Aconcagua ascent via the normal route (join a group)

Join Grajales Expeditions on this extraordinary 17-day Mount Aconcagua ascent via the normal route. Reach the highest peak in America!

Group

17 Days

Jan, Feb, Dec

High

Advanced

Description

Are you ready to summit the highest mountain in the Western world? then join a group and get ready for this Aconcagua ascent via the normal route

Mount Aconcagua (6962 m) lies in the Cordillera de los Andes, in the Argentinean province of Mendoza. It’s the highest peak in America, in fact, it’s the highest summit outside of Asia. So in addition to being one of the Seven Summits, it’s a demanding test for mountaineering around the world.

And this 17-day program will take you to its summit through the most popular route. We’ll meet in Mendoza and from there on I will help you with everything: We’ll check your gear and rent something if you don’t have it, we’ll go in private transfers to the trailhead and I’ll guide you to the top in the safest possible way.

One thing I’ve learned with my years guiding in this mountain is to take things slowly and pay a lot of attention to my clients acclimatization progress. That’s why I include porters and mules in the program, to help you carry the load.

Please look at the detailed itinerary below and remember that this program requires a high level of fitness and previous mountaineering experience.

So check the dates below and send me a request to join one of the groups on this amazing Aconcagua ascent via the normal route adventure! All the departure dates are 100% confirmed.

And if you don’t have enough time for this ascent, but you want to see this impressive mountain from a close angle, you can also check my 6-day Plaza Argentina Trek in Mendoza and my 7-day Aconcagua trek with Cerro Bonete.

Price includes

Accommodation included
Guiding fee
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Transport during the trip
Porters
Luggage transfer
Mules and horses
Tents
Cooking utensils

Price details

Also included:
All shared gear for the expedition (sleeping tents, stoves and cooking gear,
radio, etc).
Load transportat by mules, to and from base camp.
Free internet at BC (limitations apply)
Permanent VHF radio communication.
We provide our guides with professional first aid kits and pulse oximeters to
monitor acclimatization progress.
Assistance with the required climbing permit procedure.
Satellite coverage and tracking during the trip.
One porter every four climbers, to carry 20 kg of common gear.
NOT INCLUDED: Mt. Aconcagua State Park climbing permit (U$S 8001000), Personal porters, any cost incurred by the climber if she or he leaves the trip early (such as mules, transfers, guide, etc), meals in Mendoza, drinks in Mendoza and Penitentes, personal gear, medications, ground or air evacuations, room services, laundry, beverages, phone communications and items of personal nature, insurance liability, hospitalization or medication of any kind, any other service not mentioned in this condition sheet. We strongly recommend all participants to buy a trip cancelation insurance.

Itinerary

Day 1: Mendoza

Arrival to Mendoza (760 m). Transfer from airport to hotel. Relax day.

Day 2: Transfer to Penitentes

We’ll travel to Los Penitentes in private cars. Accommodation in the mountain Hotel (2580 m). Near the Hotel, we’ll prepare the load transfer.

Day 3: Penitentes - Confluencia

We’ll have breakfast and drive from Los Penitentes to the Aconcagua Provincial Park (Horcones 2950 m). We’ll start the trek and, after 3 to 4 hours, we’ll reach the Confluencia camp.

Day 4: Confluencia - Mirador de la Pared Sur

We’ll take a 7-hour walk and you’ll discover the South Face of the mountain (4050 meters). We’ll start the acclimatization process. Night in the Confluencia Camp.

Day 5: Confluencia - Plaza de Mulas.

You’ll explore Playa Ancha and he Cuesta Brava in a 7-hour trek. Then we’ll reach the base camp in Plaza de Mulas (4350 m).

Day 6: Rest day in Plaza de Mulas

Day off to rest in Plaza de Mulas.

Day 7: Cerro Bonete acclimatization hike

A 6-hour acclimatization ascent to the Cerro Bonete (5004 m). You’ll admire the wonderful West Face of the Aconcagua from up there.

Day 8: Plaza de Mulas - Plaza Canadá - Plaza de Mulas

Ascent to the first camp, Plaza Canadá (5050 m), to prepare the equipment and back to Plaza de Mulas, where we’ll spend the night.

Day 9: Rest day in Plaza de Mulas

Day to relax in Plaza de Mulas.

Day 10: Plaza de Mulas - Plaza Canadá

We’ll transfer to Plaza Canadá, our first step to the summit. The ascent will take us around 3 hours.

Day 11: Plaza Canadá - Nido de Cóndores

We’ll continue the ascent to the second camp, Nido de Cóndores (5560 m) for 3 to 4 hours.

Day 12: Nido de Cóndores - Cólera Camp

Ascent to the last camp, Cólera (5970 m).

Day 13: Summit Day

We’ll conquer the summit of this incredible mountain! Then, we’ll return to the Cólera Camp to spend the night.

Day 14 to 15: Extra days

The trip includes two extra days in case of bad weather.

Day 16: Cólera Camp - Plaza de Mulas

Descent to Plaza de Mulas.

Day 17: Back to Mendoza

Descent to Horcones (6 to 7 hours). Transfer to the Hotel in Mendoza (3 to 4 hours) and goodbye.

Details

More info

The dates listed corresponds to the first night in Mendoza. Our expedition for the Normal Route takes a maximumof 17 days. Please plan your departure from Mendoza at least 18 days after the starting date of the trip.

Meeting point

Mendoza airport.

About the guide

Grajales

Guide Agency

Back in 1976, Fernando Grajales Expeditions was granted the first license to operate mountaineering services at Aconcagua. Its founder, the legendary mountaineer Fernando Grajales, applied the same concepts of safety and ethics to his company that he applied to his own climbing expeditions. In a few seasons, the company became a trademark and a synonym of Aconcagua.

Four decades later, we are proud to continue breaking trails under the same clear Andean skies, ruled by the same transparent principles.

Today, Fernando Grajales Expeditions continues to be a family owned local company, committed to our team and to our community. At the same time, we work to keep a global perspective regarding innovation and service standards.

To us, “fair trade” means simply to do things fairly, as we always have. Our goal is to create safe and successful mountain experiences for our clients, whether they are mountaineers that utilize our fully guided expeditions or international agencies that trust us with their logistics.

Languages

English

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What people are saying about Explore-Share

Man

Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!

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