Long Trekking to Plaza de Mulas - Mount Aconcagua Base Camp

Itinerary (height in feet)
Day 01: Mendoza (2,508) / Puente del Inca (8,938)
Obtaining of permits. Lunch. Transfer Mendoza / Puente Del Inca. Lodging in hostel. Dinner. (L, D)
Day 02: Puente del Inca / Confluencia (10,824)
Drive to the entrance of the Park. Trek to Confluencia. Dinner. (B, P.L., D)
Day 03: Confluencia / Plaza Francia (13,120) / Confluencia
Trek to the panoramic view in Plaza Francia, base of the Aconcagua South face. Lunch and return to Confluencia. Dinner. (B, P.L., D)
Day 04: Confluencia / Plaza de Mulas (13972)
Trek to Plaza de Mulas Base Camp. Lodging in our camp. Dinner. (B, P.L., D)
Day 05: Plaza de Mulas
Resting day. Short trek in the area. (B, L, D)
Day 06: Plaza de Mulas / Puente del Inca
Descent to Puente del Inca. Lodging in hostel. Dinner. (B, P.L., D)
Day 07: Puente del Inca / Mendoza (1894)
Breakfast. Drive to Mendoza. (B)

Departure Dates
Please ask us about this topic.




INCLUDED SERVICES

- Assistance to buy the climbing permits
Mount Aconcagua is located in a provincial Park, managed by the Government of Mendoza.
To get into the Park you should get a permit, in accordance to the activity that you are going to participate in (climbing, long trek, short trek). This working paper must be done personally, as a government rule. That is why each passenger should go to the Park's office with their own passport.

- Luggage care
If you wish to leave certain personal belongings that you will not need during the days of the expedition, you can do so at our office in Mendoza City, our Hostel in Puente Del Inca, or our own camp in Plaza de Mulas. We guarantee maximum security.

- Transfer Mendoza / Puente del Inca / Mendoza
We will take you to Puente Del Inca in our own vehicles. We will drive over 180 kilometers, which separate Mendoza City from Puente Del Inca. The scenery on the journey is one of the most spectacular landscapes in the central Andes.

- Meals
On the trekking you will enjoy all the meals (B: breakfast / L: lunch / P.L: packed-lunch if you are on the move / D: dinner), which are carefully planned by professionals to have a balanced diet during those days on the mountain.
Our cooks always prepare every meal, with fixed menu from day nº 2.
If you are vegetarian, let us know.

- Lodging in Puente Del Inca
During the Inca Empire this spot was a strategic point for the crossing of the Andes mountain.
Over the last years it has become the point of departure of every expedition, whose aim is to get the summit of Aconcagua. Puente Del Inca hotel was built here and it is the only lodging in this strategic zone, five kilometers far from the Aconcagua Park trailhead.
For the people working in Aconcagua Expeditions Tourism, there is a great satisfaction to be the ones responsible for the running of this hostel, offering the best services to mountaineers.
You will spend two nights in this beautiful place (one at the beginning of your trekking and the other one in the return) in rooms for three to six people (according to the number of members in the group) with a private toilet.
Complete breakfasts and unforgettable dinners in the restaurant of the hostel are also included.

- Assistance for the arrangement of loads to be transport by mules
Our mountain guides will advise you on when you have to decide what to include in your luggage and the way that we are going to arrange it on the mules.

- Mules
These strong animals were the ones that helped the armies that fought for the freedom of South America, to transport their belongings over the mountains. Mules move over mountain with great caution, having the possibility to carry big loads. Aconcagua Expeditions owns more than 100 mules to carry people or belongings.
The negative aspect of these animals is their untamed character. That is why we have selected a professional team of muleteers, called arrieros, who have dedicated their lives to the country animals. They know how to deal with these animals, because of their experience.
From Puente Del Inca to Confluencia and from this camp to Plaza de Mulas, your belongings will be carried by mules. Each mule can carry up to a limit of 60 kg, and every client may transport on the mules a maximum of 30 kg on each stage of the approach. We strongly recommend you to bring a strong duffel bag.

- Transfer to the Aconcagua trailhead
You will be driven by a pick-up over 5 kilometers, from our hostel in Puente Del Inca to the first Rangers Station. Here your permit is checked out and you are informed about the park rules.

