Climb one of the seven summits

Location: Home » Routes » Aconcagua Polish Glacier Route
  • Duration: 20 days.
  • Difficulty: Excellent physical shape and solid technical experience, familiarity with the use of crampons, ice axe, and belay techniques
  • Space Available: 6 climbers
  • Expedition Cost: US $7,990 per person private 6 clients
  • Other Costs: Private Porter: US $2,000 per person, Hotel single supplement: US $750
  • Payment Balance Due: 120 days prior departure

This extremely challenging and technical expedition to Aconcagua (6,959m / 22,831 ft) by way of the Polish Glacier is offered soley to climbers with solid technical experience, very familiar with the use of crampons, ice axe, and belay techniques. Accessed through the Vacas Valley, the route begins with a three-day trek to the Plaza Argentina base camp (4,200m / 13,944 ft). It continues on to Camp 1 (4,900m/ 16,076 ft), and then up a steep slope to Camp 2 (5,850m / 19,192 ft), sheltered in a moraine at the base of the Polish Glacier. At this point we begin the ascent of the glacier, the condition of the ice determining the climbing line chosen by the guide. The two main routes are the classic Piedra Bandera line, which makes a zigzag ascent to the summit, and the direct Polish glacier line—the steepest and most demanding.  After the emotion of reaching the summit of the western hemisphere’s highest peak and taking the classic group photo beside the mountain’s emblematic white cross, we’ll descend by way of the Normal route, through the Plaza de Mulas base camp and down the Horcones Valley.

Aconcagua Polish Glacier Route with Porters Map

Route Itinerary

Day 1  Picked up Plumerillos airport at Mendoza and transferred to Hotel to meet the guides, gear check and have a power point expedition presentation. Later we go have a great Argentinean asado. Hotel

Day 2.  Transfer to Aconcagua Provincial Park permit office, to obtain the respective climbing permits, a mandatory personal procedure, and then head west to the village of Penitentes, situated at the foot of the valleys that access the mountain. Lodging at Hotel Penitentes

Day 3.   The Aconcagua Express vehicles transport us to the area called Punta de Vacas where we begin the first day’s trek towards the foot of Aconcagua through Vacas valley. This is a beautiful less traveled route with greener landscapes than the normal route. After 4 to 5 hours of hiking we reach our first camp called Pampa de Leña situated at an elevation of 2,800m (9,186 ft). Here we eat a delicious barbecue along with the muleteers while the animals graze. Tent

Day 4.  Continuing along the same valley for 6 to 7 hours, we reach Casa de Piedra camp situated at an elevation of 3,200m (10,498 ft). From camp up through the Relinchos pass we can clearly see the Polacos glacier on Aconcagua. This is the route we will take the next day. Tent

Day 5. We climb up the steep and marvelous Relinchos valley to our base camp called Plaza Argentina situated at 4,200m (13,779 ft). This is a long 8-hour day where we climb 1,000 vertical meters to reach Plaza Argentina. Our chef awaits us with hot drinks and a big dinner. Tent

Day 6.  Rest day at Plaza Argentina base camp. It is necessary to keep hydrated and rest in order to adapt well to the altitude before continuing on to the high camps and before summit day. Tent

Day 7. Rest and hike around Plaza Argentina base camp. Tent

Day 8.  We carry part of the equipment up to high camp 1 and return to Plaza Argentina base camp. The trail leaves camp towards an old moraine until we reach camp 1 at an elevation of 4,822m (15,820 ft). This trek is considered light in terms of weight to continue with an optimal adaptation to the altitude. This is the basic plan of successive stages: climbing up to high elevations and returning to lower ones, a key factor for safety and acclimatization. If this ascent plan is done slowly it increases the possibilities of success in reaching the summit in a comfortable and safe manner. Plaza Argentina camp. Tent

Day 9.  We climb to camp 1 to sleep at that elevation. The surroundings are truly magnificent in the heart of the Central Andes. Tent

Day 10.  We continue to camp 2 situated at the foot of Polacos glacier at an elevation of 5,760m (18,897 ft). This ascent is incredibly beautiful since we can see the glacier in its full magnitude and several peaks that surround Aconcagua. We return to Plaza Argentina base camp to rest and recover energy. Tent

Day 11.  Rest at Plaza Argentina base camp. Tent

Day 12.  Climb to camp 1. Tent

Day 13.  Climb to camp 2. Tent

Day 14.    Traverse crossing from camp 2 to the foot of Polacos glacier towards Piedras Blancas camp at 6,030m (19,783 ft). The trail is clear and easy to see from camp. This is the point at which the Polacos Traverse route and the normal route meet. It is also the camp where those trekking the Guanacos route arrive. Tent

Day 15.   We attempt summit from Piedras Blancas returning to the Berlin high camp. Tent

