Why Aconcagua is famous
Aconcagua is the highest point of every region it belongs to except Asia: Argentina, South America, the Americas as a whole, the Southern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere. That makes it one of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks of each continent, and for many climbers it is the first big step after Kilimanjaro or Elbrus. The official height of 6,960.8 m comes from GPS and gravity surveys carried out in 2011–2012 by Argentina's National Geographic Institute and the National University of Cuyo. For decades books printed 6,959 m (a 1956 survey), and 6,962 m, a 2001 measurement, is still used by the provincial park itself.
The mountain is not a volcano today, although it began as one. It was raised by the Nazca Plate sliding under South America and was an active stratovolcano until the Miocene, some 8–10 million years ago. Its glaciers are modest for the height: the largest, the Horcones Inferior, is about 10 km long, and the Polish Glacier on the north-east side gives its name to the classic second route. The south face, above the Horcones valley, is one of the great walls of the Andes and the hardest way to the summit.
Where it is and how to get there
The gateway is Mendoza, Argentina's wine capital, with an international airport. Permits are issued only in the city, so every trip starts there. From Mendoza National Route 7, the road over the Andes to Chile, climbs west along the Mendoza river valley past Uspallata, Penitentes and Puente del Inca (about 2,700 m). The main park entrance at Horcones (2,800–2,900 m) is 185 km from the city; Andesmar buses from the Mendoza bus terminal take about 4 hours. The second entrance, for the Vacas valley, is at Punta de Vacas, east of Penitentes on the same road.
Even without a permit for the mountain you can see it: a self-guided trail of about 2 hours return from the Horcones visitor centre leads to the Laguna de Horcones and a viewpoint facing the south face, and can be extended to the suspension bridge over the Quebrada del Durazno.
Routes
Normal Route (Horcones valley, north-west side). From Horcones the trail follows the Horcones river to Confluencia (about 3,390 m), 4–5 hours away, where most parties spend a night or two and walk up to Plaza Francia (about 4,000 m) under the south face for acclimatisation. A long day of 8–9 hours up the stony upper valley leads to Plaza de Mulas (4,300–4,370 m), the base camp, a tent village with operator domes, a medical post and rangers. Above it the route climbs in switchbacks of scree and penitentes past Plaza Canadá (about 5,000 m) to Nido de Cóndores (about 5,500 m), a broad shoulder, and to Plaza Cólera or Berlín (about 5,950–6,000 m). On summit day climbers pass the ruins of the Independencia refuge (about 6,500 m), once the highest hut in the world, cross the wind-blasted traverse below the summit block and climb the Canaleta, a steep gully of loose stones from around 6,700 m that is the hardest part of the route for exhausted legs. Mules carry loads to base camp; above it climbers or porters carry everything. Guided expeditions last 18–20 days from Mendoza, about two weeks of them on the mountain, with a 20-day ascent permit.
Vacas valley and the Polish Traverse (north-east side). The longer, quieter approach starts at Punta de Vacas and follows the Vacas river through Pampa de Leñas (about 2,950 m) and Casa de Piedra (about 3,250 m), then turns up the Relinchos valley to Plaza Argentina (about 4,200 m), the second base camp. High camps follow at about 4,900 m and 5,500 m. The usual line, often called the False Polish or Polish Traverse, crosses below the Polish Glacier and joins the Normal Route for the final day, which lets climbers descend to Plaza de Mulas and finish in Horcones: the so-called 360° traverse. The Polish Glacier Direct climbs the glacier itself on snow and ice, needs crampons, ice axe and rope, and is a genuine mountaineering route.
South face and other routes. The south face, first climbed by a French team in 1954, rises in tiers of rock and ice above Plaza Francia; it is a serious objective attempted by very few.
