The Normal route starts with an acclimatization trekkings to Plaza Francia viewpoint, and then we made the approach to Plaza de Mulas, a 40 km trek. It takes us three days to get to Plaza de Mulas. This guarantees a very good acclimatization before start the climbing of Aconcagua. Our suggested program includes two days of double equipment porting and security. When the last stage begins, we go higher and higher until we reach the summit. In the Aconcagua, sometimes the presence of a white wind makes the ascent difficult, this is what we use the security days for thus increasing the chances of reaching the summit.
Itinerary
Mendoza – Altitude: 760 m
Our expedition begins in Mendoza, Argentina. On your arrival to the international airport
in Mendoza, an INKA Expeditions representative will be waiting for you. After receiving
you, he will drive you to your Hotel and after you rest, a group meeting will follow and
you will be introduced to your guides and team members.
Accommodation: Hotel double or triple room / Transportation: Airport – Hotel in
Mendoza
Reserve day
We consider these two days spare days in case of bad weather. If we do not use them,
we can stay at Base Camp to rest and enjoy the mountain.
Accommodation: Double Tents– Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Return to Plaza de Mulas- Altitude: 4300 m.
Return from Camp 3 to Base Camp. We will have a special reception and have a
celebration dinner.
Accommodation: Double Tents / Dormitory Dome– Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Descent to Puente de Inca / Mendoza
We have breakfast and then start the descent from Plaza de Mulas to Puente de Inca.
There is a private transport waiting to take us to the hotel in Mendoza City.
Transportation: Horcones – Penitentes – Mendoza – Accommodation: Hotel in
Mendoza double or triple room – Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Box
Mendoza
Breakfast at the hotel. End of services.
Accommodation: Not included – Meals: Breakfast
Mendoza / Puente de Inca – Altitude: 2700 m
After breakfast we will go to get the entrance fee at the Aconcagua Park Office. Then
after organizing your luggage, we will be transported with the guides to Inka’s office to
meet the staff and finalize arrangements; pay the remaining balance, get the required
vouchers. From the office, we will be driven along a picturesque road to the mountain.
After 3 hours of travel, we arrive to Puente de Inca, where we will spend one night. In
the afternoon, we prepare the equipment for transportation to the base camp by mules.
This day is concluded with dinner and rest.
Transportation: Mendoza – Puente de Inca/ Meals: Breakfast & Dinne
Puente de Inca / Confluencia –Altitude: 3390 m.
Next day, we drive you to Horcones, Aconcagua Park Entrance, where we get our first
view of the mountain. After permits are checked at the Ranger station we then head
off to Confluencia, at 3390 m and once there, you will organize your personal gear,
drink some tea and enjoy dinner.
Transportation: Puente de Inca – Horcones – Accommodation: Double Tents/Dormitory Dome Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Box & Dinner
Trekking to Plaza Francia ViewPoint - Altitude: 4000 m.
We’ve included this day in order for you to acclimatize better and increase your
chances to summit. We’ll trek for about 5 hours until we arrive to Plaza Francia
Viewpoint where we can enjoy the impressive Aconcagua South Wall. This is one of the
nicest points of the expedition and you will have a breathtaking first view of Aconcagua
that you will never forget.
Accommodation: Double Tents / Dormitory Dome – Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Box &
Dinner
Trekking to Plaza de Mulas - Altitude: 4300 m
We will begin our second approaching day trekking into Plaza de Mulas, the base camp
for our expedition. Early in the morning we start our walk across "Playa Ancha"
(meaning wide beach) it’s a deserted and always windy valley. We slowly gain altitude
walking up to the Horcones Superior Valley. After 8-9 hours hiking across Playa Ancha
and climbing up through a very steep path; "Cuesta Brava" (meaning Rugged Slope),
we reach Plaza de Mulas, at 4300 m. By the end of the day most of us will feel the
altitude.
Accommodation: Double Tents / Dormitory Dome– Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Box &
Dinne
Rest day at Plaza de Mulas - Altitude: 4300 m.
The first day in Base Camp is always a rest day. This is a good opportunity to familiarize
yourself with the Camp, take a shower and explore the area. We get together with the
guides, do a medical checkup, reorganize and review the equipment, prepare the loads
and organize food for transportation for the next day. This is the time to get to know the
climbers from other parts of the world and to meet the people that work in the camps.
Accommodation: Double Tents / Dormitory Dome– Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Carry of equipment to Camp 1- Altitude: 5050 m
The following morning we will carry some of our equipment and food to Camp 1, called
"Plaza Canada". We keep our backpacks light and carry as little as possible in order to
be able to gradually adapt to the altitude. During the load transportation to camp 1, we
reach a level of 5050 m. It is very important to maintain the adaptation of our body to
altitude, to achieve good acclimatization. Then we return to Plaza de Mulas.
Accommodation: Double Tents / Dormitory Dome– Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Rest day at Plaza de Mulas- Altitude:4300 m
After the hard days of carrying and climbing, we rest and recover our energy at Base
Camp. We want everyone to have the best possible chance to acclimatize and achieve
summit.
Accommodation: Double Tents / Dormitory Dome– Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Ascent to Camp 1 “Plaza Canada”- Altitude: 5050 m
After having breakfast we start our ascent to Camp 1. After walking 5-6 hours on easy
terrain we arrive to Camp 1 (5050 mt). We meet with the supplies that we brought the
day before, assemble the camp and then we divide load for following days of carry. We
then rest and have dinner.
