Salto, Uruguay · Since 1945
TERMAS
DEL ARAPEY
Where Uruguay's hot springs began. The water has flowed since 1945, 400,000 litres an hour from the Guaraní Aquifer, and around it has grown a village with everything from a municipal campground to a five-star all-inclusive golf resort.
Uruguay's first hot spring,
and still its biggest
In 1941 a drill at Arapey, in the department of Salto, was looking for oil. It found hot water instead, a great flow of it from deep in the Guaraní Aquifer (Sistema Acuífero Guaraní, or SAG), and by 1945 the water was running without pause. That accident made Arapey the first hot-springs resort in Uruguay. Eighty years on, the water still rises at 39 °C and 400,000 litres an hour, with the same minerals in it, and the village around the well now runs from a municipal campground to the best-known hotel in the department.
"Arapey is recognised for its natural environment and high-level hotel infrastructure — with spa and Wellness services that set it apart from any other thermal destination in Uruguay."
— Vademécum de Aguas Minerales Termales del Uruguay, Balnea Vol. 12, 2026 · University of the Republic / Complutense University Madrid
The first well,
and 80 years since
Arapey is older than every other hot-springs resort in Uruguay. Its story runs from an accident with an oil drill to a five-star hotel.
The Instituto Geológico del Uruguay drilled at Arapey in search of petroleum, part of a national programme led by ANCAP, the state oil company. The drilling began around 1941 and struck hot water under its own pressure, which has flowed ever since. The wells reach 725 m and 1,300 m, into the Guaraní Aquifer.
By 1945 the source was confirmed as artesian, rising under its own pressure: 400,000 litres of mineral water an hour, at 39 °C. That made Arapey not just the first hot spring in Uruguay but the biggest by volume. The original well is still in use.
Public pools and simple accommodation followed, on the model of Daymán. Being 80 km north of Salto gave Arapey a different character: quieter, wilder, with palm groves and riverside woods all around.
The municipal Termas del Arapey added pools, bungalows, hotels and a campground, and drew visitors from across Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil as the most natural and the quietest of Salto's hot springs.
Altos del Arapey Club de Golf & Hotel Termal, a 156-room five-star all-inclusive with an 18-hole golf course, a spa and six pools, changed what the village could offer international visitors. The architect Miguel Bono designed it low and close to the landscape.
Termas del Arapey is now several places in one: the municipal pools, small hotels, the five-star Altos del Arapey, the Oasis Termal, military cabins and a large campground, all on the same water that first surfaced 80 years ago.
Warm, plentiful
and well studied
Arapey's water is classed as sodium bicarbonate hyperthermal water, from the same deep Guaraní Aquifer as Daymán. The analysis published in Balnea (Vol. 12, 2026) confirms a mineral profile with established uses in spa medicine, above all for rheumatic, muscular, skin and stress-related conditions. At 39 °C it sits comfortably in the range considered therapeutic, 33 to 42 °C.
The main character of the water. Bicarbonate waters, mildly alkaline, are linked to lower inflammation, better hydration and easier digestion when drunk.
Celebrated since the 1960s for iodine, iron, calcium, magnesium and fluoride, "the goodness of the waters" for rheumatism and arthritis (Crodara, 1962, cited in Estévez, 2022).
Silica-rich waters have a long history in European spa medicine for skin conditions, connective tissue and inflamed joints, and are part of Arapey's reputation for the skin.
Part of the historical mineral profile. Together they support bone density, relax the muscles and settle the nervous system during a bath.
Present in traces, as across the Guaraní Aquifer. Population studies link natural lithium in drinking water to calmer mood and lower stress.
The pools are kept at 38 to 40 °C in winter and 35 to 38 °C in summer. At 39 °C the source is right in the range where a bath widens the blood vessels, eases the joints and calms the body.
The single most striking thing about Arapey. A flow of this size, unchanged in 80 years, means the water in the pools is always fresh, always mineral-rich and always at source temperature.
One of the largest underground reserves of fresh water in the world, under Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Its ancient sandstone gives all the Arapey water the same consistent mineral signature.
What the water
is used for
The Vademécum (Balnea, 2026) and the Spanish School of Medical Hydrology at the Complutense University in Madrid give these evidence-based uses for Arapey's sodium bicarbonate water.
Rheumatism and arthritis
The original use, since 1945. A bath in bicarbonate water at 38 to 40 °C takes the load off the joints, improves the fluid in them and eases the chronic pain of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Circulation and blood pressure
Heat and water pressure together widen the blood vessels, help blood return from the legs and lower systolic blood pressure. Regular bathing has documented effects on arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk.
Stress, anxiety and sleep
Arapey's seclusion adds to the effect of the water. A hot bath shifts the nervous system into rest mode, lowers cortisol and helps sleep, and leaves a calm that lasts for hours afterwards.
Skin
The bicarbonate and silica soften and hydrate the skin, help its barrier and have a traditional use for mild psoriasis, eczema and dry skin. The sheer volume of fresh water at Arapey helps here.
Rehabilitation
In water at 37 to 40 °C the joints carry up to 90% less weight, which suits recovery after surgery, sports injury and chronic pain. Several places at Arapey offer physiotherapy under supervision.
Healthy ageing
Calcium, magnesium, silica and warmth together support the bones, lower inflammation and improve mobility. European health systems increasingly prescribe spa treatment for the over-60s, and Arapey's gentle 39 °C suits it.
