

Pioneers' Route
Follow the trail of Aconcagua’s pioneers
These valleys guided the 1897 expedition led by Englishman Edward Fitz Gerald along with Stuart Vines, Nicolas Lanti, and Swiss guide Matthias Zurbriggen, who reached the summit of Aconcagua on January 14 during his second attempt, conquering the highest mountain in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere.
Today, more than a century later, the “Pioneers’ Route,” now known as the Normal Route, is the most direct path to Plaza de Mulas, the base camp where international expeditions begin their ascent via the West Face, dreaming of emulating Zurbriggen’s feat.
Pioneers' Route
Physical Level | Intermedio.
Technical level | Bajo.
Duration | 20 days.
Dates | 23/12 – 18/01
Itinerary
Day 1 | Airport – Mendoza City (760m) | Welcome! On the first day, our guides will meet you at the airport. Once we’ve collected all the luggage, we’ll head to the city where you’ll check into your hotel. After lunch, there will be an individual equipment check. Later, the group will meet for a briefing where participants and the expedition guides will be introduced. |
Day 2 | Mendoza City – Uspallata (2000m) | After breakfast, we’ll walk with our guides to the Aconcagua Park office to purchase the climbing permit. With our assistance, you’ll exchange money and make the payment. Once done, we’ll return to the hotel for our luggage and take a transfer to Uspallata Valley. Before checking into the hotel, we’ll have lunch at a typical mountain restaurant. Accommodation at Gran Hotel Uspallata. Free afternoon to enjoy the hotel’s park or pool. |
Day 3 | Uspallata (2000m) – Horcones (2850m) – Confluencia Camp (3250m) | This morning, we’ll finally face our challenge! After breakfast, we’ll transfer to Horcones, the westernmost entrance of Aconcagua Park. Following the check-in, we’ll start our trek to Confluencia Camp, a relaxed hike that will take about 4 hours. Free afternoon at the camp. |
Day 4 | Confluencia (3250m) – Plaza Francia (4100m) – Confluencia | Today, we’ll visit the base of Aconcagua and marvel at its most impressive profile: “The Great South Wall.” With a 7 km base and nearly 3 km height, it is one of the most striking walls in the Central Andes, adorned with three hanging glaciers. After a 3-4 hour hike, we’ll reach the Plaza Francia viewpoint for lunch and rest under this extraordinary backdrop. Return to Confluencia in the afternoon. |
Day 5 | Confluencia (3250m) – Plaza de Mulas (4300m) | Early morning, after breakfast and loading our gear onto the mules, we’ll begin our ascent to Plaza de Mulas, the main base camp of Aconcagua, known as a small cosmopolitan city, where expeditions from all corners of the globe converge. This will be one of the longest hiking days, taking 8-9 hours to reach the camp. |
Day 6 | Rest Day | We’ll use this day to rest, explore the unique attractions of this camp, and take a short hike to the Horcones Glacier to practice using crampons. Free afternoon to enjoy a hot shower and relax. |
Day 7 | Carry to Camp Canadá (4800m) | This is “Carry Day.” We’ll transport food and fuel to the first high camp, Canadá (4800m), which serves two purposes: stocking supplies and reinforcing acclimatization. Return to base camp in the afternoon. |
Day 8 | Rest Day | This day is entirely for rest, allowing your body to recover and hydrate fully. |
Day 9 | Plaza de Mulas – Canadá (4800m) | After breakfast, we’ll move to Camp Canadá (3 hours) with the help of porters carrying our tents. First night at a high camp. |
Day 10 | Canadá (4800m) – Nido de Cóndores (5200m) | We’ll ascend to Nido de Cóndores (3 hours). Porters will assist in setting up camp at this new altitude. |
Day 11 | Rest Day | After two demanding days, we’ll take a rest day at 5200m to allow our bodies to rehydrate and prepare for the upcoming challenges. The breathtaking views include the Gussfeldt and Horcones glaciers. |
Day 12 | Nido de Cóndores (5200m) – Camp Colera (6000m) | Ascent to our highest camp, Colera. We’ll have an early dinner to maximize rest. |