Day 16. Extra day allowing for weather conditions in Berlin high camp. Tent

Day 17.  Second extra day allowing for weather conditions in Berlin high camp. Tent

Day 18.   Descent on normal route towards our Plaza de Mulas base camp. Tent

Day 19.   From Plaza de Mulas we have mules to help carry out our gear, allowing for a “light” trek through Playa Ancha and Horcones Valley to the village of Penitentes in a 6 to 7 hour hike. At the Park Rangers station transport awaits us to take us to Hotel Mendoza to reach the comfort of this beautiful Argentinean city and meet later for our group dinner at a super local restaurant with all the guides and assistants. Hotel NH Cordillera or Park Hyatt

Services

Services included

  • Professional Bilingual Mountain Guide.
  • Ratio, Guide to Clients 1-2.
  • Porter for group gear (tents) during the entire expedition.
  • Mules for individual gear to base camp and return with a maximum of 25 kg. per person.
  • High quality expedition common gear: The North Face, Mountain Hardware, and Marmot tents, stoves and fuel.
  • Private tent until base camp.
  • Satellite phone during the entire expedition on a per minute payment basis.
  • VHF 2 mt and BLU HF radio communication equipment.
  • All meals during the expedition.
  • Permanently available hot drinks and biscuits at base camp tent.
  • Full dining room set up at base camp, with tables, chairs, etc.
  • Mendoza two hotel nights in double occupancy with breakfast, at Hyatt Park Plaza Hotel or equivalent.
  • One hotel night in Penitentes, double occupancy with half pension.
  • Private transportation, including airport pick-up.
  • Assistance at Mendoza airport.
  • All local organization and supervision by Aconcagua Express Expeditions & KL Expeditions Staff.
  • The Aconcagua, “Summit of America” book, by Mauricio Fernandez.

Services not included

  • Mandatory Rescue Insurance.
  • Aconcagua climbing permit fee $850 – $1000, depending on climbing season.
  • All personal climbing equipment and gear.
  • Porter for personal gear, except for those who have purchased this service.
  • Any costs involved in an early or late departure.
  • Meals & drinks in Mendoza.
  • Airport drop-off.
  • Cancellation, accident, and rescue insurance.
  • Cash for extra expenses.
  • Gratuities.
  • Any other service not mentioned above.

Important

  • All itineraries are subject to change due to changes in the weather, individuals’ acclimatization rates, and the guide’s criteria.
  • A Private Porter can carry 20kg maximum.
  • Any departure dates can be re-scheduled with a minimum of 6 persons.

Climber Experiences

I would firstly like to thank you all for putting together such a great expedition. I would like to make particularly comment on the efforts of our guide Cristina who did such a great job.
The cooks at both base camps also deserve mention, as the food they prepared was fantastic. Having said that the cooked meals provided at altitude were perfect for the conditions. The hotel at Penitentes was also a little run down, but again there did not seem to be many other options.
This criticisms do not even rate as concerns. The service provided by your company was fantastic and I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.

Stephen Hynd
Australia

Gabriel and Mariana were really fantastic and helpful, especially since I struggled with acclimatization. Suzanne (at base camp) was also really great. When I descended early she looked after me to ensure that all of my logistics for leaving the park were coordinated. The trip was overall well organized, very informative, very realistic expectations and a great experience – unfortunately, my body did not hold up as well as usual, but I do not feel that I (or the company) could have done anything differently to improve my chances. A great climbing team!

Nancy Henning
USA

Everything went very smooth, it was great to have a small bag of stuff sent from Plaza Argentina around to Plaza de Mulas, as we could have clean underwear, socks and our trail shoes without having to carry them to high camp.

Tatiana seemed very knowledgeable with first aid and altitude sickness, and seemed well prepared.  Tatiana’s food was awesome. The other groups in our camps were jealous when all they had was rice and we had fresh baked pizza in Camp 2! A couple mornings in base camp, there was not much provided for breakfast (one day was only toast) and we finally had to ask them each day to make eggs.

Joaquin was very helpful with all of my requests, and very quick to respond, which is one of the main reasons I selected KL Adventure to work with on this trip.

The transfers and transport was fine.  All vehicles were comfortable and there was plenty of room.  Hyatt is awesome of course. Penitentes is not great, but obviously there is no other option.

The trip was great, we will definitely work with you again for our 2010 climb, and also hope to add a Patagonia trip in the near future. It was also nice to have Joaquin meet the group in Mendoza and to spend more time with him on the drive to Santiago. We would definitely want to have Tatiana as our guide again.  She was exceptional and there was not another guide on the mountain I would have rather had than her. It is also very nice to have a local guide as your leader, better in my opinion than having American or European guides.

Billi also did a very nice job, as an assistant guide she was great.  The two of them worked very well together.

