Ojos del Salado (09 Days)

09 Days/08 Nigths
Max. Altitude: 6893 m / 22,615 ft
Route: Expeditions Ojos del Salado Copiapó, Chile
Availability: November - Marcht
Difficulty: This is not a technical track, but it is physically challenging. It requires crampons and ice-axe (piolet)
People per Guide: 3

The Ojos Del Salado volcano is the highest summit across Chile, the second summit in America, and it is also the tallest active volcano in the world. That’s why this is one of the most desired challenges among mountaineers around the world. Ojos Del Salado is almost as tall as Mt. Aconcagua which surpasses it by 60mts.

The volcano is located in the borderline between Chile and Argentina, in the Chilean Atacama region, one of the most active mining regions in the country. Inside the Nevado de Tres Cruces National Park we can spot the Negro Francisco Lake and the Maricunga salt-flat which serves as refuge to three flamingo species. The closest city is Copiapó, where we can find everything we need to start our climbing upwards Ojos Del Salado.

Itinerary

Day 01: Copiapo - Laguna Verde
We’ll meet you at the airport and drive to Laguna Verde and set up the base camp around the 4300 meters in order to keep on with our acclimatization process, which is crucial to our objective.

Day 02: Climb Mulas Muertas 5600 m / 18,372 ft - Laguna Verde
On this day we will perform our first ascent in the desert in the Mulas Muertas mountain. remaining day and get ready for the days to come.

Day 03: Laguna Verde - climb San Francisco or Vickuña
On this day we’ll put our bodies to the test. We'll see how your body is enduring the lack of oxygen in this area. We'll go up a bit higher than 5,600 meters and then go back to sleep at the Laguna Verde

Day 04: Laguna Verde
This day is for rest and recovers energies for the next days

Day 05: Laguna Verde - Atacama - Tejos
This is the last day we’ll be able to use the 4WD vehicle. We’ll transport the equipment to Refuge Atacama and from there we’ll have to work harder. Each one of us has to carry his/her personal equipment plus a piece of the common equipment towards Refuge Tejos in order to prepare our last camp (high camp) and it clearly helps with the acclimatization process. Once we get to the shelter we’ll get some rest, leave our equipment there and head back to Refuge Atacama to sleep.

Day 06: Refuge Atacama - Refuge Tejos
We’ll carry the remaining equipment towards Refugio Tejos. This time we’ll spend the night there. Since we’ve already carried most of the equipment the day before, we’ll be saving a lot of necessary energy for our next day, which is without doubt the most important day of our expedition.

Day 07: Refuge Tejos - climb Ojos del Salado - Refuge Atacama
We’ll set out early morning to reach the Ojos del Salado summit (6,893masl). On this day we’ll see how all of our hard work flourishes. All the previous acclimatization process is to endure this SO challenging summit. No doubts about it, this is the hardest day in our expedition. We’ll be ascending 1,000 meters, crossing a glacier, rock climbing, reaching the summit, descending, and carrying the equipment back to Refugio Atacama all in the same day.

Day 08: Extra Summit day
Extra Summit day.

Day 09: Refuge Atacama - Copiapo - End of our services (OUT)
This is the last day we’ll spend in the Parque Nevado de Tres Cruces area. Calmly we’ll take-down our camp and head back to Copiapó, leaving behind us this giant, the highest summit in Chile and the tallest volcano in the world.

What’s included

• Mountain guide (Spanish / English )
• Private transportation to climbing areas (4WD)
• Transfer airport – hotel and hotel – airport
• 1 hotel night in (Copiapó)
• Mountain tents (each one is for 2 persons)
• Dinner tent (with table and chairs) for 3 or more climbers
• Cooking kit
• All meals within the expedition (Breakfast, box lunch, diner)
• Professional first aids kit
• Heart rate monitor and oximeter
• VHF Radio
• Satellite radio
• All group equipment; rope, high altitude tent, stove, GPS, etc.

• Personal mountain equipment
• Traveling and rescue insurances. We strongly recommend you to get them.
• Any other service which wasn’t mentioned above. (restaurant meals, beverages , tips, etc.)
• International flights and boarding fees.
• Domestic flight and boarding fees (Santiago / Copiapo - Copiapo / Santiago)
• Hotel, refuge and camping site in Santa rosa national park

Additional information:

• 1 guide every 3 passengers
• 1, 4wd truck every 3 climbers in Ojos
• Satellite phone (fees by minute usage – U$ 6/m)
• 2 persons per hotel room.
• U$ 300 per person if you want single room, please let us know
• U$ 100 per person if you want single tent, please let us know
• Hotel lodging includes *Breakfast (see itinerary)
• Dirección de Límites y Fronteras del Estado, permit is free of charge
• Climbing permit USD 200 per person, cancelled 2 years ago
• We recommend you travel with small bills
• Weather can get as low as -25ºC /-13ºF in the area