Day 13 | Colera – Summit (6962m) – Colera | The day everyone has been waiting for! We’ll start before dawn, maintaining a steady but slow pace to avoid the morning cold at these altitudes. Key stops will include Independencia, the Traverse’s end, and “The Cave” before the final push to the summit. After reaching the top, we’ll descend back to Colera. |
Day 14 | Colera – Plaza de Mulas (4300m) | After breakfast, we’ll descend to Plaza de Mulas (4-5 hours). Enjoy celebrations in the cozy domes with Wi-Fi to share the success of reaching the summit! |
Day 15 | Plaza de Mulas – Horcones (8/9 hours) – Uspallata | We’ll begin the trek to exit Aconcagua Park via Horcones. After check-out at the ranger station, a transfer will take us to Puente del Inca to collect expedition gear before continuing to Gran Hotel Uspallata. |
Day 16 | Uspallata – Mendoza City | Transfer to Mendoza City and check-in at the hotel. |
Day 17 | Weather Backup Days | Reserved for potential delays due to weather conditions. |
Day 18 | Weather Backup Days | Reserved for potential delays due to weather conditions. |
Day 19 | Weather Backup Days | Reserved for potential delays due to weather conditions. |
Day 20 | Mendoza City – Airport | Breakfast and transfer to the airport for your return journey. |

- Expedition porters for shared gear and setup.
- All transfers: Airport In-Out, Mendoza-Uspallata-Aconcagua-Uspallata-Mendoza.
- 2 nights in Mendoza (NH Hotel 4*, double room, breakfast included).
- 2 nights in Uspallata (Gran Hotel Uspallata, double room, breakfast included).
- Assistance in obtaining the Aconcagua ascent permit.
- Mule transport for up to 25 kg per person.
- Meals and beverages (excluding sodas and alcoholic drinks, except wine at CB dinners).
- High-quality base camp amenities, communications, showers, and comfort services.
- Experienced guides (English, Italian, German, or French-speaking).
- Aconcagua ascent permit.
- Personal equipment.
- Expenses related to early expedition withdrawal.
- Meals in Mendoza or Uspallata.
- Satellite phone calls.
- Refunds for force majeure cancellations.
- Extra hotel nights beyond the program.
Equipment
¿Necesitas equipo?
Ofrecemos un servicio de rental pensado para nuestros pasajeros.

FAQ
When arriving to Mendoza airport, someone picks me up? If my luggage does not arrive with my flight, how do I reclaim it? How do I get it?
Our guides always pick up their passengers. If your luggage has not arrived with you, the guide will arrange issues with the company and send the file number to our offices to do the follow-up via internet and telephone. Once recovered, is sent to wherever the passenger is located at that moment (Hotel in Mendoza/Puente del Inca/base camp).
Can I reserve a single room in hotels? Can I have a single tent just for me?
Every passenger, when confirming the expedition reservation, can choose a single room with a preferential fare. They can also choose single tents up to base camp, or during the whole expedition for an extra cost.
Luggage for the city or that I do not want to take with me to the mountain can be stored in Uspallata or Puente del Inca?
In Uspallata hotel we have a private Andes Vision storage room to deposit our expedition goods and luggage.
In Puente del Inca we have our Operations Centre where luggage can also be stored, with no extra fees in both cases.
How do I get the ascension permit? How much does it cost?
Aconcagua Vision manages the preform with the passengers’ data, previous to their arrival. Afterwards, you do the payment in Mendoza assisted by the local guide. It is important for you to have enough cash, because it is the only way to do it. With the payment invoice and the preform, guide and passengers go together to the administration offices and get the permit.
Park authorities do not define the current fees until 2 or 3 weeks prior to the beginning of the season on November 15th. To check the costs you can access the following link:
http://formulariosambiente.mendoza.gov.ar/images/aconcagua/Tarifas%20PPA%202016-2017.pdf
Note: Every passenger taking expeditions with local companies get a discount on their permit.
