Itinerary

Transfer airport or bus station / hotel / airport or bus station

One of us will be waiting for you at the airport or bus station to drive you to the hotel, allowing you the possibility to enjoy your trip fully. And after the expedition, we will take you back to the airport or bus station.

Assistance and support for lost luggage recovery

You will have all the necessary support to retrieve their luggage as soon as possible. In Acomara-AconcaguaExpeditions we know the importance of the equipment for the success of the expedition and the extra costs which may entail having to rent or purchase again. While the loss of baggage is a responsibility of the airlines, our Customer Support Staff will assist you in Mendoza for the fast recovery of it.

Hotel in Mendoza

While you are in Mendoza city, you will be lodged in a 5 stars superior Hotel for 2 nights in a double room (the first night of the itinerary and the last night of your itinerary after climbing down from the mountain). Breakfast and taxes are included and will represent no additional cost. Nonetheless, if you wish a different type of room or service, you can adquire it as an additional service.

Aconcagua expeditions-Normal route

Assistance to buy the climbing permits

Mount Aconcagua is located in a provincial Park managed by the Provincial Government of Mendoza. To get into the Park you should get a permit in accordance to the activity that you are going to participate in (climbing, long trek, short trek). This procedure must be done personally, as a government rule. Each climber must go to the Park’s office with their own passport.

Luggage care

If you wish to leave certain personal belongings that you are not going to use during your Aconcagua expedition, you can count on the best security of the hotel of your expedition for leaving your personal effects. You will also be able to leave your possessions in Penitentes/Puente del Inca or in Base Camp.

Transfer Mendoza / Penitentes – Puente del Inca / Mendoza

We will pick you up from your hotel and take you to Penitentes – Puente Del Inca in our own vehicles. We will drive over 180 kilometers, which separate Mendoza City from Penitentes – Puente Del Inca (roundtrip). The scenery on the journey is one of the most spectacular landscapes in the central Andes.

Meals

On the expedition you will enjoy all the meals (B: Breakfast / L: Lunch / PL: Packed Lunch if we are on the move / D: Dinner) that are carefully planned by professionals to have a balanced diet during those days on the mountain. The cooks always prepare every meal, with fixed menu from day nº 3, except at the high altitude camps where the guides will be in charge of the cooking. You will enjoy tasty and large portions of very good meals. If you are vegetarian, let us know.

Overnight at Hotel Ayelén in Penitentes

No doubt the Hotel Ayelén is the best place to eat and rest in the area of Penitentes – Puente del Inca. You will stay comfortably in double rooms with private bathroom, central heating, balcony with mountain views and breakfast buffet. You will also enjoy delicious food and the warmth of the hotel staff. To learn more about the Hotel Ayelén plaease click here.

Assistance for the arrangements of loads to be transported by mules

Our mountain guides will advise you on when you have to decide what to include in your luggage and the way that we are going to arrange it on the mules.

Load mules

These strong animals were the ones that helped the armies that fought for the freedom of South America, to transport their belongings over the mountains. Mules move over mountain with great caution, having the possibility to carry big loads. The negative aspect of these animals is their untamed character. That is why we have selected a professional team of muleteers, called “arrieros”, who have dedicated their lives to the country animals. They know how to deal with these animals, because of their experience. From Puente Del Inca to Confluencia, from this camp to Plaza de Mulas, and in the return your belongings will be carried by mules. Each mule can carry up to a limit of 60 kg, and every client may transport on the mules a maximum of 30 kg on each stage of the approach. We strongly recommend you to bring a strong duffel bag.

Transfer to the Aconcagua trailhead

You will be driven by a private transfer over 5 kilometers, from the hotel in Penitentes to the first Rangers Station. Here your permit is checked out and you are informed about the park rules.

Confluencia Base Camp

While you are gaining height, your body needs some time to start with the process of acclimatization. Therefore, it is extremely important to stop for two nights at an intermediate level, to help your body to start with this process. During that time, you will camp in the Confluencia campsite, which has the enough comfort to spend a good deal of time, being fully equipped.

