Top 5 Hot Springs Sightseeing Tours: A Relaxing Getaway
Seeking a bit of serenity with awesome views? Hot spring sightseeing tours are like, totally where it’s at! There’s nothing quite like kicking back in naturally heated waters, gazing at some landscapes. Finding the very best spot, now, that can be quite something. To get started, here are five fab options that will give you both relaxation and rad sights!
1. The Blue Lagoon, Iceland: A Volcanic Wonder
Alright, so the Blue Lagoon in Iceland is seriously world-famous. This geothermal spa isn’t really just a hot spring; it’s this, well, man-made lagoon heated by a geothermal power plant. Now, you might think that kind of thing is not very nature-y, yet the setting, with its milky blue water against a dark lava field, is honestly something. Very picturesque, if I do say so myself. That’s a start. You can slather on a silica mud mask, unwind in the warm waters (typically around 102-104°F, like 39-40°C), and gawk at the volcanic landscape.
Plus, they have these great add-ons like in-water massages and saunas. I remember, once, chatting with this traveler who said that the combination of the warm water and that almost otherworldly view seriously melted all their stress away. Apparently, it felt amazing! It tends to get pretty crowded, mind you, so booking your tickets way in advance is highly, highly advisable. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Blue Lagoon Tours) or read our full review: Blue Lagoon Iceland tours Full Review and Details.
2. Banff Upper Hot Springs, Canada: Rockies Relaxation
How about Canada for a change? The Banff Upper Hot Springs provide you with views. Plonked right in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, this spot brings together super views with spring goodness. Imagine, soaking in warm mineral waters while staring at Mount Rundle – it really is majestic! Very Instagrammable, I guess! Unlike some of the wilder hot springs, this one is, well, more like a pool setting, yet the vibe, considering that incredible backdrop, is quite remarkable.
The water has naturally occurring minerals said to be awesome for your muscles. Too it’s open year-round, making it perfect after a long hike or ski day, is that so? If you are thinking “tour,” they run several packages, bringing in trips to spots with springs. Now, my pal took a trip there this past winter and couldn’t stop carrying on about how, after freezing for days, the hot springs totally hit the spot. They ended up feeling totally revitalized, which, if you ask me, is always good! See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Banff Tours) or read our full review: Banff Hot Springs tours Full Review and Details.
3. Terme di Saturnia, Italy: Tuscan Thermal Baths
Italy, though, does offer hot springs with something to say. Think of Terme di Saturnia, where that thermal water gushes out of the ground. It does that at something close to 99.5°F (37.5°C). They say this place was already there in Roman times. And the waterfall-like formations which that warm, sulfuric water cascades over make this something very special, if I do say so myself.
Now, you can splash in the water completely gratis, and then right by it there’s that seriously elegant Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort. People swear this water heals, you know, makes aches, and pains feel ever so much better! What about tours, I hear you say? Lots, very lots of companies run day jaunts from Florence and Rome, is that so? Those often incorporate visits to farms in the locale, so you could totally turn your spa escape into something that combines landscapes and that Italian fare! See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Saturnia Italy Tours) or read our full review: Saturnia Hot Springs tours Full Review and Details.
4. Jigokudani Monkey Park, Japan: Hot Springs with Snow Monkeys
Oh, Japan, how fun is that? Want springs which come with some, like, serious star quality? Off you should go to Jigokudani Monkey Park, where the famous snow monkeys bathe away in warm water, just. Imagine getting pictures alongside those red-faced buddies just having their me-time! The park’s in the Nagano prefecture mountains, meaning they tend to be under snow a great deal, very, very picturesque, is that so? The very monkeys began that water habit around half a century past, apparently copying, somehow, visitors!
Remember, this thing is something you observe rather than participate in. So, keep yourself outside that water, yet this makes for very unique times, just. Plenty tour packages from Nagano take people up there, and very often tours bundle temple visits nearby or sake breweries with, of course, stops there so that people might take pics and stuff. Too it’s probably packed, but these little characters just chill and add a little somethin’, like. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Monkey Park Tours) or read our full review: Jigokudani Monkey Park tours Full Review and Details.
5. Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa, Costa Rica: Rainforest Relaxation
You know, going tropical’s a fab twist, isn’t it? Nestled near Arenal Volcano, Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa has something that brings those heated spring joys right straight to that landscape, very gorgeous. Those warm waters, apparently heated straight up from inside that volcano, cascade downwards around like plants of almost every color! Something! In short it provides that experience just dripping rainforest-y splendor. Okay? It’s just so amazing!
Very various of those tour sets take you through both those springs but include too those jaunts on canopy and tours among the jungle’s most impressive places, arguably combining R&R that are soothing with that thing that just screams eco-venture. Word says those drinks enjoyed inside those watering spots right inside the jungle should rank on just about anyone’s lists. Really. A girl that lived a floor underneath mine would say that taking to waters having that Arenal watching felt nothing at all, for a place anyway, that came any nearer total ease! See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Tabacon Tours) or read our full review: Tabacon Thermal Resort tours Full Review and Details.