Photo by Nikolai Kolosov on Pexels
🇺🇾 Uruguay · Salto
♨ Temperature
48°C
⛰ Altitude
53 m
⚗ pH
8.8
💧 TDS
2100 mg/L
🌊 Flow rate
55 L/s
📅 Established
1941
✓ Verified on 2026-07-22
Termas del Daymán is Uruguay's most visited therapeutic spring complex, located near the city of Salto on the Uruguay River. The site encompasses 36 individual thermal pools of varying temperatures, all fed by the same deep artesian aquifer that produces fluoride-rich, strongly alkaline water at 48°C. Unlike most South American thermal resorts, Daymán operates primarily as a public health spa accessible to all social classes, continuing a Uruguayan state tradition of publicly accessible thermal medicine dating to the 1940s. The complex includes a year-round camping area, open-air pools, and medical treatment facilities, attracting a uniquely mixed clientele of local families, Argentine spa-tourists, and international visitors. Accessible from Buenos Aires or Montevideo by overnight bus.
| Fluoride | 7.8 mg/L |
| Chloride | 650 mg/L |
| Sodium | 480 mg/L |
| Bicarbonate | 390 mg/L |
| Silica | 28 mg/L |
Termas del Daymán was discovered in 1941 during oil prospecting drilling operations — a common origin for South American artesian hot springs, where petroleum surveyors accidentally penetrated deep geothermal aquifers. The Uruguayan state immediately recognised the therapeutic potential and established the site as a public thermal resort, reflecting the country's progressive social welfare tradition. The complex was instrumental in developing Uruguay's modern thermal tourism industry, which now operates 16 major spring resorts across the country.
Uruguay's thermal culture has a distinctly democratic and social character that sets it apart from the elite spa traditions of Europe. The Daymán complex is a family destination where three generations share the same thermal pool, and the communal outdoor bathing tradition has become a cornerstone of Uruguayan social life. The concept of the 'termas weekend' — a short break to a thermal resort with family or friends — is a defining cultural ritual of modern Uruguayan life, combining relaxation, health, and family bonding.
Uruguay's geothermal resources are managed under national legislation (Law 18.597) that treats thermal water as a public resource, preventing private monopolisation and requiring extraction permits with conservation conditions. The Daymán aquifer is monitored by the National Water Authority (DINAGUA), which measures spring pressure and mineral composition biannually. The open-air complex uses solar supplemental heating for ambient pools and a zero-chemical treatment policy for its high-fluoride natural pools.
Phone+598 473-49018
Websitewww.termasdaymas.com
AddressRuta 3 km 487, Daymán, Salto Department, Uruguay