Q: What is included in the trip cost?

Guide(s) and staff One scheduled hotel night in Mendoza (double occupancy) Two scheduled hotel nights in Penitentes (double occupancy) All scheduled restaurant meals in Mendoza and Penitentes at the beginning of the expedition Celebration dinner in Penitentes post-climb All food during the climb All team climbing gear, tents and cooking gear All expedition staff including base camp personnel, porters for group gear and pack animals Airport transfer from Mendoza airport to hotel on arrival.

Q: What is excluded from the trip?

International airfare Argentina entry visa and airport fees Climbing permit — cost is approximately $800 — 1,000+ depending on month Personal climbing gear and clothing Porters for personal climbing gear and clothing Personal expenses (phone calls, laundry, room service, extra hotel nights, extra meals, etc.) Travel insurance with trip cancellation, medical and evacuation policy All expenses associated with non-scheduled departure Restaurant meals upon return to trail head, and in Mendoza post-climb Breakfast, Day 2 Lunch, Day 2, Day 20 Dinner, Day 20 Alcoholic and bottled beverages Airport transfer for return flight home Guide/staff gratuities

Q: What qualifications are needed to climb Aconcagua?

For those with minimal mountaineering and/or high altitude experience a logical progression might look like one of these: Participate in a climbing course in the North Cascades, such as the Glacier Mountaineering Course or the Alpine Climbing Course Climb high altitude peaks such as Mexican volcanoes, Ecuadorian volcanoes, or moderate climbs in Peru or Bolivia Climb Kilimanjaro or Mount Elbrus Participate in a high altitude mountaineering in Bolivia, Ecuador or on Mont Blanc

Q: Can I hire a porter?

Porters are available as an option from basecamp. Rates are based on the amount of weight carried and how far. For a porter to carry from basecamp to high-camp and return is $1,400 (prices are subject to change).

Q: If I choose to hire a porter how much will I have to carry?

Porters carry the majority of your load but you will still need to carry your day pack with water, parka, other warm clothes, snacks, camera, etc. You should count on 20 – 25 pounds (9 — 12 kilos).

Q: Is travel or rescue insurance mandatory?

Aconcagua National Park now requires all participants on the expedition to have rescue insurance. Climbing at altitude carries inherent risk and the cost of helicopter evacuation, hospitalization and medical treatment is very expensive and not usually covered in typical insurance policies. Additionally, you should strongly consider trip cancellation insurance. Every year we have people that must cancel their trip at the last minute due to injury, family or work reasons. Depending on the policy you purchase a majority, or all your expenses would be covered in this instance.

Q: Who does the cooking and camp set up?

The group works together to set up camp while on the upper mountain, which mostly consists of putting up tents. The guides melt snow for water and will do the cooking.

Q: What special equipment will I need?

Aconcagua requires high altitude mountaineering boots, crampons and ice axe, sleeping bag with a minimum rating of at least ‑20F, a warm expedition parka and mittens. This is in addition to standard backpacking and mountaineering clothing and gear used at lower altitudes. Once you book the trip you will be provided with a detailed Gear List covering technical clothing, footwear, accessories and equipment.

Q: What weather can I expect on Aconcagua?

Aconcagua’s weather is very unpredictable! The peak is so high that it has its own microclimate. At high camp night temperatures can be as low as 5°F to ‑20°F, ( 15°C to ‑30°C.). On the summit during the day temperatures could range from ‑13°F to 55°F, (-25°C to +15°C.). Weather tends to fall into a daily pattern where clouds clear up during the morning, leaving clear skies by midday. In early afternoon clouds commonly appear again, covering the summit by mid to late afternoon, then clearing again later. Wind is a common denominator on Aconcagua. It is a very windy place! Winds of 40 – 60 mph are very common with higher speeds that can last for days.

Question 1

What is included in the trip cost?

Accepted Answer

Guide(s) and staff
One sched­uled hotel night in Men­doza (dou­ble occupancy)
Two sched­uled hotel nights in Pen­i­tentes (dou­ble occupancy)
All sched­uled restau­rant meals in Men­doza and Pen­i­tentes at the begin­ning of the expedition
Cel­e­bra­tion din­ner in Pen­i­tentes post-climb
All food dur­ing the climb
All team climb­ing gear, tents and cook­ing gear
All expe­di­tion staff includ­ing base camp per­son­nel, porters for group gear and pack animals
Air­port trans­fer from Men­doza air­port to hotel on arrival.

Question 2

What is excluded from the trip?

