Elevation
22,841 ft / 6,962 m
Region
Most climbed route
Highlights
- Cerro Aconcagua is the highest mountain in South America, the highest mountain outside Asia, the highest mountain in both theWestern and Southern Hemispheres, and one of the Seven Summits.
- 22,841 feet of prominence, ranking 2nd in the world.
- The mountain and its surroundings are part of the Aconcagua Provincial Park.
- The mountain has a number of glaciers; the largest glacier is the Ventisquero Horcones Inferior at about 10 km long.
- In mountaineering terms, Aconcagua is technically an easy mountain if approached from the north via the normal route.
- The second most frequented route is the Polish Glacier Traverse route, also known as the "Falso de los Polacos" route. This approaches the mountain through the Vacas valley, ascends to the base of the Polish Glacier, then traverses across to the normal route for the final ascent to the summit.
- The third most popular route is the Polish Glacier itself.
- The routes to the peak from the south and south-west ridges are more demanding and the south face climb is considered very difficult.
- In all routes, th effects of altitude are severe with the atmospheric pressure only 40% of sea-level at the summit.
Routes
4 climbs • 116.7 km • 6,618 m gain • 86 hr 20 min
Latest climbs

"International team of seven climbers (US, Norway, Singapore, France, Netherlands) with three Aconcagua Mountain Guide experts using the Polish 360 route variation. Approached from Vacas Valley, Relinchos Valley, up to Colera Camp and then down to Plaza de Mulas, and out Horcones Valley. Climbed between Dec. 29, 2019 to Jan 17, 2020. Weather was the biggest factor. Got held up 7 days at Plaza Argentina, 2 days at high Camp One, 3 days at high Camp Two. But after all the waiting, our team was very acclimatized and six out of seven made the summit. Summit push began at 5:15 am from Colera Camp, topped out at 2:45 pm, return to Camp at 7:15 pm. Extremely difficult climb from an endurance stand point. 14 hour days are never fun. The most taxing part of the whole expedition was the 27 kilometer hike out from Plaza de Mulas to Horcones for extraction. I am still glad its all over. Now on to the next!" — oregon-mt-goat • Jan 14, 2020

"Did this as a climb with Aconcagua Mountain Guides. Started at Plaza Argentina and ended at Plaza de Mulas. Summit day was incredible. No wind at all on top. Took an hour nap. After spending 2.5 hours at the summit we went down." — Irrationalist • Dec 30, 2019

"Me and my cousin Stefan climbed Aconcagua via the normal route in 15 days. This was my second attempt after 2011 when we turned back from camp Berlin because of the snow storm. We were lucky this time and the weather was perfect!" — FilipVasileski • Feb 6, 2015

" Me and my fiancee flew into Mendoza and got checked in to our hotel. The next day we got our money exchanged, permits, the remainder of our food and last minute supplies like white gas and other things. We took a bus out on the third morning and got set up with our mule providers and started the hike to base camp stopping at Confluencia camp for two nights to acclimatize. It's here we discovered that the rumors are true about the high levels of magnesium in the water. Imodium turned out to be the only drug I used on the mountain. Once at Plaza de Mulas we took a rest day then carried a load up to Camp Canada. It turned out to be a dry camp so we left 2 liters of water and headed back down to base camp. We took another rest day at Plaza de Mulas and then moved camp to Camp Canada with an additional 8 liters of water. That same afternoon after establishing camp we carried a load further up the mountain to Nido de Condores and came back down to Canada for the night. I underestimated the power of the winds overnight and had an unfortunate 500 or so foot descent and reascent to reclaim my backpack in the morning which had flown down the slopes. Getting low on water we move..." — Yosemike • Feb 2, 2015

"I climbed Acouncagua from Normal route, starting from Plaza de Mulas and stopping at Nido de Condores and at Plaza Colera. I spent 2 nights in Plaza Colera before attaching the summit due to strong wind during the first night. It was cold and windy during the first part of the ascension. Great panorama from the summit without wind and clouds" — edoardomartelli • Jan 9, 2010

"IDEA 2000 (International Diabetic Expedition to Aconcagua) put 7 diabetic climbers, including myself, on the summit without the assistance of guides or non-diabetic support climbers. " — ChrisMeloche • Jan 20, 2001