- Confluencia Base Camp
While you are gaining height, your body needs some time to start with the process of acclimatization. Therefore, it is extremely important to stop for two nights at an intermediate level, to help your body to start with this process. During that time, you will camp in the Confluencia camp, which has the enough comfort to spend a good deal of time, being fully equipped, with wide dinner tents, electrical light, tables and chairs to have meals.

- Trekking to Plaza Francia
On the 3 th day of the trekking, you will visit the base of the mythical South Face of the Aconcagua mountain. This is the most vertical face of the mountain, with glaciers and walls almost 3000 meters tall.
During that trekking, you will gain 700 meter that will give your body a sign that the acclimatization process is starting.

- Plaza de Mulas Base Camp
Once you have arrived at Plaza de Mulas, you will spend the night in our own campsite, fully prepared to make your trip around the magnificent South American mountain, as comfortable as possible. With tents for eating, another for the kitchen, a third tent for equipment storage, and toilets. Here you will be attended by excellent workers, who will prepare delicious meals and provide an excellent service.
The advantages of our campsite are not only its commodities, but also the direct contact with nature.

- Trekking in the area
You will make a short trek at the area to know the Plaza de Mulas base camp and the glaciers around.

- Our guides
Our mountain guides are qualified professionals of the AAGM (Argentinean Association of Mountain Guides) and the EPGAMT (Provincial School of High Mountain and Trekking Guides). The last qualification takes 2 years. We believe that to succeed in our expeditions, professionals with experience and the ability to offer security should guide our teams.
The trekking is lead by a trekking guide for every 3 or 4 clients. Their equipment includes: VHF radio, a first-aid kit, complete with the appropriate drugs for altitude sickness, ropes, an altimeter, a digital oxygen-meter, and professional clothing and equipment. All these will provide security and comfort.

- Tents
Normally, during the summer high-season, Aconcagua is a mountain with good weather conditions. Yet if you happen to have a few days of storms, you will be responsive to nature's whims at high altitudes. Therefore, we will be sure to provide you with the highest quality tents. We have used The North Face and Mountain Hardware, which have proved to work well for our clients over the years. Usually two climbers will sleep in each tent, but if our guide considers it necessary, a maximum of three climbers may sleep in one tent.

- Communications
You will see that we keep track of where we are at specific sites along the way. We take advantage of the VHF and BLU radio lines that help us to stay in contact between the high-altitude campsites, Plaza de Mulas, Confluencia, Puente del Inca and Mendoza. Therefore, we can respond almost instantaneously to whatever issue that may arise.


NOT INCLUDED SERVICES

- Climbing Permit
The only way to enter the Aconcagua Park is by getting the permit personally in Mendoza city. If the ticket is not used within the dates established by the Park authorities, the money will not be returned. The ticket will be invalid in the future years.
The entrance fee's payment support the maintenance and care of Aconcagua Provincial Park and aid to preserve and protect it. It also supports the maintenance of the medical, the park rangers and the rescue service (Helicopter)

- Drinks and other personal costs in Mendoza and Puente del Inca
Those extra expenses as food or drinks separate from those described in the itinerary should be payed by you, not being included.
In the same way, neither the food and drinks in Mendoza nor the drinks in Puente del Inca are included, so they should be paid as extra services.

- Expenses for giving up the expedition
In order to have better but cheaper services, the expedition is quoted taking into account the whole group. In any case that you give up the scheduled itinerary because of personal problems, mountain sickness, etc, you start taking private services. The extra expenses that you will pay if necessary are: mules from Plaza de Mulas to Puente del Inca (around U$D 100), the transfer from Puente del Inca to Mendoza city, etc. Once you give up the itinerary, the transfer in a regular bus is included but if you decide to take a private van, you should pay U$D 100.

- Sleeping bag and personal equipment
The equipment that you will need is not included so you would have to buy it or rent any equipment. Take into account our guides if you need assistance.

- Personal Insurance
Having a personal insurance is not a fundamental requirement to climb the Aconcagua mountain. However, we suggest that you contact an insurance company if you wish to get one taking into account the risk in the mountain.