Trekking without the summit. The park sells a day trek from Horcones to Confluencia and back (6–8 hours in total), a 3-day permit to camp at Confluencia and visit Plaza Francia, and a 7-day trekking permit to Plaza de Mulas with the option of going up to Nido de Cóndores or climbing Cerro Bonete (5,004 m) nearby. A separate day trek and 3-day option lead up the Quebrada de Matienzo from Las Cuevas, near the Chilean border.
Permits, costs and rules
Every visit needs a ticket or permit bought in advance: none are sold at the park gates. Day tickets are booked online and paid in Argentine pesos; for the 2025–2026 season the Laguna de Horcones circuit cost ARS 10,000 and the day trek to Confluencia ARS 55,000 for foreigners (less for Latin Americans, Argentines and Mendoza residents). Camping permits (3-day trek, 7-day trek and the 20-day ascent permit) are completed in person in Mendoza at the tourist information office at the Caballitos de Marly roundabout in Parque General San Martín, with passport, expedition form, signed risk declaration and payment receipt.
Fees depend on nationality, route and whether you climb with a licensed service company. A permit "with assistance" is cheaper but obliges you to buy the company's essential services; without assistance you must still pay for a toilet service at base camp. The Vacas route, and any traverse that enters by one valley and leaves by the other, costs more than Horcones. For 2025–2026 a foreign climber paid roughly USD 950–1,000 for the Normal Route and about USD 1,200–1,300 for the Vacas route; prices are set by the Mendoza government each season. Guided expeditions are far more expensive: one Mendoza operator listed its 18-day Normal Route trip at USD 7,260 for 2026–2027 before early-booking discounts.
- Evacuation insurance is mandatory for the ascent and the 7-day trek; if you are evacuated, you pay for it.
- The minimum age for the ascent is 16, with parental authorisation, medical certificates and an approved company for minors.
- Each group receives numbered rubbish bags that must be returned to the rangers on exit, and human waste bags are compulsory at the high camps.
- Medical checks at Confluencia and Plaza de Mulas (or Plaza Argentina) are free and strongly expected; doctors can stop a climber from going higher.
When to go and weather
The park's summer season runs officially from 1 November to 30 April, but ascent permits and base-camp services work in the core of the summer: in recent seasons the park listed 1 December–15 February for ascents, and expedition companies run trips from late November to early March. Operators treat 15 December–31 January as the high season. Outside summer, any activity needs written approval.
The air is extremely dry, the sun fierce and the temperature swing huge. At the base camps a summer day can reach 25 °C and the night fall to −7 °C. Above 5,000 m nights drop to around −20 °C, and on the summit it can be −30 °C even in daytime, before wind chill. Afternoon thunderstorms hit the high camps, and snowstorms can bury the trails under several centimetres of snow in a few hours. The most feared weather is the Viento Blanco, the "white wind": a storm of high westerly winds and driven snow, often announced by a cap cloud forming over the summit. Gusts on the mountain have been recorded up to about 250 km/h. Rangers advise climbers to keep in radio contact for the official forecast rather than trust their own reading of the sky.
Water
There is no shop at Horcones or Confluencia: day hikers must carry all their water and food from the start, 2–3 litres for the walk to Confluencia. At the approach and base camps water comes from glacial streams, which carry silt and minerals; companies supply filtered and boiled drinking water to their clients, and bottled water can be bought at Plaza de Mulas. Independent climbers should treat everything with a filter, tablets or by boiling. Above base camp the only source is snow, melted on a stove, so carry enough fuel. At altitude the body loses water quickly in the dry air; medical advice is 3–4 litres a day, and dehydration makes frostbite and altitude sickness more likely.
Mobile coverage and internet
Do not count on a mobile signal in the valleys. The park says plainly that there is no radio or telephone coverage in the Quebrada de Matienzo, and elsewhere coverage is unreliable. The base-camp operators at Plaza de Mulas and Plaza Argentina offer Wi-Fi, free for their clients or for a fee, and charging points; companies keep radio contact between high camps, base camp, Puente del Inca and Mendoza. Rangers also work by radio. An independent party should carry a satellite messenger or phone. The emergency number in Argentina is 911; inside the park the fastest help comes through the rangers, the park doctors and the police rescue patrol.
