Premium Aconcagua Expedition — 17 Days

At altitude, comfort cannot be promised in general terms. We break Premium down into items that can be checked: the specific hotel and room type in Mendoza, the form of accommodation at Confluencia and Plaza de Mulas, the make-up of the camp infrastructure, pre-pitched tents above base camp, the number of porters, the carrying limits and the guide ratio. Each item is confirmed against your dates.

The Aconcagua market offers glamping in the approach and base camps, sleeping domes and serviced tents in the high camps. Availability, heating, bed linen, showers, charging, Wi-Fi and privacy all differ between suppliers and across the season. That is why this page carries no blanket "all inclusive" phrase: the final contract names the exact service, the camp, the number of nights and the substitution terms.

Enhanced service reduces the domestic load and helps recovery, but it does not reduce the 6962 m altitude, the wind, the cold or the length of summit day. Glamping is not a substitute for experience above 5000 m, and a porter does not transfer your own responsibility for pace, eating, personal equipment and an honest assessment of how you feel.

The route stays 17 days long. We do not remove the walk to Plaza de Francia, the first rotation to around 6000 m, the recovery at Plaza de Mulas or the reserve days in order to advertise an attractive duration. If you need a different schedule, it should be chosen among the separate 7-, 12- and 17-day trips according to your real acclimatisation.

Before we quote, send us the composition of the group, ages, previous summits, sleeping altitudes, preferred dates and your requirements for single occupancy, porters and camp service. We return an "included — not included — options" table, with no hidden costs pushed onto you on the mountain.

What to compare before choosing a premium level

• The conditions in the Aconcagua camps at Confluencia, Plaza de Mulas, Nido de Cóndores and Cólera;
• How water, showers, communications and charging actually work on the mountain;
• The difference between mules, which work only up to base camp, and high-altitude porters;
• Your own personal equipment list against the demands of the route.

That comparison is what separates a genuine increase in comfort from services that change nothing about the altitude or the safety of the route.

The premium and private formats both use the proven 17-day Normal Route sequence. Service is strengthened around the route, but no acclimatisation stage is cut out.

Day 1. Arrival in Mendoza.

Meeting, transfer to the hotel, and a check of equipment and documents. Night in Mendoza.

Day 2. Mendoza — Penitentes — Laguna Horcones — Confluencia, 3300 m.

The main loads are handed over to the mules, then transfer to the national park entrance and the walk in to Confluencia. The walk normally takes about two to three hours. Night in camp.

Day 3. Acclimatisation walk to Plaza de Francia, 4200 m.

An out-and-back walk with views of the South Face, returning to Confluencia. Normally about four to five hours.

Day 4. Confluencia — Plaza de Mulas, 4350 m.

A long day through Playa Ancha, usually about eight to nine hours. Settling into base camp.

Day 5. Rest day at Plaza de Mulas.

Recovery and a short acclimatisation walk according to the guide's plan.

Day 6. Plaza de Mulas — Plaza Canadá, 5000 m.

The first move to a high camp. Night in tents.

Day 7. Plaza Canadá — Nido de Cóndores, 5600 m.

The first high-altitude rotation continues. Night in tents.

Day 8. Carry to Cólera, 6000 m, and descent to Plaza de Mulas.

The first rotation is completed and the group returns to base camp to recover.

Day 9. Rest day at Plaza de Mulas.

Recovery, eating, monitoring of condition and preparation for the second rotation.

Day 10. Plaza de Mulas — Nido de Cóndores, 5600 m.

The second high-altitude rotation begins. Night in tents.

Day 11. Nido de Cóndores — Cólera, 6000 m.

The move to the top camp and preparation for an early start.

Day 12. Summit attempt on Aconcagua, 6962 m.

An early start, the summit attempt and the descent to Cólera. Whether we continue depends on the weather, the state of the route and the condition of the team.

Day 13. First reserve day.

The reserve is used at the guides' discretion and does not mean a guaranteed additional attempt.

Day 14. Second reserve day.

An additional weather and operational window.

Day 15. Descent to Plaza de Mulas.

Return to base camp and recovery.

Day 16. Plaza de Mulas — Laguna Horcones — Mendoza.

