Day 1
Reception at the airport of Chile - night in a hotel in chile.

We pick you up at the airport of Chile and we take you to the 3* hotel. You'll stay at the hotel for 1 night. Breakfast included the following day.

Day 2
Santiago - La Parva.

In the morning we pick you up at your hotel and after we check the personal gear we drive up to the mountains. In about two hours we arrive at La Parva, just above Santiago, were we set up our first camp (2800m) not far from the car. Then we hike up a mountain just above camp to begin with our acclimatization process, then go back to camp, enjoy free time and have dinner Camp (L,D).

Day 3
La Parva - Piedra Numerada

After breakfast we begin our hike up, crossing north and then up the river. In the meantime we will see a lot of different birds, we might even see a condor if we are lucky. On the way up the landscape will surprise us with always changing views, including water falls and high altitude grasslands. After 4 hours we arrive at Piedra Numerada, 3300m. above sea level. Today our gear and equipment is carried by mules, so we hike up with just a day-pack for personal items. We set up camp and have dinner Camp (B,L,D).

Day 4
Piedra Numerada - La Olla

We hike up for about 5-6 hours to our camp I at 4200m, now we are in more open and harsher land, so we move slowly to allow our bodies to get used to the altitude and the effort. We will also take our time to set up the camp. For the rest of the day we hydrate and rest Camp (B,L,D).

Day 5
La Olla – Plomo Summit – La Olla

We take an early morning start, with Santiago lights back down below us. At this point, depending on the situation, we could decide to use crampons. The walk is on easy land, which lets us gain altitude slowly but at a good rhythm. After 6 hours we arrive at the El Plomo summit, from where we come back down the way we went up. We spend the night at La Olla Camp (B,L,D).

Day 6:
La Olla- Piedra Numerada– Santiago. Night in a hotel in Chile

After breakfast we take down the camp and then we hike to the cars. When we reach them we have lunch, and then make the one hour drive into town. Our luggage is carried by mules again. Transfer to the hotel in Chile (B,L,).

Day 7
Night In A Hotel In Mendoza

After breakfast a transport picks you up at the hotel and takes you to Mendoza. You'll be arriving to the 4* hotel in Mendoza at evening, were you'll spend 1 night. 

Day 8
Transport To Permits' Office - Penitentes

After breakfast, a transport picks you up and takes you to the permits' office, from here we travel around 3hrs to our comfortable 4* hotel in the ski village of Los Penitentes, 2580m (dinner and breakfast included).

Day 9
Penitentes - Confluencia

We transfer up to the park entrance, 2820m, where our permits are checked. Our equipment is loaded on the mules for the journey to Plaza de Mulas (Base Camp). We say goodbye to motorized transport and set off on our trek, it’s a 2.5 – 3.5 hr trek up to our first camp at Confluencia 3320m where the Horcones and the Lower Horcones Rivers meet. We spend our first night camping.

Day 10
Plaza De Mulas

Leaving Confluencia we trek up to Plaza de Mulas 4200m, our base camp for the expedition. Our trek will take around 7 to 8 hrs as we follow the Horcones valley up, as we climb the valley it widens out and the last remnants of vegetation disappears.

Day 11
Plaza De Mulas

Again to maximise our chances on the mountain today is an acclimatisation day, climbers are free to relax or explore the surrounding area.

Day 12
(Camp ) - Plaza de Mulas

Today we have to move our equipment to ‘Camp 1’ otherwise known as camp Canada at 4877m. carrying our equipment its slow going zig-zaging up to our camp, a climb of around 6 to 7 hrs up and back to Plaza de Mulas where we camp.

Day 13
Plaza De Mulas

Again to maximse our chances on the mountain today is an acclimatisation day. Our walk today is to the Higher Horcones Glacier where we can re-familiarize ourselves with our boots and crampons.

Day 14
Camp 1

Today we leave Plaza de Mulas and trek up to ‘Camp 1’ (4877m) once again with the remainder of our equipment. The climb today is again a tough one where good hydration is very important at this stage of the climb. Today should take around 3 to 4 hrs with the remainder of the day to rest

Day 15
Camp 1

We continue our ascent carrying our equipment to ‘Camp 2’ 5365m also known as Nido de Condores, a large gravel strew plateau with a scattering of large rocks and boulders. Our climb today should take around 3 to 3.5hrs, we then return to ‘Camp 1’ for the night.

Day 16
Camp 2

Once again we climb to ‘Camp 2’ with the remainder f our equipment, this should take around 3hrs, in the afternoon there is time to relax or explore the surrounding area.

Day 17
Camp 3

Leaving ‘Camp 2’/Nido de Condores we climb with our equipment to ‘Camp 3’ also known as Berlin Camp 5950m. our climb today is at an easy pace and should take around 2.5 – 3hrs. on arrival it is important to keep active/busy to help with acclimatisation.

Day 18
Summit day

We leave camp around 6 am this morning on our journey to the summit, we follow the ‘normal route’ past the now ruined Independencia hut built in 1951 at 6400m. From here we continue to Cresta del Viento (meaning Windy Ridge) and then across the upper part of the Gran Acarreo (meaning long haul) to the foot of the infamous ‘Canaleta’.

Probably the hardest section of our climb is the Canaleta, a 400m high, 33 degree chute filled with disagreeably loose racks, ice and snow that requires much care and determination. The Canaleta ends atop the Cresta del Guanaco (the Guanaco is a relative os the Llama) the ridge between the lower south summit with the higher North Summit, our ultimate goal at 6960m or 22,841ft. Our summit ascent normally takes 8 to 9 hrs. With all the Americas below us we have time to marvel at the incredible views before descending by the same route to ‘Camp 3’ making for a tough but immensly rewrding 12 to 15 hr day.

Day 19
Extra day

Spare day for a second summit ascent if necessary due to poor weather conditions.

Day 20
Plaza de Mulas

Following the same route we descend to Plaza de Mulas base camp, where we repack our equipment for the mules to carry. Our descent should take around 5 to 6 hrs.

Day 21
Los Penitentes

The mules go ahead with our equipment as we continue the last leg of our climb back to the park entrance where we are then transferred back to our comfortable hotel in Los Penitentes. Tonight we can fully appreciate our 4* hotel as we relax and celebrate our climb (dinner and breakfast included).

Day 22
Penitentes - Mendoza