Altitude, dangers and safety
Altitude is the real difficulty. Between 2001 and 2012, 33 of the 42,731 people who attempted the summit died, about 0.77 per thousand, most often from trauma after falls and from high-altitude pulmonary oedema. Common mistakes are climbing too fast after arriving from sea level, a summit push in rising wind, and underestimating the cold on the traverse and the Canaleta. Frostbite is frequent. Experienced operators plan two weeks for acclimatisation, carry loads high and sleep low, and turn back by a fixed hour. The descent is dangerous too: tired climbers stray off the route in cloud on the broad slopes below Independencia.
History and name
The Inca climbed high on Aconcagua long before European mountaineers. In 1985 a team found, at about 5,300 m on the Pirámide spur, the bundled body of a child of about seven, buried with gold and shell figurines as an offering; the mountain is now part of the Qhapaq Ñan, the Inca road network listed by UNESCO. The origin of the name is uncertain. The most cited reading is Quechua Akon Kahuak, "stone sentinel"; others propose Aymara words for "snowy mountain" or "white sentinel", or a Mapuche phrase meaning "comes from the other side", referring to the Aconcagua river on the Chilean side.
The first ascent came on 14 January 1897, during the expedition of the British climber Edward FitzGerald: his Swiss guide Matthias Zurbriggen reached the top alone after FitzGerald and the others had turned back. Stuart Vines and Nicola Lanti made the second ascent on 13 February. On 8 March 1934 a Polish expedition of Konstanty Narkiewicz-Jodko, Stefan Daszyński, Wiktor Ostrowski and Stefan Osiecki climbed the north-east glacier that now bears their name. In February 1954 six French climbers, among them Lucien Bérardini and Robert Paragot, completed the first ascent of the south face.
Interesting facts
- The provincial park covers 83,971 ha and includes other peaks over 5,000 m, among them Ameghino (5,918 m), Mirador (5,512 m), Cuerno (5,400 m) and Tolosa (5,300 m).
- The mules that carry expedition loads to base camp are covered by a welfare programme: vets inspect every animal at Horcones and Punta de Vacas, and loads, saddles and microchips are checked.
- Summit success on Aconcagua is usually put at 30–40%.
FAQ
How high is Aconcagua? 6,961 m (officially 6,960.8 m since the 2011–2012 survey); the park still quotes 6,962 m. It is the highest mountain outside Asia.
How long does it take to climb Aconcagua? Plan 18–20 days from Mendoza, of which about two weeks on the mountain. The ascent permit is valid for 20 days.
Is Aconcagua difficult? The Normal Route and the Polish Traverse are not technical, but the altitude, cold and wind make them demanding; only 30–40% of climbers summit. The Polish Glacier Direct and the south face are technical mountaineering routes.
How much does the permit cost? It depends on route, nationality and whether you use a licensed company. For 2025–2026 foreigners paid roughly USD 950–1,000 for the Normal Route and USD 1,200–1,300 for the Vacas route. Day tickets are paid in pesos online; permits are issued only in Mendoza.
Is there water on the route? Glacial streams at the lower camps (treat or filter them), bottled water at Plaza de Mulas, and only melted snow at the high camps. Day hikers must carry all their water.
Is there mobile coverage on Aconcagua? Not reliably. Base-camp operators offer Wi-Fi, companies and rangers use radios, and independent climbers should carry a satellite device. The emergency number in Argentina is 911.
When is the best time to climb Aconcagua? From December to February, the core of the southern summer; expeditions run from late November to early March.
Can I see Aconcagua without climbing it? Yes. The Laguna de Horcones trail (about 2 hours) faces the south face, and day or multi-day treks lead to Confluencia, Plaza Francia and Plaza de Mulas.