THE ROSARIO DE LA FRONTERA HOT SPRINGS

At 180 kms away from Salta, through the Ruta Nacional Nº 9 National Route, travellers will have the chance to visit Rosario de la Frontera, a world reknown site for its hot springs with medical properties, where health, landscape an recreation come together.

Standing at 700 m.a.s.l., Rosario de la Frontera is the service center of an area with an outstanding potato production. Its foundation dates back to 1766, and the Hacienda del Rosario, belonging to Francisco Arias, was a forced stop on the north bound route, and the first one in Salta's jurisdiction.

At the entrance of the city, at the access roundabout, travellers must take the road to the right, and after a 5 kms trip, they will arrive at Las Termas Hotel, an interesting edifice making use of the canalised hot waters from nearby springs.

The Incas were the first exploiters of the "Hot Waters" in the 17th century, and called them the Inti Yacu, which means in quechua "Waters from the Sun". They discovered that they had healing properties, and built some pools to collect the waters at the bottom of the ravine to make good use of them.

The Baños de Rosario de la Frontera Hot Spring Baths were founded on 1880, and were the first of its kind to be had in Argentina. They were established by Dr. Antonio Palau, who started cutting hills and construct roads that allowed him to build a makeshift installation constituted by wooden booths around the springs. He built the first pools and the primeval hotel, and then the "Martín García", in an 800 hectare area.

The Rosario de la Frontera hot spring's boom made possible the construction of the Baños railway station on 1921, 2 kms northeast from the hotel. Built in an English romantic architectonic fashion, it is three stories high and has several rooms, for in those days it also served as lodgings.

Currently, the hot springs are an attraction for health-tourism, due to the different varieties of hot spring waters spurting in the area. To give more comfort to travellers, the complex has two pools built of volcanic lava, a refractory material that prevents the overheating of the surface on which the bathers walk. One of the pools is for the exclusive use of the guests staying at the hotel, while the other is designed for the attending public during the day.

Visitors have access to nine kinds of hot waters that though reaching as high as 99º C temperatures, are only at 34º C when they reach the final pools, thanks to a spring transferring system.

The waters are recommended for people of all ages as a complementary medical treatment for rheumatism, bile and digestive maladies, stress and arteriosclerosis, among other physical disorders. Beeing recommendable for people of all ages, children and even babies are frequently seen at the pools.

The complex has a doctor's office to take the best car possible of the visitors' health. Moreover, all the hotel's employees are qualified to answer any question concerning the use of the hot spring waters.

The hotel still holds the property of the 800 hectare estate. And it offers more alternatives than the waters and their medical properties: a wood with an exuberant vegetation bordering the complex and the sport installations; and only 500 ms away, visitors can access the Club de Caza y Pesca (Hunting and Fishing Club) of the Rosario de la Frontera lake.

There are children playgrounds. Bowls, tennis, volleyball and golf can be practiced at the estate's installations. Hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding can be enjoyed in the surroundings, besides swimming in either of two pools with four different thermal waters with different temperatures.

PALAU'S TERMAL MINERAL WATER
The Palau spring supplies most of the water used at Rosario de la Frontera Hot Springs. It sprouts out of the mountain at a 76º C temperatureand it is located about 78 ms south of the health resort. Of an extraordinary purity, aseptic, free of microbes and highly radioactive, it should best be taken at the spring itself-

Rapidly absorbed by the digestive conduits, it stimulates a cellular osmosis and makes the kidneys eliminate much more water than that imbibed. It also determines a liquid and solid evacuation at the same time, besides being of very good use for the treatment of dyspepsia and the nervous affections of the stomach.

The Palau water bottling (to honour Dr. Antonio Palau), approved for sale and human consumption, was installed in 1919. Now It belongs to the Cia. Industrial Cervecera S.A.