Accommodation: Double Tents– Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Ascent to Camp 2 “Nido de Condores” - Altitude: 5550 m
On this day, we move from Plaza Canada to Camp 2 named “Nido de Cóndores” at
5550m. This is when we start enjoying the real beauty of high altitude, ascending more
and more, surrounded by a spectacular view of the Andes. It is very important to control
the adaptation of our body to altitude, and continue to monitor our acclimatization.
Accommodation: Double Tents– Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Acclimatization at Camp 2 - Altitude: 5550 m
This day is dedicated to improving the acclimatization to altitude. The guide may
propose different activities according to the condition of the group. We take the
opportunity to rest and give our body more opportunities to acclimatize.
Accommodation: Double Tents– Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Ascent to Camp 3 “Plaza Colera” –Altitude: 5970 m
Early in the morning, after breakfast and after disassembling our tents, we start ascending to Camp 3. Plaza Colera sits at the same altitude as the Berlin refuge, strategically
situated for its altitude and cover from winds. From there, we have unforgettable views
of the highest peaks of the Central Andes. We set up our last high altitude camp here.
The Guide individually reviews each member of the group and gives his final recommendations. We also plan the final strategies for the last day of ascension to assure
success in reaching the summit. We have dinner and rest.
Accommodation: Double Tents– Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Summit day - Altitude: 6962 m.
The day begins at 5:00 am. This is the most demanding day of our expedition. We
continue on the Normal Route up to Independence Refuge (6380 m). This is normally
where we see the first sun rays of the day. We ascend the "Portezuelo del Viento"
where we can experience strong winds, even on calm days. We pass by the superior
part of the Western face and climb "La Canaleta", a 300 m channel that takes us to
edge of the summit. From here we go through the Filo del Guanaco, which leads us to
the summit. There we can directly observe under our feet the Southern Wall of the
Aconcagua, considered one of the largest faces in the world. An indescribable feeling
of satisfaction takes over as we reach the summit at 6962 m, where is waiting for us
a 360° view and the experience of achievement that you only finally understand once
you reach it. After sharing these moments of accomplishment and emotion with our
expedition mates we then return to camp 3.
Reserve day
We consider these two days spare days in case of bad weather. If we do not use them,
we can stay at Base Camp to rest and enjoy the mountain.
Accommodation: Double Tents– Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Inclusion
- Mountain Guide. (english speaking , experienced, professional, qualified to operate within Provincial Park Aconcagua).
- Transport IN Airport- Hotel in Mendoza by private vehicles.
- Transport IN-OUT Mendoza-Penitentes by private vehicles (single timed transfer).
- Transport IN-OUT Penitentes- Park Entrance (trailhead) by private vehicles for the entire group.
- Two (02) nights accommodation in a 3* hotel in Mendoza City (Sharing room, Double/Triple occupancy), Breakfast and taxes included.
- One (01) night accommodation in Hotel in Los Penitentes: Taxes, breakfast & dinner included. (Sharing room, Double/Triple occupancy).
- Assistance with the procedures to obtain the permit to enter the provincial Park Aconcagua.
- Freight mules to carry up to 10kgs from Penitentes to Confluencia per climber
- Freight mules to carry up to 20kgs from Penitentes to Plaza de Mulas per climber
- Freight mules to carry up to 10kgs from Confluencia to Plaza de Mulas per climber
- Freight mules to carry up to 30kgs from Plaza de Mulas to Penitentes per climber
- Fully equipped dining-room and kitchen and WC tents.
- Wifi (Confluencia, Plaza de Mulas, C2 and C3)
- Sleeping tents and luggage storeroom. (Penitentes & Base Camp)
- Guides will have radio for communications between high camps, base camp, Penitentes and Mendoza.
- All meals included on the mountain.
- Regular Porter service to carry DBL base tents, group's trash and personal waste
Exclusions
- Aconcagua's Entrance Permit fee. The price varies according to the nationality of the visitor and the selected route.
Personal equipment asked on the Required Equipment list.
- Rescue costs or other costs due to the abandonment of the expedition. (Riding mule, pack mule, individual transfers, helicopter flight for evacuation or rescue, extra nights, meals, extra costs for changes in your flight ticket, personal porter service, set up and stake off of tents, etc). -
- Personal expenses (tips, laundry, phone, drinks, satellite phone, internet access, showers, and personal porters to carry your personal equipment and your share of the common equipment).
- Extra nights in a hotel in case of early return to the city/ in the case you don’t use the “spare days” and decide to come back to Mendoza.
- Transfer out Penitentes – Mendoza in case of early returning or abandon the expedition.
- Travel and Medical insurance that covers Helicopter evacuation or rescue inside the park.
- Meals and Drinks not specified in the itinerary. E.g.: Lunches and Dinners in Mendoza or Uspallata. Drinks at the included dinner in Los Penitentes.
- Transport OUT Hotel- Airport.
- Any other service not excusively specified as "SERVICES INCLUDED" in the previous list.
Reviews
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Expedition Information
$4,990
Q1, Q4
Aconcagua
Mountaineering,
Trekking,
Climbing
Fitness Level
4
Technical Level
2
Group Size
1-12
