Guided expedition · Normal Route

Acclimatize. Then summit.

18 days from Mendoza to 6,962 m, with certified high-altitude guides, our own base camp and altitude domes on route.

18 days6.962 MMax 8Demand: High

This is a guided expedition on the Normal Route, led by certified high-altitude guides. It is not a tourism product: it is mountaineering, an activity that demands judgment, experience and logistics. That's what we have done for twenty-five seasons in the Park.

The Normal Route begins with an acclimatization trek to the Plaza Francia viewpoint and a gradual approach to Plaza de Mulas, the base camp, over roughly 40 km across three days. From Plaza de Mulas we set strategically placed high camps to aid acclimatization before the summit push.

There is no technical climbing: there is altitude, wind and many hours of walking on rock and snow slopes. The program includes two extra days as a margin for carries and weather: when the white wind blows, those days let us wait for a better window and raise the odds of reaching the top. We work with groups of up to 8 people.

Altitude domes on route

Our own structure at Plaza Canadá, Nido de Cóndores and Berlín: weather-resistant domes so you don't depend on tents on the key days.

Groups of up to 8 people

A low guide-to-client ratio, fast decisions and individual attention on summit day.

Reserve days built in

The itinerary allows for waiting out the weather window with no surcharge and no improvising. Patience is what reaches the top.

In detail

Our own base camp at Plaza de Mulas

Domes with beds, dining tent, hot kitchen, toilets, showers and WiFi at 4,350 m. Home cooking at 4,350 metres: you genuinely recover between carries.

18
Days: 6.962 M
Max altitude: +6.902 m
Cumulative gain

Day by day

Itinerary

The itinerary is a reference. The mountain sets the pace: reserve days exist to wait for the good-weather window, not to pad the calendar.

Altitude profile

Days: 18Max altitude: 6.962 MCumulative gain: +6.902 m

Line of climbers ascending a snow slope on the Normal Route.

Two figures climb the slope above the sea of clouds.

Three climbers standing on a ridge, glacier and valley below.

Day 1760 M
Arrival in Mendoza
Airport pick-up, hotel transfer and team meeting. Expedition briefing and gear check with the guides.
Day 22.700 M
Mendoza → Penitentes / Puente del Inca
Transfer along Route 7 into the valley. Permit finalized, gear checked and first night at altitude.
Day 33.368 M
Horcones → Confluencia
Park entry at Horcones, cargo weigh-in and trek up the valley to Confluencia camp.
Day 44.200 M
Plaza Francia viewpoint
Acclimatization trek facing the South Face, out and back from Confluencia. Three thousand metres of rock and ice in front of you.
Day 54.350 M
Confluencia → Plaza de Mulas
Long approach across Playa Ancha and the Cuesta Brava up to base camp.
Day 64.350 M
Rest at Plaza de Mulas
Rest, medical check and load organization. Technical talk on carries and the use of gear.
Day 75.050 M
Carry to Plaza Canadá
First load carry: gear is cached at altitude and we return to base to rest.
Day 84.350 M
Rest at Plaza de Mulas
Rest and recovery day at base camp. Saturation checks and plan adjustments based on how the group responded.
Day 95.050 M
Camp 1 · Plaza Canadá
Move up to the high camps with full gear. First night above 5,000 m.
Day 105.550 M
Camp 2 · Nido de Cóndores
Ascend into high-altitude terrain. It's the day that best predicts how each person will perform on summit day.
Day 115.550 M
Nido de Cóndores
Acclimatization and recovery at altitude. The forecast is analysed to define the window.
Day 125.930 M
Camp 3 · Berlín / Cólera
Final high camp. Afternoon of hydration, rest and the summit briefing.
Day 136.962 M
Summit day · 6,962 m
Pre-dawn start. Independencia, the Traverse and La Canaleta to the top. Back at the high camp by late afternoon.
Day 145.930 M
Reserve day
Margin for weather and contingencies at the high camp. When the white wind blows, this is the day that saves the summit.
Day 155.930 M
Reserve day
A second day of margin. If the summit is already done, it's used to descend at an easy pace.
Day 164.350 M
Descent to Plaza de Mulas
Descend from the high camps, camps struck and the first hot meal at a table.
Day 17760 M
Puente del Inca → Mendoza
Out of the Park down the same valley, with the mules carrying the load, and transfer to the city. Shower, beer and closing dinner.
Day 18760 M
Mendoza
Certificates handed out and end of services.

What's included

Certified high-altitude guides
Park permit assistance (paperwork)
1 night hotel in Mendoza
High-mountain lodging (Penitentes)
Private transfers airport ⇄ Mendoza ⇄ Horcones
Full board at base camp
Mule cargo transport per program
Dining domes, dormitory tents and toilets at base
Hot showers at base camp
Weather-resistant domes at the high camps
Treated drinking water at base and on the mountain
VHF and satellite communications
Equipment storage at Penitentes and base
Technical briefing and gear check in Mendoza
Summit certificate

What's not included

Aconcagua Provincial Park entrance permit
Medical & rescue insurance with evacuation (mandatory)
Personal gear: clothing, double boots and sleeping bag
Flights and transfers to Mendoza
Extra nights and meals in Mendoza
Mule cargo above the included allowance
Emergency evacuation costs
Staff gratuities
Anything not expressly listed

The Park permit and the medical & rescue insurance are mandatory and contracted separately. We handle the paperwork for you at no extra charge.

On the ground

Glacier and moraine around Plaza de Mulas, 4,350 m, with base camp in the distance.

Line of climbers going up a snow face, above 5,500 m.

The rope team, tiny in the frame, moves along a snow crest with the range behind.

Group with expedition packs on rocky ground, the snow-capped summit ahead.

Rope team climbing at dawn, with the triangular shadow of Aconcagua cast on the horizon.

Climber in an orange expedition suit with arms open, near 6,962 m.

Group resting beside the high-altitude dome after the carry.

The summit pyramid in rock and snow, cut against a deep blue sky.

The glacier tongue and the moraine at the foot of the wall, the ice split by the sun.

Penitentes: the blades of ice that form on high-altitude glaciers, seen close up.

Coloured domes and cargo loads set up at camp, in a wide dry valley.

A porter climbs toward camp with his load, the tents below in the valley.

A dark rock peak with snow patches in the gullies, against a clear sky.

First sun on the slope, seen from inside the tent on waking.

The camp domes lit up at night, the mountain face under the stars.

The base-camp dining tent lit up at night, at the foot of the snowy slope.

A starry night over the mountain face, with the camp domes below.

Park permits

The Park permit, explained.

Aconcagua Provincial Park charges a mandatory permit to everyone who enters. It is set each season by the Government of Mendoza, so the exact amount is confirmed when we quote: we handle the whole procedure at no management charge.

What the amount depends on

Your nationality

There are different rates for Mendoza residents, Argentine nationals, Latin American countries and the rest of the world.

The entry route

The permit for the Quebrada de Horcones (Normal Route) and the one for the Vacas Valley (360 Route and Polish Glacier) have different values.

The length of stay

A short trek is not the same as a summit expedition: duration changes the permit category.

The entrance permit and the medical & rescue insurance with helicopter evacuation are mandatory and paid separately from any package. We give you the current amount in writing when you book and do the paperwork for you.

What now?

If you already know what you want to do, write to us. If you're still comparing, keep going here.

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