Walk out of the park, transfer and a night in a hotel in Mendoza.

Day 17. Transfer to the airport.

End of the trip. Additional nights and any continuation of the trip are quoted separately.

• Mountain Guide expedition leader throughout the trip, for groups of three participants or more
• Local mountain guides at 1:3 on summit day
• Airport — hotel — airport transfers
• Two nights in a 4-star hotel in Mendoza, twin rooms with breakfast
• Transfer Mendoza — Puente del Inca — Mendoza
• Assistance with the permit formalities
• Mules to Plaza de Mulas and back, up to 30 kg of personal baggage
• Two nights in Confluencia with full board
• Five nights at the Plaza de Mulas base camp
• Food and fuel for the high camps
• Group first-aid kit
• The premium upgrades named in your individual specification

• International flights
• National park permit, charged separately at the rate in force at the time of the climb; the amount depends on nationality, route category and season
• Medical insurance, search and rescue, and evacuation
• Porters and the carrying of personal loads above base camp
• Glamping, heating, bed linen and single occupancy
• Pre-pitched tents and serviced high camps
• Personal clothing, footwear and technical equipment
• Additional nights, meals and transfers outside the trip
• Costs arising from weather, illness, delays and changes to the route
• Drinks, communications, internet, tips and other personal expenses, including base-camp services that are paid locally at the rates current on the mountain

The minimum quote is for two participants. For a closed group we agree dates within the official season, the number of guides, room types, camp upgrades, porters and extra days. For two people, Russian-speaking support is added as a separate line.

Where a group has mixed altitude experience, service is not used as a substitute for acclimatisation. We can add days of reserve or more guides, but we will not confirm an itinerary that clearly breaks a safe sequence of altitude gain.

• A valid passport
• An Aconcagua National Park permit, issued and paid for before you enter the route
• Medical insurance covering mountaineering, search and rescue, and evacuation from the maximum altitude of the trip
• A visa, if one is required for your nationality and your flight routing
• Air tickets and any documents needed for transit
• A form covering your health, fitness and previous altitude experience
• Digital copies of your documents, stored offline

Entry rules, the permit procedure and the park's requirements are checked again before the trip.

The expedition is scheduled within the park's official summer season. Even in the main season Aconcagua can bring strong wind, frost, snow and the closing of a safe window. Two reserve days add flexibility, but they do not guarantee the summit or a second attempt.

A premium camp makes resting more comfortable; it does not change the meteorology. The decision to set out, to descend and to use the reserve rests with the guides, and is taken on the actual forecast and the state of the route and the team.

The published base covers two nights in a 4-star hotel in Mendoza, Confluencia on full board and five nights at Plaza de Mulas. A higher hotel category, a single room, glamping and serviced tents are added only once the supplier has confirmed them.

Meals in the upper camps and fuel are part of the base. Private catering, special menus, extra meals and drinks are set out separately. There is more on how the camps differ in our piece on Confluencia, Plaza de Mulas, Nido and Cólera.

Mendoza offers town conditions. At Confluencia and Plaza de Mulas the services available depend on the camp confirmed. Above base camp you still face cold, limited water, life under canvas, and charging and signal that depend on the infrastructure and the weather.

Even with tents and porters booked, you carry your own kit, water, clothing and emergency minimum. Electricity, showers, Wi-Fi and mobile signal are not treated as guaranteed without an explicit line in the specification.

High-altitude clothing and footwear

• High-altitude boots compatible with crampons
• Base layers, insulating layers and high-altitude down clothing
• Waterproof shell jacket and trousers
• Thin gloves with warm mittens to go over them
• Hat, balaclava or other face protection
• High-altitude category sunglasses, plus spare glasses or goggles

Camp and movement

• Sleeping bag in the right temperature range
• Rucksack and duffel bag within the agreed carrying limits
• Crampons, ice axe, helmet and harness, as listed by your guide
• Trekking poles and a head torch with spare batteries
• Vacuum flask, your own water containers and dry bags
• Power bank and your own toiletries

Check the full equipment list for Aconcagua. Hire, portering and the supply of individual items are set out in your own specification.