11-Day High-Altitude Acclimatization Expedition
Cerro Plata (6,068m) is one of the most accessible high-altitude mountains in the Central Andes — and an ideal challenge for those looking to summit their first 6,000-meter peak or prepare for something bigger, like Aconcagua.
This 11-day program is based on over 12 years of experience in the region. It follows a progressive acclimatization strategy using the “carry high, sleep low” method to increase summit success and reduce risk.
You’ll hike through stunning Andean scenery, sleep in remote mountain camps, and push yourself safely to the summit under the guidance of seasoned high-altitude professionals.
You’ll be greeted at the airport by one of our team members and taken to the hotel. In the evening, the full team will gather for a welcome dinner. Depending on your arrival time, we can assist you with any rental or gear purchases.
Included: Transport and hotel 🏨
After lunch, we drive to Vallecitos, an old ski station now used as a base for expeditions. We’ll stay in the cozy Mausy mountain hut with great food and friendly staff — and meet our four-legged expedition mascots, Mr. Lobo 🐺 and Miss Brisa 🐾.
Included: Transport, mountain hut night, and dinner 🍽️
After breakfast, we’ll hike with part of our gear to Vega Superior camp. We’ll set up camp and then return to Mausy for another night.
Included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner 🍽️
We leave early for Vega Superior with light backpacks (1.5-hour hike). From there, we take a 3km round-trip trek to the summit of Adolfo Calle, an important peak for acclimatization.
Included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner 🥘
Today we move to our main base camp: Salto, named after the small waterfall nearby. We’ll sleep here for the next three nights.
Included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner ⛺
A full rest day. Depending on how everyone’s feeling, we might do a short walk to a nearby glacier.
Included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner 🧘
We carry part of our gear to Hoyada, Plata’s high camp. The hike is gentle and takes about 2 hours. Then return to Salto.
Included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner 🎒
We hike again to Hoyada, this time carrying the rest of our gear and staying overnight there.
Included: Breakfast and lunch 🏕
We’ll begin our summit push early. Expect 8–12 hours for the full round trip. Return to Hoyada for the night.
Included: Breakfast and summit support 🌄
We begin our descent early, breaking down camps at Hoyada and Salto. Mules will carry the gear back down. From Vallecitos, we drive back to Mendoza.
Included: Snack, dinner, and transport 🚐
Transfer to the airport approximately 3 hours before your flight.
Included: Breakfast and transport 🛫
⚠️ Note: This itinerary may change due to weather, group performance, or unforeseen events. Flexibility is key — we’re exploring high-altitude terrain!
Having the right mountaineering gear is essential for a successful Aconcagua Expedition. Your Aconcagua equipment will be personally checked by one of our guides upon arrival at the hotel. Don’t worry if you’re missing something — you can easily rent or buy all necessary mountaineering equipment in Mendoza. Check our FAQ section for updated rental prices and details.
Bandana
Buff or similar
Balaclava
To protect your face on summit push
Hat
Woollen hat or similar for cold days
Sunglasses (cat 3 or 4)
With side protection to fit your face
Sunscreen and lip balm
30 FPS or more
Batteries
AA or AAA batteries depending on your headtorch. Can be purchased in local store.
Headtorch
Working headtorch and spare batteries
Light down jacket
Summit Down Jacket
Heavy hooded down jacket for cold conditions
Snowproof jacket
A good snow, rain and windproof jacket
T-shirt
Synthetic fibre long or short sleeve t-shirt
Fleece jacket
Used alone or as part of a layer system for better performance
Trekking pants
Light trekking pants
Gaiters
For snow, sand or scree terrain
Base layer pants
For very cold days and summit push
Snowproof pants
Goretex or similar pants will be used for high wind or during snow conditions
Fleece Pants
Fleece, polartec or similar. To be used with other layers for very cold conditions
Hand warmers
Chemical hand warmers for the summit push.
Mittens
Thick down mittens for summit push
Gloves
Fleece or polartec gloves for every day use
Sandals or crocs
Sandals or crocs for river crossing or hanging around camp
Trekking boots
Waterproof trekking boots, try wearing them before the expedition
Trekking socks
Good thick trekking socks
Thick expedition socks
For summit day
Double boots
A pair of double or double plastic boots such as Koflach Exped, Koflach Vertical, Asolo Ottomilla, Asolo AFS, Trezetta, Scarpa Vega, Scarpa Inferno, La Sportiva Baruntse, Olympus Mons, La Sportiva Spantik, Scarpa Phantom, La Sportiva G2.