Andrew Nachman Northwest Voyageur
USA

Tatiana and Billi were great guides on the Aconcagua expedition. I’d be happy to climb another mountain with them again!! Our food was better than that from other groups going up the mountain, and it was nice to have hot thermoses brought to our tent in mornings (other groups noticed this, and the fact that they had to go get their own water, among other things less positive than that of our group). I always felt safe, that Tatiana & Billi knew what they were doing on the mountain, and that they had enough energy to handle whatever could come our way. On summit day, Billi brought a guy down to Camp 3 from 1/3 (or more) of the way up, then she ascended and caught up to us, in order to summit from Camp 3 in only 5 ½ hours! A real rock star. Then, when I was really burnt out almost all the way back to camp (with heavier snow coming down and covering the trail), Billi helped me back to Camp3… a real help when it was needed, and on the part of the trail where accidents are most prone to happen (way down from summit day). This was really appreciated. Our staff helped create a real team atmosphere, and our group was the “cool table” at the lower camps, and out dining tent was the social center of activity with several groups joining us for cards, games, etc after dinner. Our pace up the mountain was the right speed, not to fast and not too slow, enabling 5 of 6 of our group to get to the summit, and the remaining 1 doing his personal best on summit day! One guy from another group was “turned around” partway up on summit day; he later felt that he could have made it to the top with a slightly slower group pace. I’ve seen this before on other mountains. Our pace was just right! We were properly aware of the mountain challenges before the expedition, and the challenge met my personal expectations. I came off the mountain without any physical aches and pains, feeling good about the expedition and ready for more mountains in the future! Perhaps Elbrus and Denali, the 2nd with some technical training and practice. I have NO COMPLAINTS about this expedition! I believe our guides, our food were better than that of other groups, that our group gear was appropriate, and that we were properly instructed on how to prepare for the mountain and which gear to bring! I enjoyed the company of the clients as well, and that of the other teams headed up the mountain with us. This was a great expedition, and I’m lucky to have made some new friends on the mountain.

I’d recommend KL Adventure for anyone wanting to climb Aconcagua, in particular Tatiana as lead guide. Likewise I’d climb a mountain (Nepal?) with Billi and recommend her guiding services as well. Best Wishes, Mark.

Mark
USA

Let me just say thank you for how you were with my wife while I was on the mountain. This was a very important to me and I am very pleased that you were so helpful with letting my wife know what was going on.
Leo was a fantastic guide with great energy, and I could not ask for a better companion for the duration of the trip!! All in all, the trip was fantastic and well organized!!
Anyhow, thanks again for all your hospitality and helpfullness…you guys should be proud of your business!

Erhard Zeising
USA

The two guides were excellent in every possible respect. Everything was well prepared and well organized. Overall I am very much impressed by the dignity, the professionalism and the good manners of the guides. Organization and set up of the expedition was at a very high level.

I will certainly recommend your agency to other fellow climber how will want to try the same experience. Thank you

Sotris Skevis
Greece

Hallo Joaquin,
Nun bin ich schon einen Monat zurück in Deutschland und denke immernoch jeden Tag an die tolle Bergtour zum Aconcagua. Du glaubst nicht wie glücklich ich bin, daß ich das geschaft habe. Dies habe ich im besonderen Dir und Deinem Unternehmen Aconcagua Express zu verdanken. Mit Tom Torkelson hatten wir einen super Bergführer der zum einen eine sehr schöne Route zum Gipfel geführt hat, Vacas Route, die zum anderen auch eine optimale Aklimatisation ermöglicht hat. Die gesamte Organisation war vom Anfang bis zum Ende sehr gut. Es gibt wirklich nichts was ich meine, was besser gemacht werden könnte. Wenn Du neue Kunden aus Deutschland oder Europa hast, die Fragen zur Aconcaguabesteigung haben, kannst Du Ihnen gerne meine email-Adresse geben, damit Sie Kontakt mit mir aufnehmen können.
Vielen vielen Dank!!

Johannes Niedeggen
Deutschland

Overall environment of the expedition was nice, relaxed and very good.
Guides were able proactively to solve all unexpected issues during the trip, and responded to the requests in fast and professional way.

Sarma Jeca
Sweden

Hello, Magaly!
Was good talking to you on the phone today. We are very happy with the trip, a bit tired and feel very lucky with the weather and our guide, Gabriel, both being important factors that allowed us to summit.

Olga Kotova
Latvia

Beautiful route, and the strategy for adjusting to the altitude was very good. I really enjoyed our team, and Christina and Marianna also seemed to be enjoying themselves very well. Good atmosphere.

Choice for Aconcagua Express Expeditions was also because you were the only ones to actually give me advice on an expedition when I e-mailed you. You offered me a specific expedition and date. So the personal info was important for me.

Martijn de Boer
Netherlands