Ascent to two Andean 6000 m summits in 12 days

Along the vastness of the Atacama Desert, near the border of Argentina and Chile, there are two 6000 m peaks that are just as beautiful as challenging for you to climb: San Francisco Volcano (6023 m) and Cerro Vicuñas (6088 m). Both are part of this complete 12-day itinerary that starts and ends in the small town of Copiapó, with an exciting adventure in between.

Let’s picture this expedition for a minute, shall we? We’ll start at Copiapó and move on to Laguna Santa Rosa, where we can admire the pristine waters of the lagoon and spend the night in a nice hut. Afterwards, we will climb a 4780 m peak called Siete Hermanos, as part of our acclimatization. We will rest for a day and spend the night at a comfortable hut that has a pool of warm water to relax as much as we can.

The following day, we will climb Mulas Muertas peak, at 5200 m. We will probably be tired, so I scheduled a rest day in between, before the big adventure of reaching the summit of San Francisco Volcano. After another day of resting our bodies, we will reach our second 6000 m summit: the cone shaped Cerro Vicuñas.

These two 6000 m summits are fairly easy to reach for experienced and fit climbers, but remember that 6000 m are never suited for the faint of heart. In order to really enjoy and succeed in this adventure, it’s important no to underestimate it: high altitude and bad weather can make things difficult.

If you are already in love with this itinerary, don’t waste another minute: send a request to book it now! 

If you want to explore more of the Andes and you have a spare few days, you can try this 2-day guided ascent to Cerro Penitentes (4350 m) in Mendoza, Argentina.