Aconcagua Provincial Park

Aconcagua reaches 6,961 metres, the highest summit in the Americas and the highest anywhere outside the Himalaya and its neighbours, and the provincial park protects the valleys that lead to it. Most visitors never go far: a short trail from the Horcones entrance on the main highway leads in under an hour to a lagoon with the mountain's south face rising beyond it, an immense wall of rock and ice, and that view is enough for a day trip from Mendoza. Beyond it, trekkers walk one to three days to the base camps at Confluencia and Plaza de Mulas, and climbers spend two to three weeks on the ascent, which requires permits, acclimatisation and, for most, guided support.

Highlights

• The south face - the huge rock and ice wall seen from Laguna Horcones.
• The Horcones valley - the approach trail through high desert to base camp.
• The base camps - Confluencia and Plaza de Mulas with their tent cities.
• The high desert - bare, wind-scoured terrain with guanacos and condors.

When to go

December to February is the climbing and trekking season, when permits are issued and the refuges and services operate; outside it the park is closed to ascents. Weather at altitude is severe at any time, and storms can pin climbers for days.

What to expect

Even the short walk is at over two thousand seven hundred metres and feels it. Permits are expensive and must be bought in Mendoza in advance for treks and climbs. The mountain is a serious high-altitude objective with fatalities most seasons; altitude sickness is the main danger, not technical difficulty.

Nearby

Puente del Inca is minutes away; Uspallata lies east on the RN7.

Key facts