Trekking to Plaza Francia

On the 4th day of the expedition, you will visit the base of the mythical South Face of the Mount Aconcagua. This is the most vertical face of the mountain, with glaciers and walls almost 10500 fasl / 3000 masl tall. During that trekking, you will gain 700 meter that will give your body a sign that the acclimatization process is starting.

Plaza de Mulas Base Camp

Once you have arrived at Plaza de Mulas, you will spend 5 nights in the campsite. It´s fully prepared to make the trip around the magnificent South American mountain as comfortable as possible. There are tents for eating, kitchen, equipment storage. Toilets are available too. An excellent team of people will attend you, preparing delicious meals and providing you an excellent service. The advantages of the campsite are not only its commodities, but also the direct contact with nature.

Trekking to the Horcones Glacier

Acclimatization is a dynamic process in which your body needs a minimal activity to increase the response to the altitude. During the resting day in the base camp, a short trek in the area of Plaza de Mulas is useful and interesting. Also, you will have an introduction class about the use of crampons and some advice to help you on your way to the top of the mountain.

Trekking to Mt. Bonete´s Summit (16732 fasl – 5100 masl)

To improve the acclimatization process to climbing Aconcagua in our body, we include in the itinerary a trekking to the summit of Cerro Bonete. To reach this altitude before starting the way to the Aconcagua summit, definitely increase the chances of success.

IMPORTANT – Porters for common gear to altitude camps

Our expeditions to Aconcagua include the help of porters in the altitude camps so that our climbers can walk from camp to camp carrying less weight and this being able to concentrate their energies on summit day. Porters appear on stage with the need of people and expeditions that, due to their logistics, need to transport a great quantity of equipment to altitude camps. Our porters are people very well adapted to working in the altitudes of Aconcagua. They have reached the summit many times and theresponse of their body to altitude is considerably faster and better than that of many athletes. Our porters are in charge of carrying tents, team garbage (including toilet garbage that must be transporter by each expedition according to regulations of Aconcagua Park) and they will also carry the first aid kits. Porters transport all these loads from Plaza de Mulas Base Camp to Camp 1 Plaza Canada, from Camp 1 Plaza Canada to Camp 2 Nido de Condores, from Camp 2 Nido de Condores to Camp 3 Berlin-Colera and the descent, from Camp 3 Berlin-Colera to Plaza de Mulas Base Camp. Each expedition member must transport their personal equipment (backpack, sleeping baf, boots and personal belongings) plus their share of meals and cooking elements. During acclimatization treks, climbers will not have to transport their personal equipment (which will be left behind in the previous camp). The purpose of acclimatization treks are to acclimatize and transport the meals that will be consumed on the following day. Anyway, if you want to hire a porter to transport your backpack and acclimatization trek weight in all expedition days (but summit day) or you want to hire a porter for transporting only your personal backpack, do not doubt in requesting this service to us (such porter services may have additional cost and they will are non-included and optional services).

The Guides (See more information about them)

The guides in charge of the expedition are professionals who have obtained their degree from the AAGM or the EPGAMT (2 and 3 year carreers). We believe that one of the keys for having a successful expedition is to count on people who have the best qualifications and at least 5 years of experience in Aconcagua to provide safety and trek across the paths of nature with conviction and professionalism. Our expeditions are leadered by one high altitude mountain guide per every three climbers from base camp. The guide’s equipments include a VHF radio, first aid kit with the specific medications for altitude sicknesses, ropes, altimeter, digital oxymeter and proffessional clothing and equipments. Medicines will be provided after the aproval of the doctors of Park Aconcagua. All of this is necessary for your safety and well being.

