Overview
Best of the Andes: The Peaks of Ausangate to Aconcagua – An incredible 16-day trek & climb adventure in the Cordillera Vilcanota & Aconcagua national park.
This is a trek & climb program designed to enable you to acclimatise fully and climb some of the best peaks in the Andes.
Starting in Peru you’ll trek around the Nevada Ausangate, trekking up to Rainbow Mountain (Mt. Vinicunca) and then climbing Mt. Qampa to 5,400m.
A stunning and diverse route showing you a part of Peru that is largely untouched by tourism. Communities here continue to live traditionally and without many of the modern utilities that are in use today. Collecting you early from Cusco taking private transport; to meet up with our arrieros and mules at the start point. They will accompany us for the duration of the trek and climb expedition.
Following a short trek for 3 days; through the Vilcanota, you’ll then undertake a climb route of the Nevado Qampa.
Trek & Climb: Nevado Qampa (Jampa, also spelled Campa), is the easiest; and one of the most popular mountains in Cusco and may be climbed without experience in mountaineering. It requires a glacier hike and sometimes a small rock climbing pass depending on the season. Once at the summit it offers an incredible panoramic view; that reaches to Salkantay over 200km in a north western direction.
Afterwards you’ll transfer back to Cusco and rest for the night before transferring to Cusco Airport for a series of domestic flights down to Mendoza, Argentina. On arrival you’ll spend the night before transferring to Penitentes for the start of your trek to Aconcagua.
Aconcagua Mountain is a part of the Andes mountain range, located in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. The summit is located just 15 kilometres away from the international border with Chile. It is one of the Seven Summits and the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas.
Following with a good climate, you’ll trek directly from Penitentes to the Plaza de Mulas (4,300m). From here you’ll begin your ascent to the summit via a number of high-altitude camps (Camp 1 – Canda, Camp 2 – Nido de Condores, Camp 3 – Colera). From the summit you’ll be able to enjoy an incredible 360° view from the summit that you’ll never forget: infinite mountains, white fields and glaciers, including the stunning peaks of Cerro Mercedario and Cerro Tolosa.
Descending back via the valley of Horcones, you’ll once more reach Penitentes. There is an option to spend the night here before transferring back to Mendoza for your onward flight out with plenty of time to reflect on an incredible adventure!
Mountain & Summit Stats
Altitude: 6,962m.
Route: Normal – North face
Difficulty: Non-technical & No risk of Avalanche.
Equipment: Expedition (Please refer to the videos below for equipment).
Requirements: Good physical condition and recommended prior experience at altitude.
Summit success: About 50%
Threats: Biggest threat is the cold (-20 to -30c) and altitude.
Summit Season: 15/11/21 – 24/02/22
Safety & Security: Your safety and security is our main priority.
Radio Equipment: On the expedition we will have radios & access to a rescue helicopter if required.
Medical: We will have oxygen available on the expedition, oximetro (to read oxygen levels in your blood), diamox (to combat any bad effects of altitude sickness), along with a complete medical box set for the expedition.
Health: Your health will be checked at regular intervals along the route (e.g. at every camp). All of our guides are fully trained in first aid and mountain rescue.
Pacing: It is important to go at a pace you are comfortable with and our guides will help support you in this.
Insurance: It is vital that you have adventure insurance for this trip.
Park Entrance Fees
Entrance fees for Aconcagua National Park for summit expeditions in 2020 are $800 USD per person.
National Park Website
| Included Breakfast x 13 Lunch x 14 Dinner x 12 Private Transport – collection & drop-off Professional bilingual high-mountain guide Arrieros & Mules All Camping & Dining equipment (Sleeping bags to hire + Trekking Poles) |
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Not Included |
| oining Arrangements | There will be a pre-trek briefing held usually the evening before departure, at your hotel, to go over the details of the trek and any specific requirements not already captured. |
| Food & Water | Prior to setting off we recommend you steer clear of street food and only eat in good restaurants, to avoid any stomach complaints. Likewise with tap water, it is largely untreated, please only consume bottled water only or sterilised water if you have the right equipment. |
| Special Diets | We’ll ensure that we cater for all of your dietary needs, at the point of booking we’ll collect this information from you. We can secure special menu requests also for your trek party. |
| Trekking Crew | We are able to customise our treks to suit you, but usually our treks are guided by a professional bilingual guide, mountain cook, arriero (horseman) and mules to carry all equipment (passenger horses also available on request). They become a large part of your trekking expedition and it’s a great experience working together. |
| Acclimatisation |
This is a really important part of your trip planning process, please find a link below which explains a little more about preparing for altitude. Altitude Preparation
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| Preparation |
Attached below are a couple of links which will explain how to prepare for your trip & trek in advance of your arrival. We recommend being prepared in advance to save time & stress whilst you’re in Peru. Trip Planning | Trek Planning
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| Machu Picchu | An excursion to Machu Picchu can be included as part of your trip, including professional bilingual guide, entrance tickets, return trip bus tickets, Huayna Picchu & Machu Picchu Mountains (mountain climbs to be confirmed on reservation) & your return train ticket to Cusco. To be confirmed on reservation. |
| Covid-19 (Coronavirus) | We are working with the latest protocols issued by the Ministerio de Salud (Ministry of Health) to ensure our operations are safe and compliant for the future. We also have access to on-call health services for your time with us. |
| Covid-19 (Useful Links) | World Health Organisation | World Health Organisation – Peru | Covid-19 Data – Peru | Covid-19 Daily Statistics |
| Available Discounts | Throughout 2022 we’re offering a 15% discount for each member of a group larger than 4+ |
| Reservation | Please contact us to reserve your trek and we will send you our deposit & payment options. |
| Customer Service | Please feel free to contact us at any point before your trip for any queries or problems. |
Equipment
