SALTO - Hot Springs and a Sunburn

Accommodation

Our comparatively cheap accommodation was okay. We were allowed to use the kitchen, had a clean shared bathroom, and a friendly host, who even drove us to the terminal on the last day. The weak points, however, were the poor air conditioning, which was falling apart. And then, of course, one should also mention the two fully grown cockroaches. Urgh.

Sightseeing

The sights in Salto, the third-largest city of Uruguay, are manageable. During a two-hour walk, one can see a large part of them.

• Salto Cathedral
• Plaza Artigas (national hero, whose mausoleum I visited in Montevideo)
• Mercado 18 de Julio (not much was going on here in the evening)
• Museo de Bellas Artes y Artes Decorativas "María Irene Olarreaga Gallino" (only from the outside)
• Teatro Larrañaga (only from the outside)
• Área de Recolección de Residuos (with an old railway)
• Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen
• Plaza de los 33 Orientales
• Plazoleta Roosevelt
• Espacio Puerto with the Antena Monumental
• Muelle Negro Let's be honest, tourists do not come here because of the city, but because of the hot springs around the city:
• Termas de Daymán (10 km from Salto, 200 Pesos or 4.70 Euro per person)
• Termas Agua Clara (10 km from Salto, next to Termas del Daymán)
• Termas Sol y Luna (10 km from Salto, right next to Termas del Daymán, hotel)
• Termas Casa de Piedra (10 km from Salto, right next to Termas del Daymán, hotel)
• Termas San Nicanor (30 km from Salto)
• Termas Guaviyu (60 km from Salto)
• Termas de Arapey (90 km from Salto) So, there are a lot of choices! We found the thermal complex very relaxing. A manageable number of pools, three different temperatures, quite clean baths, and friendly staff. As Pascal went into the pool in his underwear, immediately a supervisor came rushing towards us: No, that's not how it works. Shortly afterwards he came by with a pair of swimming trunks, which Pascal put on;) The price was also really fair and you can leave the complex and just come back later. Since it was very hot both inside and outside the water and also a pleasant breeze was blowing, we underestimated the intensity of the solar radiation. Pascal had a disturbingly strong sunburn. Over his entire back, arms, and chest. And with blisters. Two weeks later (at the time of publication of the article), the skin is still renewing itself. Simply a nightmare! We will spare you the pictures;) Also, on the Argentinean side, you can visit thermal baths: Termas de Colón, Termas de San José, Termas Elisa y Velissa, Termas Concordia, Termas Ayuí, Termas de Federación, Termas Chajarí

Transportation

We used the bus and walked. The timetables were hard to find, but we happened to walk past a sign with the departure times to the hot springs in Dayman. Ticket prices were raised in 2024, and we paid per person per trip 49 Pesos (1.15 Euro).

Food and Drink

In Termas del Daymán, we then spent the rest of the Uruguayan pesos, as we can only pay with Argentinean pesos at our next stop. We ate three scoops of ice cream at Menta Helado y Café. In addition, there was free chocolate sauce. Also, at the Kioso Chocolate stand, we tried Choripan (a typical sausage in a roll, 130 Pesos) and Hamburgesa al Pan (hamburger with a burger bun, 130 Pesos). The costs in total were 6.10 Euros. Finally, there was some pastry with Dulce de Leche (what else should it be) and a kind of firmer jam (for a total of 1.40 Euro).

Cafes and Restaurants

Menta Helado y Café and Kiosco Chocolate

Plants and Animals

Nothing special, but a lot of garbage and brown river water.

Number of Germans in the City

0 observed cases

Contact with Locals

With our host

Expenses

Actually, we just here only spent money for the springs. In addition, the ice cream and the food from the kiosk.

Standard Stall Offers

Bathing clothes

Laundry

We did not do any laundry here.

Bus to Mercedes

With Flecha Bus, we went to Mercedes. So, the Mercedes in ARGENTINA, not the one in Uruguay. Luckily, we noticed our mistake shortly after buying the ticket and were able to return our tickets from Agencia Central and buy the correct tickets next door at Flecha Bus. With this, we then crossed the border to Concordia (opposite Salto on the other side of the Rio Uruguay). The prettiest bus ever! New! Clean! We have never felt so comfortable. When crossing the border (right after a huge hydroelectric power station), I then noticed that my paper stamped upon entry into Uruguay was suddenly gone. Well, after a short discussion between my officer and a colleague, we were then able to leave the country without any problems - only we didn't get the exit stamp for some reason;) We left at 19:30 and arrived at our intermediate stop at 20:30. Then we continued with the second bus company at 21:30 to Mercedes, where we then arrived around 2:00 in the morning. A transport was organized from our accommodation a bit outside the city (2500 Pesos), which brought us to the accommodation in 15 minutes. We fell into bed exhausted. Life hack: We didn't have to pay for this night, by the way;) Only the following night (we stay here for one more night).