$2.900.000
Explore the land of the world's highest volcano on our Ojos del Salado Expedition! This adventure will take you on an exciting journey to attempt its summit and surprise you with its unique landscape. You will be rewarded with breathtaking views of the Chilean Andes and the Atacama Desert ecosystem.
An expedition focused on the mountains of La Puna de Atacama, an Andean plateau located between Chile and Argentina that houses a large number of mountains of more than six thousand meters of altitude, salt flats, and typical fauna of the area such as vicuñas, guanacos, flamingos, Andean foxes, and condors. We will meet in the city of Copiapó (390 masl) the day before the defined date to see the last details of the expedition and make the last purchases of food and fuel before starting the trip to the Atacama Desert, driving directly to Laguna Santa Rosa - at 3,700 masl - so it is important to come already with an acclimatization process started. Laguna Santa Rosa is a high mountain salt lake in the Atacama Desert, in the north of Chile, where a refuge is located and some facilities that will allow us to enjoy the first two days of our trip with a panoramic view of Nevado Tres Cruces and a good acclimatization trail to Cerro Siete Hermanas. Our trip will continue in an easterly direction to close to the border with Argentina, enjoy the hot springs of Laguna Verde (4,310 masl) and continue our acclimatization process in the Nevado San Francisco (6,016 masl). Here we will have another camping option at the Murray Refuge (4,522), the starting place of the road to the base camp of Ojos del Salado. We considered three days to organize our summit attempt at the Ojos del Salado volcano. The final plan will be defined together by evaluating how the acclimatization process has gone, how each one feels, and the conditions of the route for both 4x4 vehicles and in the upper part of the mountain. An alternative is to start the summit attempt from Laguna Verde (4,310 masl) or Campamento Atacama (5,200 masl) driving to the Tejos refuge (5,800 masl), and from this point start walking. But depending on the conditions, or so we decide, it is possible to start the ascent from Atacama the day before. On our ninth day we will drive in the morning back to Copiapó or Bahía Inglesa / Caldera and thereby end our trip to the highest mountain in Chile and the highest active volcano in the world.
Program available between November 2024 and April 2025 for private groups. So if you are interested, happy to coordinate it and adjust the services as they best suit what you need.
7 pm
Meeting in Copiapo (390 masl), group meeting and last purchases.
9 am
Transfer by 4x4 vehicle from Copiapo to Laguna Santa Rosa at 3,760 meters above sea level (+-3 hours, 150 km of asphalt and dirt).
Acclimatization at Cerro Siete Hermanas
4,780 meters above sea level; 7 km uphill; 1,000 meters of altitude.
11 am
Transfer by 4x4 vehicle to camp in Laguna Verde 4,300 masl (+-1.5 hours, 110 km on dirt and asphalt road).
Acclimatization in Nevado San Francisco
6,016 meters above sea level; +- 5 km uphill; +-940 meters of altitude.
Attempted summit Ojos del Salado
Itinerary to be planned according to the conditions of the expedition.
Return to Copiapo
End of services.
| Includes: |
Mountain guiding service in a non-private program with bilingual guides (English / Spanish). All guides are Chilean residents, members of the Nati... Read more |
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| Does not include: |
Tips; Additional and private services (private guide, individual tents, private rooms in refuges, etc.); Equipment responsibility of the client; L... Read more |
| Equipment responsibility of the client: |
Thick, long socks (2) and a pair of thin socks (liner); Waterproof and windproof jacket; Base layer top and bottom: long underwear and long-sleeve... Read more |
| Criteria used to suspend the activity: |
The participant puts activity or participants safety at risk; the participant does not follow actions for the good development of the activity; cl... Read more |
| Description of actions that the participant must follow for the proper development of the activity: |
It will be required of those who participate in the program to respect and protect the historical, natural, and cultural heritage in which the act... Read more |
| Limitations and/or restrictions of the activity: |
Not suitable for people with heart problems or disabilities that may prevent them from participating in long-term strenuous physical activity, chi... Read more |
| Experience and technical capacity required: |
Apt for people without previous climbing experience but with an adequate shape to participate in up to +12 hours per day of physical activity in w... Read more |
| Payment Methods: |
Payment in Cash (only Dollars, Euros, or CLP), Credit Card, Online bank transfer (Chilean - CLP or Austrian - EUR Bank). If payment is made in for... Read more |
| Price: |
The prices of each program are presented in Chilean pesos (CLP, CH$) and correspond to the price per 1 person taxes included. All our programs hav... Read more |
| Reservation: |
It is done through the website or by email (info@huellandina.com). We will confirm availability within 24 hours of receiving the information from ... Read more |
| Insurance: |
Throughout the program whenever adventure tourism activities take place: hiking, trekking, climbing volcanoes participants will be covered by comp... Read more |
| Cancellation Policy: |
- Cancellation requested by the client with more than 2 days before the program start date: refund available with a penal... Read more |
“ChECKLIST FOR Expedition to Nevado Ojos del Salado”
| Per group: |
The price indicated in the program is per person for a group of 2 or more participants. It is possible to carry out the expedition with only 1 participant, in this case the cost is $4.500.000 CLP. |
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Yes, for the 9-day program it is important to arrive with the acclimatization process already started. That is to say, to have already been doing some activity above 4,000 meters of altitude.
