We have breakfast at the hotel and spend the morning relaxing in the hot springs. After lunch, we drive approximately three hours from Fiambalá to the Hotel Cortaderas, situated at 3360m of altitude. We check in at the modern hotel before going out for a short hike to start acclimatizing. The landscape has changed now from fertile green valleys to the colorful arid desert.

After breakfast, we drive to the La Gruta approximately one hour away. This is a flat area that has the only human settlement within miles. Beside Route 45, there are a few simple buildings, a gendarmerie post, a highway administration shelter open to visitors (by arrival priority, meaning that if you get there and there is place, you can stay) but no reservations can be made; there is no land line phone or services offered. Close by, there are two hot springs, one is outdoor and one under a manmade structure. There is a little cave that gives its name to the place and an interesting archeological site, traces of the Inca Empire from the XV century. Once we are settled, we head for our first peak ascent Mt. Falso Morocho (4500m).  It’s a gratifying hike three to four hours with a 500 m ascent giving us beautiful views of Mt. Incahuasi (6621m) and Incahuasito. Night in tent.

After a healthy and abundant breakfast, we climb Mt. Bertrand (5250m) that has a remarkably round and huge crater. This is the second volcano peak of the expedition chosen for the beautiful scenery and for being the logical next step in a gradual acclimatization.  In the afternoon, we will return to have dinner at our camp. There are hot springs a short walking distance, for those who love them, or you can choose just to relax and spend the evening admiring the desolate and magnificent environment.

This is our day to explore the area without much physical effort.  We drive less than an hour across the border to Chile to visit the dazzling Laguna Verde. The color of the lake water is a deep turquoise, usually embellished by flamingos and partially enclosed by pink rock walls and a fascinating palette of colors. We stroll around the cold salted lake to find that beside the shore there are hot waters emerging from the ground. The hot springs pool we can soak in is a wonderfully natural environment. We return to spend the night at our camp.

Climbing Mt. San Francisco is our next challenge. After breakfast, we drive an hour up to 5000m in the 4WD truck and continue from there on foot. The views from this climb face north so we can appreciate other attractive volcanoes such as Dos Conos (5790m and 5880m) and the width of San Francisco mountain pass. We return to spend the last night in our camp in La Gruta. Night in tent.

In the morning, we drive south to the beginning of the Ojos del Salado base camp track. The first part of the track takes us west to Laguna de los Aparejos. From there, we turn north and drive towards a place called “Real del Rasguido” at 4350m. We will drive about 170 km in total; the last section the driving is very technical and tricky, and can take us up to six hours. We camp beside a creek that gives the name to the camp. Night in tent.

Few people have been on this track before us. Most expeditions to climb Ojos take four days to get to base camp and use mules to carry the gear.  We prefer to spend our time climbing in La Gruta and then ascend a remote and seldom used track to base camp.  Our guides are expert drivers with 4WD experience but we must drive slowly as others before us have gotten stuck.  We cross swamps uphill and there are rocks of all sizes and shapes. This forces us to drive at walking men pace until we reach 5500m.  Being so remote is a wonderful part of the adventure. Night in tent.

After a nice breakfast we take a load of supplies to the high camp at 5850m. We get an idea of what our next camp will look like and return to rest, have dinner and sleep at base camp El Arenal (5500m). This carry helps to acclimatize and to walk lighter the next day.

We take down the tents and carry all our necessary gear up. We set our camp, have dinner, warm tea and go to bed. It is a very high spot to spend a night so you might find it different from most all other nights before. The evening before the summit attempt is exciting, we want to have everything ready for the great next day.

Early while still dark, we eat a light breakfast, wear our best gear and go for the biggest climb of the expedition to the summit of the highest volcano on the planet. As the sun rises, we realize how high we are and the immensity of the surrounding volcanos. We stop for short breaks to re adjust layers and have snack, take pictures and live the moment. Then, the last part of the climb gets vertical and we use a rope for assistance. Rock climbing at almost 6900m plus the strong winds can be threatening. After celebrating our summit, we return to spend the night at our high camp (5850m) and keep celebrating.

We take down the high camp and walk down to base camp (5500m), pick up all our gear and drive back south to a lagoon called Laguna de los Aparejos (4200m) to spend the night. It is kind of a huge U turn driving from base camp El Arenal to our next base camp for Pissis, so we make this intermediate camp at 4200m in as astonishing beautiful place. Night in tent.

This day is dedicated to make it to Pissis base camp (4500m) and relax there. From Laguna de los Aparejos we drive west about 50 km that can require about six hours. There are sandy sections and the driving is a bit less difficult than the previous days. We drive past the Laguna Celeste of a beautiful light blue color. Night in tent.

As we are better acclimatized by this time of the expedition we move straight up to set the high camp at 5800m. Have an early dinner and get ready for the next and last summit attempt of the expedition. Night in the tent.

We have this extra day in case any circumstance alters the program

We get up early, have light breakfast, set out, watch sunrise on the way, climb beside a glacier. We reach a summit that is so large and smooth that does not seen as a summit.  Mt Pissis, together with Mt. Ojos de Salado and Mt. Aconcagua are called “The Three Gigantics of America” because they are the three highest massifs of the continent. Pissis has a central glacier and two main summits on opposite sides. Actually, Pissis has six named summits because its crater is so vast and has an outstanding shape, similar to an enormous crown. Pissis, for those who like mountain stories, was first climbed in 1937 by polish mountaineers and has a controversial history about altitudes. Night in tent.

We hike down to base camp. We drive back to Fiambala. The drive takes between six to eight hours. We visit the hot springs once more. Night in hotel.

We wake up at the hot spring hotel in Fiambala and drive to drive back to Catamarca city which takes about four hours. On the way, we drive through a village called Tinogasta. There are several incipient wineries as the land and climate is suitable and the region has a promising future for fine wine production. Night in hotel in Catamarca

We farewell you at Catamarca airport to take the flight back home.