Rooftop of the Americas: ACONCAGUA (AC)
(strenuous expedition)
19 days from Mendoza, Argentina.

Summit Aconcagua, South America's highest peak (6,962m)

Cerro Aconcagua at 6,962 metres is the highest peak in South America and indeed the entire Western Hemisphere. It lies just within Argentina, some 12 kilometres from the Chilean border.

The itinerary is physically strenuous and a great challenge, but is not technically demanding. It is suitable for most adventurous people with a good level of physical fitness, and experience of trekking and camping in remote mountain areas.

We have three trekking and climbing programmes on the mountain: this Normal Route, the 360 Traverse which takes in the whole mountain and the scenic Vacas Valley.

The Normal Route

Our NEW 19-day itinerary, designed to give you the best chance to summit, begins in Mendoza. There are well-placed rest and acclimatisation days to help you adapt as well as possible to the high altitude.

Mules are used to transport food and climbing equipment to (and rubbish out from) the Plaza de Mulas base camp.

Group members and guides carry just a day sack to Base Camp, with mules carrying everything else. However, above Base Camp you carry all of your own equipment in a large backpack up and down the mountain. Porters available at extra cost.

We use a guide:client ratio of approximately 1:3 on Aconcagua, as the better the ratio the higher the chances of summit success for all. Groups ize is a maximum of 12 but is usually around 8 clients and 2 guides.

Experience required

For this programme, experience in the use of crampons and snow-shoes is not a requirement, but previous experience of backpacking and camping in winter conditions would be beneficial.

If you fly in and / or out of Santiago in Chile we are happy to help with hotels, transfers, and a bus or flight between there and Mendoza.

For more information about high altitude, please visit the Medex website.

Here you can download, for free, Travel at High Altitude - a guide to staying healthy in the mountains, a booklet which draws on the research and experience of more than 20 internationally-recognised experts.

Check our Books and Maps section where you will find a range of literature to help you get the most out of your South American adventure.