Towering majestically as the highest peak in the entire Americas at 6.9 kilometres high, the Aconcagua in the Andes stands as a beacon of both awe and challenge for mountaineers worldwide.

Aconcagua is the highest mountain outside the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges. For its height, it is one of the most ‘non-technical’ climbs to summit. It was the next big trek on my bucket list after completing base camp treks at three of the highest mountains in the world and summiting Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

The jewel of the 9,000km-long Andes mountain range, Aconcagua is located in Western Argentina. The Andes mountains form the longest continental mountain range in the world passing through several countries including Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador. It is also one of the most unique mountain ranges in the world, with a dramatic landscape that not only includes breath-taking mountains but also lakes, glaciers and a diverse set of flora and fauna.

The pre-colonial Inca empire named the mountain ‘Aconcagua’ which translates to ‘the white sentinel’ — a soldier or guard that stands to keep watch.

The journey begins

Many Argentinean and international companies offer guided expeditions to Aconcagua. I signed up with Inka Expeditions to climb the normal route of the Aconcagua with an additional climb of Mount Bonete — 5kms — as a pre-climb for training and acclimatisation.

From Dammam, Saudi Arabia, it took me about 30 hours to reach Buenos Aires on December 23, 2022, which was still bustling from Argentina’s victory in the FIFA World Cup. Images of Argentinean football players and slogans of “Campeones del Mundo” (Champions of the World) lit up billboards.

My next destination was Mendoza, a small city in West Argentina. The flight from Buenos Aires to Mendoza takes about 90 minutes. An enchanting city located on the foothills of the Andes, Mendoza is also popular for its olive oil and wines. The greater Mendoza region is the largest wine-producing region in South America with hundreds of vineyards spread on the outskirts of the city. It is also an ideal place to buy or rent any equipment or food needed for the expedition.

In Mendoza, I met our expedition team; our guide, Bauty Marquez, assistant guide, Paula, and our fellow trekkers.

Natalia Capellari from Argentina came with a dream to see the imposing South Fall of Aconcagua. Elena’s goal was to trek to Plaza de Mulas, the base camp of Aconcagua. Though Aconcagua is mostly a non-technical climb, some technical gear is still required for the day of the summit. There is a traverse before the summit which often has snow on the path and some sections with a risk of rock fall. The gear includes a climbing helmet, ice axe, crampons, plastic boots, and mittens.

From Mendoza, a scenic three-hour drive took us to Puente del Inca, a small town very close to the Argentina-Chile border. The same highway connects Argentina with Santiago de Chile and is considered historic for its role in the liberation of Argentina and Chile from Spain. Once a mining town, Puente del Inca now mostly hosts tourists. We spent the night at an Argentine military facility nearby.

There are three approaches to Aconcagua —the Horcones Valley approach (the normal route), the Vacas Valley approach (also called 360 degrees traverse) and the South Face approach (technical climb).

We were attempting the Horcones Valley route. This is a 19-day expedition which includes two reserve days in case of unpleasant weather. Without the Mount Bonete pre-climb and reserve days, the mountain can be climbed in 15 days, provided all goes well. The trek route can be accessed here.

The Vacas Valley approach is a complete traverse across the mountain and connects with the Horcones Valley approach on Camp Three. From Camp Three, both approaches use the same route for the summit. The journey back is the same for both routes.

‘Climb high, sleep low’

We started our trek from Aconcagua Provincial Park the next morning. Our permits were inspected and each of us was given a litter bag that we were instructed to bring back — an excellent way to ensure the mountain remains pollution-free. After clearance, we started our trek towards Confluencia, a small camp run by expedition companies located at an elevation of 3.3kms at the foot of Mount Mirador. Mules carried our gear and items in large duffel bags to the base camp as we trekked with essential items in our backpacks. This was a short hike of only 7km with breathtaking views.

Proper acclimatisation is critical for any high expeditions. Rapid ascents can lead to acute mountain sickness, which causes dizziness, nausea, headaches or the more serious high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPO)/high altitude cerebral oedema (HACO).

Thus, any expedition on Aconcagua has days where climbers climb high but return to their original sleeping altitudes. This technique of acclimatisation, called “climb high, sleep low”, allows the body to be exposed to lower levels of oxygen for a short period of time, preparing it for when the actual climb is performed.

A trek to Plaza Francia (4.3kms) provided us with that acclimatisation opportunity. Plaza Francia serves as a base camp for climbing the magnificent South Face of Aconcagua. With a vertical face of almost 3kms, it is often classified as one of the highest vertical walls. Avalanche and rock falls from this steep wall have limited the number of expeditions attempting to climb the mountain from its South Face.

It took us about four hours to cover the 7km-long trek to Plaza Francia. At the camp, the sound of thunder broke the silence of the valley. Curious about where it came from, we followed the sound to the South Face. We saw a large mass of snow and ice running down its steep slopes.

It had been snowing on the mountain the past few days, which created the perfect conditions for an avalanche. Albeit a natural disaster, we were in pure awe of what we had just seen. While we took photos and recorded the fall, we heard another loud crack. This time, an even bigger avalanche bolstered down the same slopes. Seeing it from our eyes, it made sense why the South Wall was notorious.

We had lunch at Plaza Francia, which gave us about enough time for high-altitude exposure and then departed back to Confluencia.

Mount Bonete

After our acclimatisation hike, we were now ready to move to Plaza de Mulas — the base camp of Aconcagua. Plaza de Mulas, literally ‘place of the mules’ is the last camp where mules can reach. Past this point, the steepness prevents them from carrying on any further.

