Andes, Argentina
Aconcagua Normal Route
Route detail
About this route
An eighteen-day expedition with Mendoza-based guides: base camp at Plaza de Mulas, three high camps and a long summit day.
Daily activity
4–7 hr on approach/carry days; summit day 10–14 hr.
Terrain
High desert valleys, scree, penitentes and expedition camps.
Best season
December to February
What's included
Guides, mules, base camp services, group gear, most meals.
Not included
Flights, climbing permit, hotels in Mendoza.
Itinerary
- 1
Mendoza & permits
Time: 5–7 hr
Gear check, permit paperwork, drive to Penitentes.
- 2
Trek to base camp
Time: 5–7 hr
Two days up the Horcones valley to Plaza de Mulas.
- 3
Carry rotations
Time: 3–4 hr
Load carries to Canadá and Nido de Cóndores.
- 4
High camps
Time: 4–6 hr
Move to Cólera at 5,900 m and wait for the window.
- 5
Summit day
Time: 4–6 hr
Long day via the Canaleta to 6,961 m.
- 6
Descent & return
Time: 6–8 hr
Down to base camp, mules out, back to Mendoza.
What to pack
Built for this route's terrain, altitude and number of days. Tick items off as you pack — without the right footwear or hard shell, a guide can refuse to take you up.
0 / 37 packed
Footwear and pack
Broken in before the trip — new boots are the most common cause of an abandoned day.
Clothing layers
Three layers, no cotton. Temperatures can swing 20 °C between valley and summit.
Technical equipment
Your guide office (INKA Expediciones) rents most of this locally — ask when you confirm your dates.
Sun, health and altitude
Above 5,500 m you must be able to describe altitude symptoms to your guide in plain language.
Overnight kit
Keep these in a zipped pocket, not the main compartment.
Boots, crampons, ice axe and harness can usually be rented from INKA Expediciones in Mendoza, Argentina — confirm sizes when you agree your dates.
Traveller feedback
Ratings collected from travellers who completed this route with INKA Expediciones.
4.8
★★★★★52 ratings
Written reviews for this departure are still being collected. Ask us for references from previous groups before you pay — we will forward them from the guide office.
Questions about this route?
Talk to the guides who run it — gear, fitness, weather windows, private dates. We answer within one working day.
€4,850
per person
Guides, mules, base camp services, group gear, most meals.
Next departure · 8 January 2027
8 of 8 spots left
Live availability updates daily and after every booking.