Premium Ojos del Salado Expedition — 15 Days

Comfort in the high Atacama is defined by a specific vehicle, hotel, tent, refuge and team, not by an attractive name. We record how many four-wheel-drives serve the group, who pitches the camp and where, which nights are spent in a hotel, a refuge or tents, and what happens if the road closes.

On Ojos del Salado vehicle support can carry group loads higher than on most large mountains. That frees up energy, but it also creates a dependence on the state of the roads. After snowfall or strong wind, access to Atacama and Tejos can change, so a premium quote contains a fallback scenario and the limits of the carrier's responsibility.

A higher hotel category in Copiapó is useful before and after the self-contained block. On the mountain the conditions remain expeditionary: dry cold, dust, limited water, tents, and the Tejos refuge subject to actual availability. Showers, reliable internet, daily charging and a hotel bathroom are not promised without confirmed infrastructure.

The premium product differs from the private one in that the emphasis is not only on a closed group but on extended service. It differs from the eight-day trip in the source of acclimatisation: here it is built inside the route, rather than having to be acquired beforehand.

To prepare a quote we need the dates, the composition of the group, altitude experience, the hotel level you want, the number of single places, your requirements for vehicles, meals and reserve days. The final document separates the guaranteed base from the services that depend on a supplier.

Before choosing a premium format

• Look closely at access and vehicle logistics in the high Atacama, and at what happens when a road is closed;
• Understand the acclimatisation logic of Ojos del Salado and why the staged route exists at all.

The premium and private formats both keep the 15-day Mountain Guide acclimatisation scheme. Comfort and support can be strengthened, but a fast drive straight to Atacama is not a substitute for this route.

Day 1. Arrival in Copiapó.

Meeting at the airport, transfer, check-in, food shopping and preparation of documents. Night in a hotel.

Day 2. Copiapó — Laguna Santa Rosa, 3700 m.

The drive up, setting up camp and a relaxed acclimatisation walk on the surrounding hills.

Day 3. Acclimatisation summit of "Seven Brothers", 4800 m.

An out-and-back ascent returning to the camp at Laguna Santa Rosa.

Day 4. Laguna Santa Rosa — Laguna Verde, 4250 m.

The drive to the high-altitude lake and a night in tents.

Day 5. Ascent of San Francisco, 6018 m.

A drive by four-wheel-drive to the point that is accessible, then the ascent and the return to Laguna Verde.

Day 6. Rest and acclimatisation at Laguna Verde.

Recovery after a 6000 m peak and a check on how everyone is doing.

Day 7. Laguna Verde — Atacama camp, about 5300 m.

The drive to the Atacama refuge, settling in and rest.

Day 8. Walk up to Tejos, 5800 m, and return to Atacama.

Getting to know the section between the camps, and additional acclimatisation.

Day 9. Rest day at Atacama.

Preparation for the summit cycle. Whether a descent to Laguna Verde is possible depends on the plan and the road.

Day 10. Move to Tejos, 5800 m.

Accommodation in the refuge or in tents according to actual availability, an early dinner and final preparation.

Day 11. Summit attempt on Ojos del Salado, 6893 m.

An early start, movement over scree and possible snow sections, and a short rock step in the upper part. Descent to Atacama or lower, at the guide's decision.

Day 12. First reserve day.

A weather and operational window, with no guarantee of a second attempt.

Day 13. Second reserve day.

Additional margin for the weather, the state of the road and the condition of the team.

Day 14. Return to Copiapó.

The drive back, recovery and the onward flight according to the confirmed schedule.

Day 15. Departure.

End of the trip. Additional accommodation and any additional ground arrangements are quoted separately.

• Mountain Guide expedition leader on the trip, for groups of three participants or more
• Local mountain guides at 1:3 on the ascent
• Meeting and airport — hotel — airport transfers in Copiapó
• One night in a hotel in Copiapó, twin room with breakfast
• Four-wheel-drive vehicles Copiapó — Ojos del Salado — Copiapó
• Assistance with obtaining permissions
• Food and fuel for the mountain section
• Group tents, stoves and cooking equipment
• Group first-aid kit
• The premium upgrades named in your individual specification

• International flights
• Permits and chargeable permissions
• Medical insurance, rescue operations and evacuation
• The expedition leader for a group of two participants
• Porters and the carrying of personal equipment
• Hotel upgrades and additional nights in town
• A dedicated four-wheel-drive or an additional driver
• Single-occupancy tents and individual camp service
• Personal clothing, footwear and technical equipment
• Costs arising from weather, road conditions, delays and change to the itinerary

Quotes are prepared from two participants upwards. You can choose the dates, the number of vehicles and guides, single occupancy and extra days. For a group of two, a Russian-speaking guide is added as a separate line.

Premium service is not used to shorten full acclimatisation. If participants are already acclimatised, the eight-day product is considered separately, once altitude experience has been checked.

• A valid passport
• A visa, if one is required for your nationality and your flight routing
• Insurance covering mountaineering, search and rescue, and evacuation from at least 6900 m
• The documents and permits required for access to the area and for climbing on your chosen dates
• Air tickets and the documents needed for entry and transit
• A form covering your health, fitness and altitude experience
• Digital copies of your documents, stored offline

The access rules, Chile's requirements and the procedure for notifying the local authorities are checked before every departure.

The trip is scheduled for the southern hemisphere summer. Strong wind, frost, snow and a sudden loss of visibility are possible even in season. Weather changes both the summit day and the drive on the high-altitude roads.

Two reserve days give a limited choice of window. Further reserve can be built into the quote, but it does not guarantee the summit and does not override the guide's decision to descend.

The base covers one night in a hotel in Copiapó, tented camps at Laguna Santa Rosa, Laguna Verde and Atacama, and either the refuge or tents at Tejos, depending on availability. Extra town nights and a higher category are confirmed separately.

Meals and fuel for the mountain section are part of the base. A special menu and individual catering arrangements are checked before the contract. There is more on the overnight stops in our article on Laguna Santa Rosa, Laguna Verde, Atacama and Tejos.

The hotel in Copiapó offers the usual town conditions. On the route, even an enhanced service remains a field operation: limited water, dust, frost, tents, and infrastructure that varies from camp to camp.

Electricity, showers, toilets, internet and mobile signal are not guaranteed. Every participant brings a power bank, spare batteries, a head torch and their own toiletries.

Personal clothing and protection

• Broken-in high-altitude or mountaineering boots
• Base layers, insulating layers and warm down clothing
• Membrane clothing to protect against wind and snow
• Warm gloves, spare mittens and face protection
• High-altitude sunglasses and a spare pair of goggles

Technical and camp equipment

• Helmet, harness and crampons compatible with your boots
• Ice axe and belay items, following your guide's current list
• Sleeping bag, rucksack, trekking poles and head torch
• Vacuum flask, water containers and a way of keeping dust off your kit
• Power bank, spare batteries and your own toiletries

Use the full equipment list for Ojos del Salado. Every item supplied or hired is listed individually in the quote.