Cerro Bonete 7-day guided trek in Aconcagua

A fantastic 7 day trekking trip in the Aconcagua's base camps with an easy ascent to Cerro Bonete, led by local EPGAMT guide Ilan.

Andes

7 Days

Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec

High

Intermediate

Description

I invite you to live 7 days of pure trekking visiting the base camps and the legendary South Wall of the Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the world after the Himalayan peaks. It will be also an introductory trek to high altitude mountaineering. For that reason I propose a 5000-meter ascent to Cerro Bonete with no technical difficulty.

And if this were not enough, you can choose the option to return to the starting point by helicopter, flying over the incredible Aconcagua Massif rising among the Central Andes of Mendoza, Argentina.

This one week trekking expedition to Cerro Bonete, will allow you to know the most important base camps of the Normal Route to the Aconcagua’s summit. Thanks to our mules service, we’ll walk without heavy backpacks what will make us enjoy the landscape to the fullest.

If you want to know more details about the itinerary, I invite you to find the day by day program at the end of this page.

Contact me now and come live an unforgettable trekking adventure in Cerro Bonete and the key spots of Mount Aconcagua with a local professional guide!

Price includes

Accommodation included
Guiding fee
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Transportation start and back

Price details

Optional services: Hotel in Mendoza, transfers from the airport or bus station, heli charter from Plaza de Mulas to Horcones (cost: USD 1,300 per flight for 2 people max.) // Not included services: trekking permit fees in the Aconcagua Provincial Park, accommodation in Mendoza, beverages in Mendoza and Penitentes; extra costs in case of leave the trip in advance (mules, guide fees, etc), personal equipment, medications, air or ground evacuations, room services, laundry, telephone calls, medical service and any other service not mentioned in this program.

Itinerary

Day 1: Mendoza - The Penitents (2580 m)

Transfer from the airport (optional). Meeting with the guide and members of the trekking and the summit expedition group, equipment check, rental of equipment if necessary. Obtaining the permit with assistance of the guide. Transfer to Los Penitentes in private vehicles. Accommodation in the mountain hotel (2580m). Our operations center is located in this locality. Here we’ll prepare your backpacks for their transfer in mules.

Day 2: Penitentes - Confluencia

Breakfast at the hotel, transfer from Los Penitentes to the entrance to the Park (Horcones, 2,950m) by vehicle. Check of permissions. We’ll begin the approach trekking. After an easy walk of 3 to 4 hours we’ll arrive at Confluencia (3,390m), the first camp of the Normal Route.

Day 3: Confluencia - South Wall Viewpoint (Plaza Francia)

On this day we will take a detour to see the impressive South Wall of Aconcagua. The main objective of the day is to get acclimatized to the altitude. After a walk of 6 to 7 hours (without load), we’ll return to Confluencia to spend the night.

Day 4: Confluencia - Plaza de Mulas

After a demanding trekking of 7-8 hours and after visiting Playa Ancha and La Cuesta Brava, we’ll arrive at our comfortable base camp in Plaza de Mulas.

Day 5: Rest day in Plaza de Mulas

Day dedicated to rest, read in the tents or learn about the interesting world of the base camp. Whatever the activity, you have to be well hydrated.

Day 6: Ascent to Cerro Bonete (5/6 hours - 5004 m)

This no technical ascent will allow us to appreciate a striking view of the Western Wall of the Aconcagua and the Central Andes and, of course, to reach a summit of 5,000 meters!

Day 7: Plaza de Mulas - Horcones - Mendoza

After a breakfast and farewell with the guide and the group that continues with the expedition, we will return through the Quebrada de Horcones to the entrance to the Aconcagua Park. From there our vehicle will take us back to Mendoza City, where the program ends.

Details

More info

Please note that the program starts at 9 AM, in order to have enough time to leave the equipment and obtain the trekking permit before noon. Please, coordinate your arrival flight according to this schedule. It is recommended to arrive to Mendoza the previous day.

Meeting point

Mendoza City

About the guide

Ilan

Mountain Guide

For most of my adult life the mountains, especially the Andes of South America, have been a source of self realization and fulfillment. There is nowhere I feel more mindful and free then out in the hills. I fell in love with the outdoors on family hikes in the Israeli desert. My love affair with the mountains started while working in the Alta Ski Resort in Utah, USA. But it was in Argentina after a season working as a porter on Aconcagua that I decided to make guiding my profession. I am forever grateful for the chance to share my passion with others as a way of making a living.

During the austral summer I work exclusively on Aconcagua leading groups up the western hemisphere's tallest mountain. For most of my clients these expeditions are their first foray up a high altitude mountaineering destination. The altitude, extreme weather and two weeks of tent life are a new and challenging experience. Supporting clients through this experience is my favorite aspect of guiding: being able to introduce people to this knew powerful environment and to help them discover their inner strengths to complete this exciting challenge.

When I am not guiding on Aconcagua the Cordillera Real in Bolivia, the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash in Peru and the national parks of Patagonia are my favorite places for climbs and treks in South America. Especially the Huayhuash Trek in Peru and Mt. Illimani in Bolivia for their utter beauty and incredible cultural richness.

I am also an avid mountain biker and hill runner. There is nothing I like to do more during the off season then to explore mountain biking itineraries that cross the Andes. I offer trips that cross the Andes twice in Patagonia, go over 5,000-meter high passes from Salta, Argentina to the Atacama desert in Chile and a ride that starts in Cusco, Peru descends to mythical Machu Picchu and then climbs up to Lago Titicaca.

The amazing thing about South America is that there is an infinite number of untapped destinations ready to be discovered. Whether it be for trekking, mountaineering, mountain biking or hill running there is an ideal itinerary for everyone. Some are classic destinations offered by various outfitters but many are bespoke trips tailored for your specific interests. It would be my great pleasure to be able to organize and lead you on your next South American excursion.

Languages

| English

Certificates

EPGAMT

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What people are saying about Explore-Share

Man

Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!

Maxine

Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.

Valeriya

You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.

Joshua

We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.

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Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.

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