Mount Aconcagua Normal Route

Day 01. Arrival in Mendoza (760 m / 2,493 ft). Our driver will pick you up at the airport and drive you to your hotel. After checking into your room, you can relax or explore the many sidewalk cafes of the city. Later your personal guide will contact you to discuss the schedule for the coming days.

Day 02. Mendoza. The second day you will meet your team meeting and together with your guide you will do the gear checking, gear rental if necessary and any climbing permit procedures required. Your guide will help you get through the bureaucracy.

Day 03. Transfer in private vehicles from Mendoza to Penitentes ski resort (3 hours’ drive). There, the group will spend the night in a lodge at 2,580 m / 8,465 ft. This small mountain village is where we have our warehouse and where we will prepare the loads for the mules.

Day 04. From Penitentes to the trailhead (3-4 hours). After breakfast, we will take a short ride in the van to the Hormone’s Valley (2,950 m / 9,678 ft). There, we will get our climbing permits stamped at the Rangers’ checkpoint and will begin the approaching to base camp. After a relaxed hike, we will arrive at our first camp in Confluencia (3,390 m / 11,300 ft). For the entire hike into base camp you will be carrying only a day pack with some essentials, while the mules will take care of the heavy duties. 

Day 05. Confluencia – South Face viewpoint – Confluencia (4,050 m / 13,287 ft; 6-7 hours). From Confluencia, we will take a detour to admire the imposing south face of Mt. Aconcagua. The main objective of the day is a good acclimatization. After a 7-hour hike we will spend the night back at the first camp.

Day 06. Confluencia – Plaza de Mulas (7-9 hours). After a demanding but easy 7 hours hike, we will arrive at our well-equipped base camp (4,350 m / 14,500 ft).

Day 07. Rest day in Plaza de Mulas. We will dedicate this day to rest, sleep, read, enjoy chatting with the partners, having a good meal in the dining tent or practicing some yoga in our heated domo. Whatever you do, get hydrated!

Day 08. Cerro Bonete trek (5,004 m / 16,417 ft; 5-6 hours). This is an acclimatization hike to the neighboring and not negligible at all 5000 mt peak Cerro Bonete, which offers an awesome view of the west face of mount Aconcagua.

Day 09. Gear carrying to Plaza Canadá (5,050 m / 16,568 ft; 3-4 hours). This day the team will climb to the first high altitude camp to carry part of the gear and then returns to Plaza de Mulas.

Day 10. Rest day in Plaza de Mulas. This day you will be able to get a well-deserved hot shower (a very satisfying reward after completing the first stage of the climb).

Day 11. Plaza de Mulas – Plaza Canadá (5,050 m / 16,568 ft; 2 ½ – 3 hours). The day 11 the team will leave base camp and move to the camp I. This is the first step of the summit push.

Day 12. Plaza Canadá – Nido de Cóndores (5,560 m / 18,241 ft: 3-4 hours). The team will move to the camp II (expect to carry up to 18-22 kg backpack).

Day 13. Nido de Cóndores – Cólera (high camp) (5,970 m / 19,586 ft; 2-3 hours). This day we will climb to the highest camp of the trip. You will have dinner at almost 6,000 meters high.

Day 14. Summit day (6.962 m / 22,841 ft: 8-12 hours). We will leave early to get the most of the long day. You will be carrying a very light backpack (water, snacks, some clothing, camera).

Day 15. Extra weather day. To optimize the chances of success of the expedition, we have added two additional summit days for contingency in case of bad weather and/ or acclimatization issues.

Day 16. Extra weather day.

Day 17. Cólera – Plaza de Mulas (2-4 hours). Back to the comfort of the base camp and a well-deserved celebration dinner.

Day 18. Plaza de Mulas – Horcones – Penitentes (6-7 + 3-4 hours). For this high most of the gear will be carried on the mules, so you will walk light. Our van will take us from the trailhead at Horcones to Mendoza, after picking up the gear at Penitentes. Hotel check-in (not included) end of the program.

→ANDES VERTICAL EXPEDITION CLIMBING GEAR DOWNLOAD HERE

Having the right equipment on your expedition will make almost as much difference to your safety, comfort, and enjoyment as any physical training you do. It is essential that you take the time to acquire the correct gear; don’t wait until the last minute to find out your local shop doesn’t have your size. This equipment is expensive, but you can often find great sales online and at your local gear store.

The purpose of this gear list is to help guide your purchases. Often salespeople in your local shop do not have first-hand knowledge of high-altitude climbing, so be sure to balance their advice with what you read here. And do not hesitate to call us for more information on any of these items. We have strived to create a list heavy on detail, but there are always further questions!

During your expedition in Aconcagua, you will encounter a very wide range of temperatures and weather conditions. At one end of this range is the pleasantly warm and beautiful City of Mendoza, while at the other end of the spectrum is found the cold and often windy weather on the summit of Aconcagua. The equipment you bring must function well in a wide variety of conditions. Your clothing should be warm, lightweight, dry quickly, and allow good freedom of movement. Adhere to the layering principle: several
thin layers of insulation (rather than one thick one).

While you are required to bring everything on this list, there are numerous options, brands, and versions of each piece of equipment, unless otherwise noted. Using our current suggested brand list we encourage you to shop around, do research, even borrow, and use your experience with our list to find the best gear for you.

Finally, a note on our recommendations: these are products which our guides have used extensively and been happy with. Purchasing the specific items listed below will ensure you have the right tool for the job, but there are other options on the market.

INCLUDED SERVICES

• Two nights hotel accommodation in Mendoza as indicated in the itinerary, based on double occupancy. Climbers descending early will incur extra hotel fees.

• One night of lodging at Penitentes (dinner and breakfast included).

• Full board during the expedition (all meals in Aconcagua Park are included, meals in Mendoza are not included).

• Fully certified English-speaking guides.

• All shared gear for the expedition (sleeping tents, stoves and cooking gear, radio, etc).

• Complete base camp services (dining tents, bathrooms, meals, storage).

• Loads transportation in mules to and from base camp.

• Free internet at base camp (limitations apply)

• All the transfers in licensed, private shuttles.

• Permanent VHF radio communication.

• All guides provided with professional first aids kits and pulse oximeters for daily updates of acclimatization progress.

• Assistance with climbing permit procedure.

• Satellite coverage and tracking during the trip, through an InReach device.

• One porter every four climbers, to carry 20 kg of common gear.

WHAT´S NOT INCLUDED

• Aconcagua entrance fee

• Personal porters.

• Any cost incurred by the climber if she or he leaves the trip early (such as mules, transfers, guide, etc). We strongly recommend all participants to buy a trip cancellation insurance.

• Meals in Mendoza.

• Drinks in Mendoza and Penitentes.

• Personal gear, medications, ground or air evacuations, room services, laundry, beverages, phone communications and items of personal nature, insurance liability, hospitalization or medication of any kind, any other service not mentioned in this condition sheet.