Piscina El Salado

Lonely Planet review

If you walk up the hill and past the cemetery on Martínez, you'll end up on a track that crosses a stream (Quebrada de Naguasco) on a small wooden footbridge. The trail continues on the other side to a road in front of Cabañas Bascun, where you turn left to reach Piscina El Salado. These are the only other hot pools (apart from La Piscina de La Virgen), and because they're 2.5km out of town, they're usually less crowded.

The setting isn't quite as pretty as La Virgen, but the baths are outstanding; the hot pool is just cool enough to enjoy (unlike the scalding water at La Virgen), and the water burbles straight from the ground of the pools. There's also an ice-cold creek to dip into if you're the masochistic sort. Buses come out here (around US$1 , 10 minutes), departing from the stop on Rocafuerte.