When we start hiking, does our equipment come with us? Do we have access to it along the way?
Mules go generally faster than the group. Both in Pioneers route as in 360° route mules are going to leave our luggage in every intermediate camp so we can take our belongings before arriving to the base camp. Therefore we DON’T have access to them while hiking, but we DO HAVE access on destination.
This is the main reason why our guides always recommend not taking unnecessary elements during the hike.
May I take electric/electronic devices such as IPod, I pad, Photo camera and/or shaving machines?
Of course you do, in fact is recommendable to bring your own favourite music to listen in relax moments, or to share it in base camps through the Bluetooth loudspeakers in our domes. They are also equipped with 220 Volts 24 hours a day, guaranteeing you full charged batteries when departing to high altitude camps.
Base camp tip: Our domes have wooden floors and gas heating, making them really comfy even on cold and/or snowy days. It is recommended to bring light and comfortable house shoes or sleepers such as Crocs, which we can use all around the basecamp and in high altitude camps to go to toilette or move between tents.
Can I take part of the expedition if I am celiac or vegetarian?
Of course you do. We always recommend mentioning in advance any special requirement with food or medical conditions, for our personnel to have it in mind and plan ahead the expedition.
Should I take any climbing or technical gear for the Pioneers route or 360° route?
Aconcagua Vision highly recommends the use of helmet, because on summit day there is a risk of rock droppings on the big couloir (See suggested equipment list).
Should I take cash to the expedition?
You only need to have cash with you for the permit and for the restaurants in Mendoza and Uspallata, not included in the services provided. We also recommend you to take some more in case you decide to use some personal porters, which you can pay directly at the BC. Tips are not included and it is something porters, arrieros and base camp personnel strongly appreciate.
How many kg of food each passenger have to carry?
On carrying days each passenger loads a maximum of 9 kg to C1, 6 kg to C2 Guanacos and 3 kg to Camp Colera for the 360° route. On the Pioneers route (Normal) you should count on 9 kg to Camp Canada, 8 Kg to Nido de Condores and 3 kg to Colera. On the way back you just carry your personal equipment since every bit of waste it’s brought down by our porters (no extra fees).
How much does it costs a personal porter for all altitude camps? May I share a porter with another member of the expedition?
Porters carry up to 20 kg; they depart from BC and go up to altitude camps. The following fees are per each stretch.
Hiring personal porters increases significantly our summit possibilities, since it allows us to save energies for the summit day, avoiding the burden of carrying all our equipment. We can also share porters with other passengers, paying proportionally to the kg we want to be transported.
Plaza Argentina-C1 + C1-C2 Guanacos + C2 Guanacos-Colera + Colera-Plaza de Mulas: Total U$D1130
Plaza de Mulas-Canadá Camp + Canadá Camp-Nido de Cóndores + Nido de Cóndores-Colera + Colera-Plaza de Mulas: Total U$D 915.
What happens if I get sick or have some medical problem? Should I pay my evacuation? What happens if I decide to abandon the expedition?
On the rear side of the ascension entrance permit to the park there is medical check list. Every time the expedition moves towards the base camp, every passenger must realize a check, done by the park medical service. If somebody gets serious altitude sickness or suffer any illness considered important by the medical service, he/she will be evacuated by the helicopter to the park entrance, charges free. From this point, passengers are responsible for every other service such as transfer to Mendoza/Santiago de Chile, mules for transportation of personal equipment, accommodation, etc. Aconcagua Vision staff will assist you all the time and would manage all reservations needed for your return home, with no managing fees.
If you voluntarily choose to abandon the expedition, you are responsible for all costs regarding accompanying guides to the park entrance, mules, heli-charter, transfers, accommodation, etc.
If we don’t use extra days at the park or we go back straight to Mendoza, can I change non-used services for hotel nights in the city.
Services are non-interchangeable. Read carefully “included and not included services” section.


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