From a tent
to five stars
Few hot springs offer this range: a municipal campground with room for 5,000 people and a five-star all-inclusive resort, on the same water, a short walk apart.
A 156-room five-star all-inclusive with an 18-hole golf course, a spa, six pools, a gym, restaurants, a snack bar and function rooms. It has its own well and its own airstrip for light aircraft. Rooms, prices and how to book are on its own page.
A 202-room hotel in the middle range, with its own pools, gardens, spa services and restaurant. The classic Arapey stay.
The old municipal hotel, closed for years, rebuilt and reopened in March 2026 as an adults-only hotel: no guests under 15, 54 rooms of 25 m², an indoor-outdoor pool of hot-spring water you can cross without leaving the water, bicycles and guided walks in the park, breakfast included and no restaurant of its own, dogs up to 10 kg welcome. It opened with the backing of the Altos del Arapey brand. +598 4768 2167, WhatsApp +598 92 656 113, raicesdelarapey.com.
40 self-catering units (alojamientos) in a quieter corner of the complex, for families or couples who want their own kitchen and the pools close by.
The public heart of Arapey: indoor and outdoor pools among gardens, changing rooms and low prices. Open all year.
Municipal and open all year, with room for 5,000. Sectors 1 to 10 are a few metres from the pools; 11 and 12 are further back. Powered pitches, bathrooms with hot water, grills (parrilleros), Wi-Fi and space for caravans and motorhomes. UYU 280 per person a day in sectors 1 to 10 and UYU 250 in 11 and 12, plus UYU 300 a day for a camper van, UYU 400 for a caravan and UYU 500 for a motorhome. Children pay from the age of 6, cards only, and in low season the third night is free. Administration: +598 4770 5085 and +598 4768 2054 (CampingUruguay.info, October 2025).
Municipal accommodation: Complejo Ñandubay (25 units), bungalows (30) and motels (44), all with access to the pools. Inexpensive, built for families and open all year.
Massage, hydrotherapy circuits, Swedish and Scottish showers, facials and mud treatments at several of the hotels. The spa at Altos del Arapey is the one with the reputation.
An 18-hole course in 100 hectares of open country at Altos del Arapey. Golf in the morning, the pools in the afternoon, the spa in the evening. The airstrip is there for guests who fly in.
The hotel people
have heard of
If you know the European spa towns, Baden-Baden, Bath or Montecatini, Altos del Arapey is their counterpart here: hot-spring water, an 18-hole golf course, a spa and an all-inclusive programme, all in one place.
Designed by the Uruguayan architect Miguel Bono to sit in the landscape: low buildings, natural materials and views that run straight from the pool into the palms.
Five open-air pools, one of them for children and one a jacuzzi at over 39 °C, and a sixth half under a roof and half open to the sky, for winter. All on water from the hotel's own well, 950 m deep.
Altos del Arapey has its own airstrip for light aircraft, arranged with the hotel in advance.
Meals and drinks are included, and the pools. Green fees and carts come with the hotel's golf packages rather than with every rate, so it is worth checking what a booking includes.
Hours, prices and how to get there
Getting there
Km 549 of Route 3, 80 km north of Salto
Access via Camino Raúl Gaudin (19 km from Route 3)
By air: Paranair's Montevideo–Salto flights are suspended (October 2026); the alternatives are on Getting there. Altos del Arapey has its own airstrip for light aircraft, arranged with the hotel.
By bus: From the Salto terminal, at Salto Shopping, there are 4 buses a day to Termas del Arapey every day of the week (6am, 11.15am, 1.20pm and 9.15pm) and 3 more on certain days, run by Hernández, Argentur and Cotabu. The trip takes about 1 h 15. The terminal timetable has the current times (October 2026). A taxi or transfer takes about 1 hour.
By car: Route 3 north from Montevideo, about 560 km.
On the way: Empalme KM 525, at km 525 of Route 3, 24 km before the Arapey turn-off, where the roads to Palomas, Saucedo and Constitución leave the highway. Four local women run it: cheeses, jams and preserves, drinks and something quick to eat, much of it from Constitución, Belén and Palomas. Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
Hours and prices
Every day: 8am to 10pm, all year, public holidays included.
Municipal complex: inexpensive. Hotels and Altos del Arapey: their prices are on Stay. Camping: UYU 280 per person a day, plus UYU 300 to 500 a day for a camper van, caravan or motorhome, cards only (October 2025 prices; the full list is under The complex, above).
What to bring: swimwear, a towel, sandals and sunscreen. The hotels have robes and towels, and Altos del Arapey hires out golf clubs.
Contacts
Municipal complex: +598 4768-2101
Mobile: +598 98395302
admarapey@gmail.com
Altos del Arapey:
+598 4768-2200
altosdelarapey.com · its page on Stay
Questions about Salto: my contact details are at the foot of the home page.
Nearby
Termas del Daymán: 80 km south. The hottest water in Uruguay, 46 °C, more families and a water park
Salto Grande Dam: the hydroelectric dam Uruguay shares with Argentina, with free guided visits
Salto: 80 km south, with its restaurants, markets and old centre
Estancia La Aurora: the ranch (estancia) with the strangest reputation in Uruguay
Two nights at Arapey and two at Daymán make a good pair: the quiet one and the lively one.
"My favourite time was the Easter holidays in April, when visitors came from Brazil in their motorhomes and from the departments next to Salto, and the whole place had a lovely atmosphere."
— Visit Salto