From Confluencia, there is a gruelling trek of almost 19kms with 1km of elevation gain. Though steep at the beginning, it then opens up to a vast plain area called ‘Playa Ancha’. The route remains gentle towards the north with views of Mount Dedos but the last 500 metres of the climb are extremely demanding as it ascends steeply through rough glacial terrain. This terrain from Playa Ancha to Plaza de Mulas is aptly named ‘Questa Brava’ — a rough slope.

To make it even more challenging, it began to snow as we gradually ascended towards the base camp one step at a time. Towards the end, I felt the ground becoming flat once again and I noticed colourful domes, tents and the Argentinian flag. We had finally reached Plaza de Mulas. Later that evening, the snowfall got heavier, limiting us mostly to our tents.

Plaza de Mulas is often termed as the second largest basecamp in the world, second only to that of Mount Everest. It is very well-maintained and offers amenities such as electricity, (limited) wifi, a cafe and even an art gallery, which base camps in most remote mountainous regions do not.

Several companies have set large dome tents at the base camp, each of a unique colour, which give the camp a beautiful look. Helicopters make several trips to the camp every day, bringing in essential supplies, removing waste and transporting sick or injured people back to Mendoza.

After meeting their goal of seeing the South Face from Plaza de Mulas, my trekking partners, Elena and Natali, headed back with our assistant guide, Paula. Bauty and I prepared to climb Mount Bonete after they left.

Mount Bonete sits just across Aconcagua along the Argentina-Chile border. It provides magnificent views of the West Face of Aconcagua and a great opportunity to climb a 5,000m peak.

Several days of snowfall had piled up snow on the trek to Mount Bonete. Bauty led the trail, making way through the snow that often reached knee height. We required technical hard-shell pants and plastic boots that day due to the heavy snow and Bauty carried some rope in case we needed it. Closer to the summit, the climb got slightly more steep but it never presented itself as too dangerous or technical.

It took us about 4.5 hours to summit Mount Bonete. From the top, we were also able to see mountains from Chile and of course, the Aconcagua looked magical as ever. We stayed there for about 30 minutes, taking pictures and having lunch. Soon after, we traced our steps back slowly to the safety of Plaza de Mulas.

On our return, I was introduced to my climbing team with members from the US, Germany, Norway and Uruguay. Our groups merged here with six climbers led by two guides to climb Aconcagua.

A dream for another day

The route which we were attempting has three camps before the summit. Camp One, also known as Camp Canada is at 5.05km. The climb to Camp One is done twice for acclimatisation. Usually, the first ascent is to carry some equipment and then return to the base camp and the actual ascent is made after a day of rest.

From here, the ascent is made to Camp Two (at 5.55km). This camp is also called ‘Nido de Condores’ or ‘home of the Condores’, a large predatory bird native to the Andes. After a rest day at Camp Two, we ascend to Camp Three (at 6km), also known as Plaza Cholera. The summit is attempted from Camp Three (though some parties may attempt it from Camp Two as well). The summit from Plaza Cholera is a day long and the ascent takes eight hours or more.

The weather at Aconcagua is usually hot and dry from November through February. But in December 2022, the weather was unusually cold with heavy snow. The mornings were clear, followed by cloud buildup and snowfall in the afternoon which would last until midnight, followed by extreme cold after the snowfall. This had made conditions dangerous. We started the expedition hoping that the weather would become more favourable in the next few days, allowing us the opportunity to complete the summit.

We reached Camp One and then further ascended to Camp Two, but at this point, it became clear that the weather was our biggest challenge. Half of our climb up to Camp Two was during the snowfall which continued for over 24 hours after our arrival. Night temperatures fell lower than -10 degrees Celcius and we spent most of our time inside our tents, waiting for the weather to clear.

The weather did improve the next day right before sunset, but it rendered the mountain too dangerous to climb beyond Camp Three. Our guides informed us that the park rangers stationed at Camp Three were prohibiting climbers from climbing further to the summit.

The traverse near the summit was exposed to an avalanche risk of 90 per cent. It was disheartening for those of us who had come from afar and prepared so much for this climb — but then again, this is the law of nature.

On the second day of our arrival at Camp Two, the weather cleared up just long enough to allow us a view of the sunset. It is often said that the sunset from Camp Two is one of the most beautiful in the world and we were just lucky enough to experience it.

With our hopes for a successful summit now over, we had to return back to Plaza de Mulas before the snow started again. The return from Plaza de Mulas to Horcones trailhead was scenic but challenging. Though the route descends from a height of 4.3kms to 2.7kms over a 26km trek, it is a long day and is especially tough on the legs.

It was only after we reached Mendoza that it really hit us that we were not able to summit the Aconcagua. Some were even distraught after all the effort they had put in. It takes months of planning for such a climb — accumulating gear, travel and most importantly, the long hours of training.

A few days later at one of the trekking shops in Mendoza, I noticed a flag of Pakistan on the wall. Asad Ali Memon a climber from Larkana who had summited Aconcagua in January 2020 had put up the flag there.

For me, climbing Aconcagua still remains a dream. Even if it ended in failure, I learnt a lot from this expedition and hope to return to the mountain again one day. Maybe next time, I will climb the Aconcagua from the Vacas Valley.

All photos provided by the author.

Header image: A clear evening after heavy snowfall at Camp Two. — Photo by author.