Marcará & Chancos
Hot Springs & Sauna Caves
The town of Marcará isn’t known for much besides a stop on the way to the hot springs or rock climbing. There are two places to try the geothermal waters, at a swimming pool (s/5) and at a set of caves. They’re across the road from each other 3km from Marcará. You can choose to rent a cave (s/10) or a private room with natural hot water piped into your own pool (s/15).
The hot springs are called Chancos but they are part of the community of Vitcos. The pools and caves are owned by the community, with proceeds going to the community as a whole. Just outside the place where you can rent a private pool or cave is an area with lots of people selling local food and drink. It’s a great spot to get traditional local food.
The Caves