Aconcagua, and what it takes to walk in

Aconcagua is 6,961 metres, the highest point in the Americas and the highest anywhere outside the Himalaya. It is also, technically, a walk: the Normal Route has no climbing on it. That is exactly why it kills people most summers. There is no technical difficulty to stop the unprepared, only altitude.

Most visitors never go near that. There are three honest ways to meet the mountain, and only one of them is an expedition.

1. The lookout, from the road

The Mirador del Aconcagua sits a few minutes off Ruta 7 at Horcones, about 185 km from Mendoza, and gives you the south face across a lagoon. It costs a small park entrance, takes under an hour, and is included on every Alta Montaña day tour — see the Alta Montaña road.

2. The Confluencia trek

A day permit gets you from Horcones up the valley to Confluencia at 3,390 m: around 8 km each way, five to six hours return, no technical ground. You walk in under the south face the whole way, which is the view that matters. Take water, sun protection and a windproof layer — the valley funnels wind all afternoon.

Three-day permits extend this to the Plaza Francia viewpoint at 4,200 m, directly beneath the 3,000-metre south wall. That is the best thing a non-climber can do here.

3. Plaza de Mulas

Base camp for the Normal Route, at 4,300 m, roughly 35 km in from Horcones. Trekking permits of seven days cover it, and most people take two or three days in each direction, sleeping at Confluencia. Mules carry the heavy loads; agencies in Mendoza and Penitentes arrange them.

This is not a casual walk. It is a week at or above 3,000 m with real exposure to altitude sickness, and the weather can shut the valley for days.

Permits, season and cost

• The park is open for permits roughly 15 November to 15 March; outside it the valley is closed to ascents.
• Permits are bought online in advance through the Mendoza provincial system and collected in person in Mendoza city, not at the park gate. Bring your passport.
• Prices are tiered by day/trek/ascent, by nationality and by period — high season around late December to late January is the most expensive and the busiest.
• Every ascent permit requires a medical check at base camp. The park doctors turn people back, and they are right to.

Altitude, honestly

Plaza de Mulas is higher than any summit in the Alps. Acclimatise on the way in — a night at Uspallata or Penitentes before the park helps — climb slowly, drink constantly, and treat headache with nausea as a reason to descend rather than a thing to push through.

The mountain is not going anywhere. Most of the people who turn around come back.