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Arrive in Mendoza (747m), to be met by a member
of Andes and More. You will be taken to your hotel and helped with the rental of any equipment.
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The group will go to
the doctor for a medical check and then we will take you to purchase your climbing permits. We travel by private bus to Los
Penitentes (2600m) where we organise the mule loads. We spend the night in Los Penitentes.
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We travel by
shuttle to the entrance of the Aconcagua Provincial Park at Laguna Horcones and start the approach to Aconcagua. The expedition
food and equipment is carried by mules so you only have to carry a light daypack as we trek 4 hours along the Horcones
river valley to Confluencia, which is at 3410m. We spend 3 nights at Confluencia to acclimatise.
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| The start of the trek |
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Days
4 and 5 are spent around Confluencia in order to get used to the altitude. The trek on Day 4 takes us to Plaza Francia (4200m) from
which we can see the south face of Aconcagua which is 3000m high and one of the world's most difficult ascents.
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| Plaza Francia |
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A day of rest and acclimatisation.
We will also have a medical check here. The 3 nights we spend at Confluencia are important for acclimatisation. Years of experience
have shown us that a climber who has taken the time to acclimatise to the very high altitude of Aconcagua at Confluencia and
then again at Base Camp is much more likely to reach the summit successfully. Having travelled so far and at such expense,
it would be a shame if you were not able to summit for want of a few more days acclimatisation.
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We hike to Plaza de Mulas base camp (4260m),
a distance of about 12 miles/21km which will take us 7-9 hours. It is a long and tiring day, which is why you may want to
rest at Confluencia, but the views are spectacular. Once again, the equipment and food is carried by mules.
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| Playa Ancha |
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Just rest and
get used to the altitude.
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| Base camp - Plaza de Mulas |
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Today we ascend Cerro Bonete 5100m which is
near Plaza de Mulas. It is a 4 hour ascent and when you get there you will be able to see the west face and the whole route
up Aconcagua.
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| Penitentes, typical of the Andes, on the way to Cerro Bonete |
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We ascend to Plaza Canada (4900m), to leave food and equipment there. It will take us 4-6 hours to get to Plaza Canada
and back to Plaza de Mulas.
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A day of rest in Plaza de Mulas in order to achieve the best acclimatisation,
plus another medical check.
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We
climb up to Camp Canada again, which will take about 3-5 hours.
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| Camp Canada |
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Today we take our food and equipment a bit higher
– to Nido de Condores (Camp 2) at 5400m. The climb will take about 3-5 hours, with an optional climb up Cerro Manso
(5400m). From Plaza Canada, we make a long, gradual, traversing ascent to an intermediate camp at Cambio de Pendiente or Alaska
(5200m). After a break, we keep going up to the saddle between Aconcagua and Cerro Cuerno where Nido de Condores is located.
This is a large flat area with some large rocks that provide shelter from the wind. Looking south across the large scree field
called Gran Acarreo, you can see the Canaleta Couloir and Aconcagua. We return to sleep at Canada.
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We climb up
to Nido de Condores again, to sleep at 5400m.
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| Camping at Nido de Cóndores |
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We carry
our equipment still higher, ascending 4-5 hours along the north-west ridge from Nido de Condores to Berlin (camp 3) at
5930m. We return to Nido de Condores to sleep there.
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Today we climb back
up to Berlin to sleep there and have a little rest before summit day.
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| View from Berlin |
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Summit
Day! We continue along the north-west ridge, passing the highest refuge in the world, Refugio Independencia at 6370m
to the beginning of the Canaleta, a 30 degree scree gully which rises 300m and is the most challenging part of this route.
This part of our journey requires a lot of patience and stamina. At the top of Canaleta is the Filo de Guanaco, the ridge
that joins the southern summit and the true northern summit. We follow the ridge and reach the aluminium cross marking summit
at 6962m. The view through 360 degrees is fabulous and you can look down on all the other 5000m plus mountains of the Andes.
We'll need 9-12 hours to reach the summit and a further 4 hours to get back down to Berlin so it will be a tougher day than
any you will have experienced during the rest of the expedition. It is difficult to paint a picture of Summit Day in words.
Moving at this altitude is not easy, and is very difficult to describe if you have never experienced it, but you will be thankful
for the amount of acclimatisation that your guide made you do. Summit Day - you have to experience it to understand it, and
you'll never forget it.
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| Arriving at the summit |
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| On the summit |
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Descent
to Plaza de Mulas base camp.
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We hike to Horcones
and take the shuttle to Los Penitentes and take the bus to Mendoza. We'll have a farewell dinner and give you your certificates.
You've done it!
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There are two extra
days built in to the itinerary in case of bad weather or in case the group needs to rest more. So you return to the airport
on Day 21.
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