In a mountain area crossed by a river, there is a hot springs point that appears repeatedly in nature itineraries and travel guides. In many cases, the same area appears with different names, which can make it difficult to identify the exact location.
In research, the most common reference is “Termas de Lobios”. On the ground, the site is identified by the village of Os Baños, in the Río Caldo area, in an area integrated into the Baixa Limia-Serra do Xurés Natural Park, according to the Turismo da Galicia portal.
According to Galician Tourism, the Baixa Limia-Serra do Xurés Natural Park is located on the border strip and, when crossing this line, it connects to the Peneda-Gerês National Park, describing a continuum of landscape and habitats.
It is in this context that the use of the name Xurés arises to designate this aspect of the massif which, in Portugal, is better known as Gerês. Therefore, the expression “Gerês-Xurés” is frequent in cross-border itineraries and references, especially when the objective is to locate nature spots, rivers, waterfalls and thermal areas.
What are “Termas de Lobios” in practice?
The name “Termas de Lobios” is often used to talk about two close realities. On the one hand, there is an outdoor bathing area associated with the Caldo River. In the Aquis Originis itinerary, Galician Tourism describes the possibility of enjoying the thermal waters in an “open-air pool”, on the way back along the riverbank.
On the other hand, there is a resort with a hotel in the same area of Os Baños. In the Balneário de Lobios file, Turismo da Galicia identifies the location in Río Caldo, the place of Os Baños, and presents it as a health and well-being tourism resource.
Water and the detail that is usually mentioned in official records
The most repeated element in official descriptions is the water temperature in the emergency. According to the Balneário de Lobios file at Galician Tourism, the waters are indicated at 73 ºC and classified as sodium bicarbonate and hyperthermal.
This framework helps to understand why the thermal area is described as a “thermal village” and why outdoor bathing tends to be concentrated in specific points, instead of being done in an undifferentiated way along the riverbed.
Access from Portugal and the reference to Portela do Homem
In the Natural Park guide, Galician Tourism mentions Portela do Homem as a border crossing and access point, referring to it as one of the natural passages of the mountain, associated with routes and historical references of the Via Nova.
From there, local signage leads to the Lobios and Río Caldo area, where tourist information highlights the existence of thermal waters associated with the Caldo River and, in the same area, identifies the Aquis Originis route (a small signposted pedestrian route that passes through archaeological remains and the thermal surroundings). The information available for this tour also highlights the possibility of there being floodable sections during the rainy season, a factor that can affect circulation along the banks when the flow increases.
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