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Five favourite geothermal retreats around the world

Five favourite geothermal retreats around the world Pamukkale, Turkey (source: Antoine Taveneaux, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Alexander Richter 24 Jan 2016

There are several fantastic geothermal retreats in the world, but I name here five that I think stick out, mail me if you miss your favourite geothermal retreat.

Sometimes one picks up story ideas from the weirdest places … in this case from Mahabis, a manufacturer of slippers. In a blog post on the company’s website, they wrote about their four favourite geothermal retreats around the world, I added a fifth one I liked a lot.

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

BlueLagoon_overview_Iceland

The Blue Lagoon (Icelandic: Bláa lónið) geothermal spa is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland.[1] The spa is located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwestern Iceland. Bláa lónið is situated approximately 20 km (12 mi) from the Keflavík International Airport and 39 km (24 mi) from the capital city of Reykjavík, roughly a 20 minute drive from the airport and a 50 minute drive from Reykjavík.

. … you could even make the Blue Lagoon part of your visit to Iceland as part of this year’s Iceland Geothermal Conference, taking place April 26-29, 2016 in Reykjavik.

The lagoon is a man-made lagoon which is fed by the water output of the nearby geothermal power plant Svartsengi and is renewed every two days. Superheated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow and used to run turbines that generate electricity. After going through the turbines, the steam and hot water passes through a heat exchanger to provide heat for a municipal water heating system. Then the water is fed into the lagoon for recreational and medicinal users to bathe in. (Source: Wikipedia)

Rotorua, New Zealand

New Zealand: Polynesian Thermal Spa in Rotorua

Although upon first impressions, the smell of sulphur may be overpowering, Rotorua (situated on New Zealand’s North Island) is a haven for those who seek geothermic activity and natural spas. The array of spas and sights can be overwhelming, and there is plenty to see and do over several days in Rotorua – even the hostels feature natural hot pools in their basements! (source: Mahabis)

 

Pamukkale, Turkey

Pamukkale_56

Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey’s InnerAegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.

Tourism is and has been a major industry. People have bathed in its pools for thousands of years. (source: Wikipedia)

 

Jigokudani Monkey Park, Japan
Jigokudani_hotspring_in_Nagano_Japan_001

Jigokudani Monkey Park is in Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan It is part of the Joshinetsu Kogen National Park (locally known as Shigakogen), and is located in the valley of the Yokoyu-River, in the northern part of the prefecture. The name Jigokudani, meaning “Hell’s Valley”, is due to the steam and boiling water that bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground, surrounded by steep cliffs and formidably cold and hostile forests.

The heavy snowfalls (snow covers the ground for 4 months a year), an elevation of 850 metres, and being only accessible via a narrow two kilometre footpath through the forest, keep it uncrowded despite being relatively well-known.

It is famous for its large population of wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), more commonly referred to as Snow Monkeys, that go to the valley during the winter, foraging elsewhere in the national park during the warmer months. The monkeys descend from the steep cliffs and forest to sit in the warm waters of the onsen (hotsprings), and return to the security of the forests in the evenings. (source: Wikipedia)

Peninsula Hot Springs, Victoria, Australia

PeninsulaHotSprings_Victoria_Australia

Peninsula Hot Springs is the first natural hot springs and day spa centre in Victoria, Australia just 90 minutes from Melbourne. Natural thermal mineral waters flow into the pools and private baths at this award-winning coastal oasis, providing the idyllic setting for relaxation and rejuvenation.

For the full post use link below.

Source: Mahabis,