EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

CHURIN , a small thermal spar town that's very popular with Limeños during holidays, lies in the Huara valley. Most of the farmland on the valley floor and the Sayan to Churin road was washed away in the 1998 El Niño, and a new, rough road has been carved out between the boulders littering the valley floor. There are two spars in town, both fairly cool, with private and communal baths, but the El Fierro spa, ten minutes by colectivo from town, is the hottest and is reputed to be the most curative; all cost about $0.50.

There are several buses to and from Lima daily (a 6-7hr journey), the best being run by Transportes Estrella Polar; expect to pay around $5. There are many places to stay , but they all get packed out in the main holiday periods, when prices double. All the hotels are within a couple of blocks of each other in the town centre; try the Santa Rosa (tel 373014; $30-40) and Internacional (tel 373015; $30-40), both modern and with a range of facilities, or the Hotel Las Termas (tel 373005; $20-30), which has nicer rooms and a pool. The Hostals Beatriz ($10-20) and Danubio ($10-20) are modern, clean and friendly. Churin has many good restaurants and cafés, and local specialities include honey, alfajores, manjar blanca and cheeses.

An excellent day-trip from Churin can be made to more thermal baths at Huancahuasi . Colectivos leave from Churin church at around 8am ($3 return), returning mid-afternoon. There are two sets of hot baths at Huancahuasi (both $S0.50), and snacks such as pachamanca are prepared outside them. En route to Huancahuasi you'll spot a remarkable early colonial carved façade on the tiny church at Picoy.