Filtrate of water for consumption at altitude camps

The available water for consumption at altitude camps in Aconcagua comes from small reservoirs or from the snow. This water is rarely contaminated with bacteria, but it does have a high content of clayey sediments, which might cause diarrhea or gastrointestinal infections when entering the organism. That is why in all our private expeditions the water for consumption is filtered with the very efficient water microfilters MSR MiniWorks EX, getting rid of the sediments and other strange elements which might exist on the water, getting away the possibility of sickness and deceases.For further information about the filters MSR MiniWorks EX visit www.cascadedesigns.com

Aconcagua expeditions – Normal Route

Extra days

There are three extra days that can be used on the mountain in case of bad weather conditions or contingencies which could delay the regular itinery. Since the climbers’ safety is our main priority, the leader guide will be in charge of taking this decision.

Bed service and use of mattresses Therm-a-rest in the altitude camps

Always looking to give you the best service to facilitate your success, Acomara-AconcaguaExpeditions includes service bed at base camps and the use of self-inflating mattresses Therm-a-rest for the altitude camps resting. This will certainly help with better sleep which results undoubtedly in a better recovery of power during the rest time. To learn more about mattresses please follow this link: www.cascadedesigns.com.

Tents

Normally, during the summer high-season, Aconcagua is a mountain with good weather conditions. Yet if you happen to have a few days of storms, you will be responsive to nature’s whims at Aconcagua high altitude camps. Therefore, we do not hesitate to provide you with the highest quality bedroom tents for high altitude campsites. We use brands that have proved an excellent performance in Aconcagua over the years like The North Face and Mountain Hardwear. The arrangement is usually 2 climbers per tent. For more information about The North Face VE 25 tents please follow this link: www.thenorthface.com and for Mountain Hardwear Trango tents 3.1 please follow: www.mountainhardwear.com.

Pitching the tents in altitude camps

Once the comfort in base camp Plaza de Mulas is left behind, it starts the hardest stage of the expedition which is the ascent to the different altitude camps towards the desired summit. So, it is essentialthat you save all your strength only for themost important:to focus on the ascent. That is why we pitch the tents for you on the altitude camps, that is to say when the expedition arrives to these camps, the tents will be ready for you to rest, to protect yourself from the cold weather and to wait the refreshing meal the guides will prepare.

Communications

The expedition take advantage of satellite phones, VHF and BLU radio lines that help to stay in contact between the high-altitude campsites, Plaza de Mulas, Confluencia, Puente del Inca and Mendoza. Therefore, almost instantaneously answer to whatever issue that may arise.

Solar Panels to recharge batteries during the entire expedition

The last place torecharge the batteries of electronic devices before ascending towards the altitude camps is the base camp Plaza de Mulas. From there, there is no way to get electricity, unless solar energy is used to generate it. So, all our private expeditions have mini portable solar panels which serve to generate electricity to recharge all kind of electronic devices, such as cameras, smartphones, Ipad´s, Ipod´s, satellite phones, tablets, etc. The last thing we want is not to have enough electricity to take the summit picture.

Aconcagua Expedition – Normal Route

Farewell dinner

At the end of the expedition, the whole group will share a dinner in one of the best restaurants in Mendoza in order to celebrate the new friendships.

Participation or Summit Certificate

We will extend you a certificate signed by the Guide of the expedition and the Ceo of Acomara-AconcaguaExpeditions certifying that you have participated in the expedition to Mount Aconcagua (or reached the summit if that happened).

Medical and pharmaceutical support in Mendoza City

Your safety and health is our priority. If you need to be evacuated from Aconcagua for medical reasons or you finish your expedition with any kind of medical condition, our team will provide you personal bilingual support for all medical activities you need to do after returning from the Aconcagua like assisting you if you need additional medical attention, medical studies like lung x-rays, shopping medicine, hospital admission, etc. The expenses arising from hospital admission, medical studies, doctor’s fees, ambulances, medicines, etc. are not included.
In addition, you will be able to use our optional service of full bilingual assistance for your time in Mendoza until you fully recover. The objective is that you feel completely accompanied and content until you fully recover your physical health and you are able to return to your home country.

Support in Mendoza after your Expedition

After you return from your expedition to Aconcagua and your services for the expedition finish, our customer support team will continue to assist you with everything you need in Mendoza City.