Accepted Answer

Inter­na­tion­al airfare
Argenti­na entry visa and air­port fees
Climb­ing per­mit — cost is approx­i­mate­ly $800 — 1,000+ depend­ing on month
Per­son­al climb­ing gear and clothing
Porters for per­son­al climb­ing gear and clothing
Per­son­al expens­es (phone calls, laun­dry, room ser­vice, extra hotel nights, extra meals, etc.)
Trav­el insur­ance with trip can­cel­la­tion, med­ical and evac­u­a­tion policy
All expens­es asso­ci­at­ed with non-sched­uled departure
Restau­rant meals upon return to trail head, and in Men­doza post-climb
Break­fast, Day 2
Lunch, Day 2, Day 20
Din­ner, Day 20
Alco­holic and bot­tled beverages
Air­port trans­fer for return flight home
Guide/​staff gratuities

Question 3

What qualifications are needed to climb Aconcagua?

Accepted Answer

For those with min­i­mal moun­taineer­ing and/​or high alti­tude expe­ri­ence a log­i­cal pro­gres­sion might look like one of these:
Par­tic­i­pate in a climb­ing course in the North Cas­cades, such as the Glac­i­er Moun­taineer­ing Course or the Alpine Climb­ing Course
Climb high alti­tude peaks such as Mex­i­can vol­ca­noes, Ecuadorian vol­ca­noes, or moderate climbs in Peru or Bolivia
Climb Kil­i­man­jaro or Mount Elbrus
Par­tic­i­pate in a high alti­tude moun­taineer­ing in Bolivia, Ecuador or on Mont Blanc

Question 4

Can I hire a porter?

Accepted Answer

Porters are avail­able as an option from base­camp. Rates are based on the amount of weight car­ried and how far. For a porter to car­ry from base­camp to high-camp and return is $1,400 (prices are subject to change).

Question 5

If I choose to hire a porter how much will I have to carry?

Accepted Answer

Porters car­ry the major­i­ty of your load but you will still need to car­ry your day pack with water, par­ka, oth­er warm clothes, snacks, cam­era, etc. You should count on 20 – 25 pounds (9 — 12 kilos).

Question 6

Is travel or rescue insurance mandatory?

Accepted Answer

Aconcagua Nation­al Park now requires all par­tic­i­pants on the expe­di­tion to have res­cue insur­ance. Climb­ing at alti­tude car­ries inher­ent risk and the cost of heli­copter evac­u­a­tion, hos­pi­tal­iza­tion and med­ical treat­ment is very expen­sive and not usu­al­ly cov­ered in typ­i­cal insur­ance poli­cies. Addi­tion­al­ly, you should strong­ly con­sid­er trip can­cel­la­tion insur­ance. Every year we have peo­ple that must can­cel their trip at the last minute due to injury, fam­i­ly or work rea­sons. Depend­ing on the pol­i­cy you pur­chase a major­i­ty, or all your expens­es would be cov­ered in this instance.

Question 7

Who does the cook­ing and camp set up?

Accepted Answer

The group works togeth­er to set up camp while on the upper moun­tain, which most­ly con­sists of putting up tents. The guides melt snow for water and will do the cooking.

Question 8

What spe­cial equip­ment will I need?

Accepted Answer

Aconcagua requires high alti­tude moun­taineer­ing boots, cram­pons and ice axe, sleep­ing bag with a min­i­mum rat­ing of at least ‑20F, a warm expe­di­tion par­ka and mit­tens. This is in addi­tion to stan­dard back­pack­ing and moun­taineer­ing cloth­ing and gear used at low­er altitudes.
Once you book the trip you will be provided with a detailed Gear List covering technical clothing, footwear, accessories and equipment.

Question 9

What weath­er can I expect on Aconcagua?

Accepted Answer

Aconcagua’s weath­er is very unpre­dictable! The peak is so high that it has its own micro­cli­mate. At high camp night tem­per­a­tures can be as low as 5°F to ‑20°F, ( 15°C to ‑30°C.). On the sum­mit dur­ing the day tem­per­a­tures could range from ‑13°F to 55°F, (-25°C to +15°C.). Weath­er tends to fall into a dai­ly pat­tern where clouds clear up dur­ing the morn­ing, leav­ing clear skies by mid­day. In ear­ly after­noon clouds com­mon­ly appear again, cov­er­ing the sum­mit by mid to late after­noon, then clear­ing again lat­er. Wind is a com­mon denom­i­na­tor on Aconcagua. It is a very windy place! Winds of 40 – 60 mph are very com­mon with high­er speeds that can last for days.

Aconcagua Mountaineering Expedition - Normal Route

Highlights

Itinerary

Transfers

Accommodation

Guide fees

Luggage transfers

Some meals

What's not included

Alcoholic beverages

Gratuities

Visas

Travel insurance

Personal gear

International flights

Domestic flights

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4 - 18

Day 19

Departure Dates

FAQs

Departure Dates

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