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| Nacho on the summit |
Guides
Our main guide, Nacho Lucero, has 16 years
experience working on Aconcagua. He speaks Spanish, English and French. He is a National Climbing Instructor and a High Altitude
Mountain Guide AAGM (Associación argentina de guías de montaña). He has summited
Aconcagua 33 times and is enormously experienced on this mountain and in high altitude in general.
Guide to Client Ratio
The guide to client ratio is not constant throughout the whole expedition.
We need more guides and assistants on Summit Day so that if a group member cannot continue to the summit, they can return
safely to a lower camp without affecting the rest of the group.
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| Aconcagua behind Pyramides |
Climbing
Permits
When
you arrive in Mendoza, we will take you to get your permit. You cannot get this in advance. The cost of the climbing permit
is not included in the price of the expedition, and is payable in Argentinian pesos. The costs for the 08/09 season are:
Arg $500
for low season (15/11/07 – 30/11/07, 21/02/08 – 15/03/08)
Arg $1000 for mid season (01/12/07 – 14/12/07, 01/02/08 – 20/02/08)
Arg $1500 for high season (15/12/07 – 31/01/08)
Transport
of Kit
Mendoza – Horcones
All the kit is transported by private transport.
Your luggage is secured and kept in a safe place.
Horcones – Confluencia
You need to prepare a rucksack sufficient for 4 days,
until we finally reach Plaza de Mulas.
Horcones – Plaza de Mulas
The group equipment and your personal kit that you
will not be carrying in your own rucksack to Confluencia, will go directly to Plaza de Mulas by mule. You will not see it
for 4 days. Each person is allowed 20kg of kit. Any additional weight will be charged at a rate of USD $2 per kg.
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| The mules at work |
Plaza de Mulas – Higher Camps
The group equipment is carried to the higher camps
by porters and is included in the cost of the expedition. It is possible to contract the services of personal porters in Plaza
de Mulas.
Plaza de Mulas – Horcones – Mendoza
All the equipment is carried back down to Horcones
by mule and thereafter to Mendoza by private transport.
Porters
The communal group kit, such as tents, heaters, cooking equipment and all the safety equipment
that the guide and any assistants need, will be carried by porters. Personal porters are not included in the price
of the expedition but it is possible to contract their services in Plaza de Mulas. The prices change in low and high season
but roughly they cost:
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Plaza de Mulas to Canadá
- USD $80
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Canadá to Nido de Condores
- USD $120
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Nido de Condores to
Berlín - USD $160
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Berlín to Plaza de
Mulas - USD $160
Please note that these prices are guidelines only and
are not determined by Andes and More. Each porter
can carry 20kg. If you have less than 20kg, you may be able to share the cost of a porter with another team member.
Equipment
Andes and More's camps have all the tents, cooking and dining facilities
that you need, plus radios, medical kits and equipment to monitor your acclimatisation. However, you will need to
bring the equipment in the equipment list: Equipment. It is possible to hire almost everything you need in Mendoza where there are specialist shops for high
altitude climbing gear. Andes and More can reserve equipment for you in advance so that you do not have to worry about equipment
availability in high season.
Communication
So you and your family and friends at home know what to expect…
Mendoza
Mendoza has all types of communication - internet, telephone, mobile
phone signal (triband required) and fax. Internet and telephone shops, where you do not need small change to phone home, are
plentiful and are called "locutorios".
Penitentes
There are public phones in Penitentes and an occasional mobile phone
signal, but no internet.
Confluencia
There are no phones, mobile phone signal or internet. There is only radio
communication within the Provincial Park with the park rangers in case
of emergency.
Plaza de Mulas
There are satellite phones and internet in Plaza de Mulas, though they
are very costly. In 2007/08, the internet cost between USD $10 and $15 for 15 minutes, and the satellite phone cost USD $1-2.50
per minute for an international call, depending on the destination of the call. The price of your expedition includes 15 minutes
internet use in Plaza de Mulas. There is also a much cheaper coin operated pay phone at Refugio Plaza de Mulas, 20 minutes
walk away, but there are always huge queues and it doesn’t always work very well. There is no mobile phone signal in
Plaza de Mulas. There is however radio communication with the park ranger and the police for emergencies.
Higher camps
The only communication from the higher camps is via the guide’s
emergency radio. There is no mobile phone signal.
Armed with this information, you should be able to warn those waiting
at home of how often you will be able to contact them. Andes and More will also update the blog on this website so that they
can follow the progress of the expedition.
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| Penitentes, typical of the Andes |
Getting
to Mendoza
Mendoza
has an international airport which you can normally reach via connections in Buenos Aires or Santiago in Chile. Or you
can get very comfortable long distance buses from Buenos Aires (14 hours overnight) or Santiago in Chile (7 hours). The long
distance buses in Argentina and Chile are incredibly comfortable. Semi-cama services have seats the size and comfort of airline
economy seats, Cama services have seats like business class and Suite services have business class sized seats that recline
fully into flat beds. Cama and Suite do not cost that much more. It is, of course, possible to hire a car and drive
in Argentina, but distances are enormous and the driving style is, well, different from what we are used to in Northern Europe!
And besides, the buses are so cheap, comfortable and convenient that hiring a car really isn't necessary. If you have any
questions at all about travel to Mendoza, please let us know as we have done this journey many times.
Visas
European
passports do not currently need visas to enter Argentina or Chile. You will get a 90 day tourist visa stamp in your passport
when you arrive. We monitor the requirements for EU passports, and update this information. If you are not an EU passport
holder, please contact your local Argentinian embassy, or speak to us and we can advise you which websites you can use
for information.
Money
The currency in
Argentina is the Argentinian peso which is denoted by the $ sign. However, the currency within
Aconcagua National Park is the US dollar, so you will need to bring dollars with you as well, to pay for anything extra you
require during the expedition, such as snacks, internet in Plaza de Mulas or personal porters.
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