The summit of Aconcagua, covered with eternal snow, which in the Quechua language means “Watchtower or Stone Sentinel,” is surrounded by other peaks that exceed 5,000 meters above sea level; for this reason, this area is called “The Roof of America.”
Every year about 1,200,000 people visit Mendoza’s natural reserves, and Aconcagua Provincial Park is one of the most visited.
Among these thousands of tourists who visit this circuit each year, approximately 5,500 are wild sportsmen prepared to challenge the high mountains, who arrive motivated to do Aconcagua Expeditions, the second-highest relative height in the world, behind Everest.
It is one of the principal traveler’s destinations in Mendoza. It is frequently the scene of sports activities and cultural events such as the Wine Ritual, Americanto, or the High-altitude Film Festival.
In addition, if you are climbing Aconcagua, the Park is located in an environment where a vital task of awareness and revaluation is being carried out (Archeology in Las Cuevas, Planning of Puente del Inca. World Heritage Qapaq Ñan-Camino Real Inca), Sistema Tetra de Comunicación in Alta Montaña that further positions its tourist attraction. Nido is an actual viewpoint, to the east the central valleys Los Patos and Barreal; to the north, the impressive mounds of Cord de la Ramada, dominated by the Mercedario (6,770 m); Behind the hill, the Horn Valley Volcano, the desolate lands of Güssfeldt; To the west, the Cathedral, the cordon and the valley of Chile; and to the south the incredible spectacle of the immensity: the Great Highway and the north and south summits of Aconcagua. Arriving in Mendoza is always accompanied by a frenzy of final preparation for the expedition, and this time it was no different.
It was extraordinary meeting the team, or 2/3 of the group, anyway: Alex and Elise landed in Mendoza on Saturday; Andrea was unfortunately delayed due to flight cancellation, but she should be joining us in with her fingers crossed Mendoza in a matter of hours. Aconcagua is not cheap; the climbing permit only costs about $ 1000 (depending on the route and season you choose for your climb). Then there are the logistics costs on the mountain, equipment considerations, guides, porters, and a host of others considerations.
For full disclosure, guided tours are offered on both the Normal Route and Route 360, but that’s just one of many different ways and prices to climb the mountain.
Here’s an essential guide on how to budget for an Aconcagua climb and what levers you can use to reduce your cash investment, assuming you have time. But money constraints, or the amount of time you need to put in, prepare and execute your climb, assuming you have no worries about money but limited time.