The giant stratovolcano of Ojos del Salado rises along the South American border between Argentina and Chile. It comprises the east of Chilean Copiapó and the west of Argentinian Fiambalá. At 6,893 meters, Ojos del Salado is the highest active volcano in the world, and second highest peak in the Southern and Western Hemispheres. Its ascent is technically gentle except for the final meters, which require ropes and harnesses. There are two routes to reach Ojos del Salado: the San Francisco International Pass from the Argentinian side, and the more accessible and shorter route from the Chilean side. Visit during the milder months between October and March for ideal climbing conditions.
(4.8)
What should I know about Mountain Climbing Ojos del Salado?
The stratovolcano of Ojos del Salado hangs extremely high on the South American border between Argentina and Chile. At 6,893 meters above sea level, it is the highest active volcano on Earth, as well as being the second highest mountain in both the Western and Southern Hemisphere. The Andean giant of Aconcagua (6,961m), the highest mountain, stands just 370 miles away. The translation of the stratovolcano is The Eyes of the Salty One, due to its large deposits of salt in lagoons and glaciers.
Why should I choose Ojos del Salado for my Mountain Climbing adventure?
Giant volcanic neighbourhood
What can I expect from the weather during my Mountain Climbing trip in Ojos del Salado?
The region of the Ojos del Salado receive a dry climate during the summer months, which is due to its location in the Atacama dessert and the Andes.
Which language is predominantly spoken in the Ojos del Salado region?
Spanish.
What currency is accepted around Ojos del Salado?
Argentinian peso (ARS) and Chilean peso (CLP).
What's the country code for the Ojos del Salado region?
+54 in Argentina and +56 in Chile.
When is the best time to travel to Ojos del Salado for Mountain Climbing?
Visit during the milder months between October and March for ideal climbing conditions.
5.00
This review was for a guide (Gaston Lopez) sent by Hernan. This was the worst guiding I've experienced on any trip taken over the last 8 years on over a dozen trips around the world. Numerous issues that you would not expect from a guide who's been certified for 12+ years. The most significant being: suggested I could wear normal hiking boots on a 6016 meter mountain (Nevado San Francisco) when I've always worn doubles on 6000 and even on cold 5000 meter mountains. An inexperienced person could have had foot issues/frost bite as it was cold the day we summited. Not knowing the route on Ojos - he suggested we try for the summit at 13:30 after moving from Arenal to the higher camp, but couldn't provide an answer when I asked what the average time was for people to summit when leaving from the high camp. We eventually had to turn around from this summit attempt because he seriously misjudged the timing and lost the route during our ascent. After this failed attempt, he said we'd make another attempt the following morning and that it would take maybe 7 hours up and 5 hours down, meaning we'd need to leave by 8:00 at the absolute latest to make it back before dark. The next morning he was still sleeping at 7:00, and hadn't mentioned anything about departure time the night before, so I left before him and led myself up to the plateau before he caught up and we went the rest of the way together. By this point I had lost all confidence in his guiding ability, advice, and planning, so I made the decision to leave on my own for the summit because I knew he wasn't leaving me enough time by sleeping in. Other issues: every time this guide verbalized the itinerary, it was different (he was clearly very disorganized and lacked basic planning skills); this was the worst and cheapest food I've experienced on any trip. Example: after an 11-hour summit day, we had canned lentils, canned vegetables, rice, tuna, and tomatoes mixed together for dinner vs. other teams that ate grilled meat, stir fry, hamburgers, tacos, etc. There was also inadequate/low quality breakfast of cookies and cereal only, as opposed to other teams eating eggs, toast with jam & peanut butter, bread/chapati, etc.; of all the guided teams at Las Grutas, we didn't have paperwork for the car to get past the gendarmie post so we had to get a ride from someone else to Nevado (shows poor planning and logistics); pacing was not great and he was so far ahead of me most of the time that he had no idea what my pace was, not to mention this is a dangerous practice in terms of keeping an eye on your client; guide had no hand sanitizer and didn't wash hands when preparing food; guide incorrectly told me I was developing HAPE because of a cough I tend to get at altitude but my oxsat was 83% and resting heart rate was ~95 bpm at 5500 meters.
5.00
Highly recommended, very professional and trained guide. Attentive at all times to the needs of each one. The expedition was a complete success. Thanks Eze!!
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