have stayed at the complex on a quest –like the tribe of peace- for harmony and concord, with themselves and with others. Right at Las Trincheras, right in the middle of their pools or mud ponds, it is easy to travel back in time thousands of years and remember that, like owners of a thermal planet, warmth is the one thing the human race built on.