This can be done independently by traveling to the San Pedro de Atacama mountain range and doing a few day hikes and climbs, or by taking advantage of the proximity of the mountains around Santiago, such as El Plomo, Leonera, or the San José volcano in Cajón del Maipo, to do some classic mountaineering.
Another option is to extend our stay in the Atacama region and make a program of more days, but we believe that the best options are visiting other regions either independently (with our support for you to organize the trip) or accompanying you through our altitude program in Santiago!
We recommend having prior experience with high-altitude and being in good physical condition (this is a must). So, as it’s crucial to understand how your body reacts to altitude, the more prepared you are, the better your chances of success at Ojos del Salado, so climb and hike gaining altitude gradually as high as you can before arriving in Copiapó will be the best way to prepare your body for this expedition.
Our trips are subject to guide and logistic availability. We work with small groups (most of our trips can be done with just a single client), so most of the time we will adjust everything to align with your schedule, so we can confirm the dates and proceed with the arrangements to make it happen!
The expedition begins in Copiapó, the closest major city to Ojos del Salado. The nearest airport is CPO (Desierto de Atacama Airport). We may also arrange pick-ups from nearby towns like Caldera or Bahía Inglesa if preferred (both villages with accommodations close to the shore of the Pacific ocean), but the recommendation is to begin in the major city (to ease the departure and buy the last supplies) and to finish the trip at the sea!
If you are traveling as a tourist, you will only need a regular tourist visa for Chile (based on your nationality). However, for climbs in the border regions (like Ojos del Salado), we must handle special border permits. This permission is part of the logistics that we will do for the expedition, so once you send us your information during the booking process, we will have all the data needed to manage it directly with DIFROL (The National Department of State Borders and Boundaries).
No, it will not be a medical doctor during the expedition.
We like to manage the logistics of our expeditions in the same way that we like to climb for ourselves, so as minimalist as possible to manage a balance with comfort and security. So, while there are no dedicated medical doctors in the group, the lead guide is trained to monitor altitude sickness and adapt the itinerary as needed. The guides are experienced in managing the group's physical condition at high altitudes.
We provide all meals in camps or refuges during the expedition, so you need to care on what you will eat while climbing and hiking, and when we are are towns or villages.
Meals are designed to provide optimal nutrition for high-altitude climbing. We offer a variety of local dishes and cater to special dietary requirements (e.g., vegetarian, gluten-free). Please make sure to inform us of any dietary preferences or restrictions during the booking process!#
In our trips, we do not usually work with cooks or helpers, so we do it together with you, as partners: clients and guides will be cooking and managing all that needs to be done in camops during the expedition.
Accommodation is tent-based during the expedition (two persons per tent), if refuges are available we will use them in shared rooms. Private tents and private rooms are available at additional cost and subject to availability.
As we generally work with small groups, actually often offer private trips. We can organize a trip for one single participant, but please note that if you're the only participant, you will be responsible for the full cost of the expedition, if you are OK with it and nobody else is joining the trip this will means that we can easily adapt everything to suits you, but in case that someone else joins, this will reduce the cost per participant, but it will always be in accordance to the guide : clients ratio defined for the program.
While summiting Ojos del Salado is the ultimate goal, the experience itself is about more than just the summit. We adjust the itinerary if needed and between the possibilities, ensuring that you have a safe and rewarding experience even if the summit attempt is not successful. The journey through the Andes and the Atacama desert is incredibly enriching, and your safety and enjoyment are our priorities.
Expedition cancellation is rare but can happen due to unforeseen logistical issues before departure (e.g., it is not possible to arrive at the departure location due to a major natural event) or guide issues close to the trip start (e.g., getting sick, or injured). During the expedition, it can be due to issues like altitude sickness or weather conditions that could force us to adjust the itinerary, though this is part of what can happen in a high-altitude expedition.
We recommend acclimatizing at higher altitudes before arriving in Copiapó. This is especially important if you are not used to high-altitude environments. Some helpful tips:
- Spend time at 3,000–4,000 masl before traveling to Chile, or,
- Consider using an altitude tent or similar gear to simulate altitude training.
- If possible, climb nearby mountains, a good spot to complement your travel to Chile can be in San Pedro de Atacama, or do an acclimatization program like our 6-day program in the big mountains around Santiago de Chile (and the most important international airport in Chile, SCL).
