Mt. Aconcagua – Argentina
“Tango with Aconcagua”
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Trip Summary: Aconcagua, or “Stone Sentinel,” comes from words indigenous to the Quechua language spoken by the Incas. Located in the Central Andes, the Aconcagua Provincial Park is a protected area created to preserve its cultural treasures—flora, fauna and important archeological sites. The Park is home to several glaciers, and peaks higher than 16,000 feet. The highest elevation, Mt. Aconcagua, is the highest in the Western Hemisphere at 22,841 feet (6,962 meters).
Your spectacular 23-day Argentinian R&R career adventure starts with a flight into Mendoza, Argentina. You’ll do a day of community service there and then journey to your hotel in the mountains to prepare your equipment and gear for base camp. For the next several days, you’ll hike four to nine hours each day to a variety of camps on Mt. Aconcagua—Pampa de Leñas, Quebrada de Vacas, Plaza Argentina, and Camp 3 “Colera” among others, experiencing elevations ranging from 8,858 feet (2,699 meters) to 22,841 feet (6,962 meters).
Itinerary:
Day 1 – Fly out of US or connecting cities into Santiago, Chile.
Day 2 – Fly out of Santiago, Chile to Mendoza, Argentina (2,493ft/760m). Upon arrival in the afternoon, our local guide will meet all of us at the airport and we will take a private bus to our hotel where we will spend the night.
Day 3 – This is the day we will purchase our climbing permits for the mountain and spend the day in Mendoza shopping and eating local food. Following a good night’s sleep and breakfast, we will leave the hotel to get our permits and shop for mountain food at the local market. In the evening we will have a team meeting and dinner. Breakfast and dinner are provided.
Day 4 – This will begin our journey into the mountains. Following breakfast, we will drive from Mendoza to Penitentes (8,858ft/2700m). We will travel to Villa de Penitentes, where we stay at a lodge in the mountains. We will prepare all gear and equipment for transport by mule to the base camp. In the evening we will have a team meeting and dinner. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided.
Day 5 – This is our first day in the mountains. We will wake for an early breakfast and drive from Penitentes to Punta de Vacas, which is the Aconcagua park Entrance. We will check in at the ranger station with our permits. This begins our 3 day approach to base camp and we will spend the night at Pampa de Leñas (9,678ft/2950m) where we will have BBQ dinner, prepared by our horsemen.
Breakfast is included at the lodge and lunch will be provided along the trail. Approximately 4-5 hours of hiking.
Day 6 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, we trek through the Quebrade de Vacas where we will be able to see the first sight of the Western Face of Aconcagua as we advance towards our intermediate camp, Casa de Piedra (10,629ft/3240m). We will have dinner and rest for the night. Approximately 5-6 hours of hiking.
Day 7 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea, followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, we begin our trek ascending the Relicho steep slope, which takes us to Inferior Plaza Argentina or Base Camp (13,779ft/4200m). This is where we will be able to see the last native vegetation before climbing towards the glaciers and where we will have dinner and rest for the night. Approximately
5-6 hours of hiking.
Day 8 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea, followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, we will enjoy a complete day of rest at Plaza Argentina for acclimatization. This is a good opportunity to take a shower and explore the area. We will have a team meeting with our guides to go over logistics, reorganize the equipment and prepare the loads for carry the next day.
Day 9 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea, followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, we will carry an equipment and food cache to Camp 1 (16,404ft/5000m). We will carry light loads in order to adapt to the altitude much better. Following our load carry to Camp 1, we will return to Plaza Argentina where we will have dinner and rest for the night. Approximately 5-6 hours of hiking.
Day 10 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea, followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, we will have a complete day of rest at Base Camp to help with acclimatization.
Day 11 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, we will start our ascent back to Camp 1. We will meet the load we brought up the two days earlier, assemble camp and divide loads for carry the next morning. Afterwards, we will have dinner and rest for the night. Approximately 5 to 6 hours of hiking.
Day 12 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, we continue with our gradual acclimatization on easy terrain to Camp 2 (18,044ft/5500m) and drop off supplies. After a short rest, we will descend back to Camp 1 where we will have dinner and rest for the night. Approximately 6-7 hours of strenuous hiking.
Day 13 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, you will have a complete rest day at Camp 1 to help with acclimatization.
Day 14 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, we will begin our ascent to Camp 2 using the Ameghino Traverse Route. We will assemble camp upon our arrival. Approximately 5-6 hours of strenuous hiking.
Day 15 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, you will enjoy a complete rest day at Camp 2 to help with acclimatization. This is a good opportunity to relax and prepare the loads for carry the next day.
Day 16 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, we begin our trek up the last part of the Upper Guanaco’s Valley Route to Camp 3 “Colera” (19,685ft/6000m). After arrival, we will prepare for our first summit push, have an early dinner and rest for an early morning summit departure. Approximately 4-5 hours of strenuous hiking.
Day 17 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea followed by a complete breakfast. After an early morning breakfast, we will begin our first attempt at the summit (22,841ft/6962m). This is the most demanding day of the expedition. We use the last part of the Normal Route, climbing the North Ridge to Independencia Refuge at approximately 21,325ft/6500m. We will ascend through the “Portezuelo del Viento”, climb “La Canaleta”, and pass through the “Filo del Guanaco,” that leads us to the summit. At the end of our summit experience, we will descend to Camp 3 where will eat and rest for the night. Approximately 8-9 hours of strenuous hiking.
Days 18 and 19 – These are spare days in case of bad weather conditions. We have three days in our itinerary to attempt the summit. These extra days are built in to provide the best possible opportunity for each participant to summit.
Day 20 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, we will descend to Plaza de Mulas Base Camp where we will enjoy a great dinner and celebrate the experience. Approximately 4-5 hours of hiking.
Day 21 – You will awaken to morning coffee and tea followed by a complete breakfast. After breakfast, we will start the descent from Plaza de Mulas to Penitentes. There will be a private transport waiting at the end of the trail to take us to the hotel in Mendoza City. We will have a special dinner and celebration. Approximately 7-8 hours of hiking.
Day 22 – Following breakfast at the hotel, we will perform several hours of community service at a local school for children with Autism. Following our community service, we will check out of the hotel and go to the airport. This will be the end of the services provided by K2AT.
Day 23 – Arrive back home
The following items are provided for all participants:
- One coach air fare ticket to Argentina
- Evacuation and travelers insurance policy
- All accommodations in hotels and four season tents
- Private transportation
- All meals as stated in the itinerary
Cost Per Person $15,000