Single layer boots such as La Sportiva Nepal XT, EVO, Batura or Boreal Latok, ARE NOT SUITABLE.
Crampons
Crampons with antibott system
Water purifying tables/drops
A reliable way to treat water
Carbo gels
These gels help out on recovery
Snacks
Salty snacks, sweets, etc. Any sort of tasty ready food as complement. On high altitude mountains we don’t normally worry about vitamins and proteins as these kinds of food are too hard to digest. You can buy all these in a local market.
Stuff sacks or bin bags
Helps to keep your stuff dry and organised
Sleeping Bag
A good down sleeping
Rucksack
A decent rucksack with hip belt and rain cover
Altitude medicine
Our guides already have pretty much any drugs you might need during any trip. However, it would be great if you could have a spare tab of the most used drugs:
Ibuprofen (Advil)– This is an anti-inflammatory and works great for high altitude head aches
Loperamide (Imodium) – controls diarrea (not to be used in case of digestive infections. Ask our guides)
Personal Hygiene kit
Soap, tooth brus, come, etc
Sleeping mattress
We prefer taking 2 foam sleeping mattress because of sharp rocks. If you have an inflatable mattress you should also bring a foam mattress to protect the inflatable one against sharp rocks. Don’t forget bringing a repair kit if you have an inflatable mattress.
1 litre thermos
Metallic good quality 1 litre thermos for the summit push. You must have one. Please do not bring smaller ones.
Water bottle
Nalgene 1 litre bottles or similar are great for expeditions! We prefer to not use camelbacks as its hose pipe might freeze
Duffel Bag
Used to transport or store your equipment. In many cases, we transport your personal gear on animals and we don’t want your equipment to get wet or have mule smell…
Freeze dried food
Freeze dried or dry food for high camp
Padlock
To lock your duffel during transportation
Trekking poles
Gives you more stability during walk and summit push.
Your backpack will never weigh more than 12–15 kg. We’ve designed the itinerary so your equipment is split into two separate loads, taken up on different days. This reduces the amount of weight carried at one time — and yes, you can make it! 💪
Nope! All group equipment — tents, stoves, fuel, etc. — is provided, transported, assembled, and cleaned by our team. You can just focus on your own gear.
While possible, it’s not common. Plata isn’t a highly developed destination, so we would need to bring a porter just for you, which makes it expensive. We only recommend it for health reasons. Please notify us well in advance so we can plan accordingly.
Yes! Our guides carry satellite phones (calls cost USD 3/min), VHF radios for team coordination, and we maintain contact with our base in Vallecitos. Sometimes there’s mobile signal near basecamp — but don’t count on it.
Absolutely! Even better — we update our Facebook page daily with messages and photos from the expedition 📸
Yes. All tents are shared between two people — we assign tent partners ahead of time. If you want a single tent, let us know and we can arrange it for an additional cost.
Not quite! While you won’t use your hands to climb, it’s still a nearly 6,000-meter peak. The summit day is long and demanding. That’s why we emphasize a gradual and strategic acclimatization plan. Don’t underestimate it!
Only on Days 1 and 2. After that, there’s no electricity. Bring extra batteries or a power bank!
We recommend bringing USD 800 in cash. This covers:
There’s nothing to buy on the mountain, so all other costs are covered once we depart Mendoza.
We don’t recommend relying on credit cards. Due to unstable financial conditions, they often fail — and there’s up to 25% extra tax on foreign cards. Bring USD cash for everything you need.
Angel Armesto is sponsored by:
Language skills:
| English - near native speaker |
| Spanish - native speaker |
| Portuguese - excellent command |
Angel Ezequiel Armesto is a professional high-altitude mountain guide and one of the first to graduate from EPGAMT Mendoza in 2001. Since then, he has successfully guided over 70 expeditions to Aconcagua and several major climbs in the Himalayas, including two Everest expeditions, Cho Oyu, and Ama Dablam.
Angel has also led complex logistical expeditions to remote peaks like Mount Vinson in Antarctica, and climbed more than 75 different high-altitude peaks across the Andes.
Known for his calm and easygoing nature, Angel brings not only deep mountain expertise but also a curious mind — he’s just as comfortable discussing quantum physics or geopolitics as he is planning summit strategies.
More about Angel Armesto
(20% non-refundable deposit required)
Total estimated cost: USD 3,970 to USD 4,500
All prices in USD, valid for the full expedition. May vary slightly by availability.