Climb Ojos del Salado and Trek San Pedro de Atacama

Ojos del Salado Highest Volcano of the World

Tour Description

Climb Ojos del Salado Volcano, Chile’s highest peak and the world’s tallest volcano soaring to an altitude of 22,572 ft (6,893m).  

Our climbing schedule includes 6 days of trekking and easy hiking to get acclimatized around the well known oasis of San Pedro de Atacama, in Chile’s striking northern altiplano, surrounded by saltwater lakes, geysers, flamingos, and natural hot springs. Later we travel southeast to Laguna Verde at 14,765 ft. (4,400m) a turquoise lake with a view of snow-capped volcanoes and red desert slopes facing our final destination, Ojos del Salado. The Refugio Atacama base camp located at 17,000 ft (5,350m) is accessible by 4-wheel drive vehicles, which makes this tour an easy and fantastic climbing peak, with the necessary gradual altitude adjustment program, minimizing any risk of high altitude sickness such as “puna” and edema. From this point we hike to Refugio Tejos, a hut at 19,350 ft (5,750m), which is probably the highest mountain hut in the world! Gentle scree slopes and occasional snow patches lead us to the main summit. There is a fixed rope on the last 80-meter push to reach the true summit!!

To see an Ojos del Salado topographic map click here

                                 To order a topographic map : click here

Day by day itinerary

Day 1 Calama - San Pedro. Meet with your Guide at the airport in Calama and transfer to San Pedro de Atacama 2450m/ After check in procedures Guide will check members gear. In the afternoon we get transfer to the Salt Cordillera and the Moon Valley area for a light trek in these impressive geological formations millions years ago. Impressive sunset view of the Moon valley. Return to SP. Hotel.

Day 02 San Pedro Atacama – Toconao – Salar Atacama – Moon Valley. Drive 40 km south of San Pedro, is Toconao, a village even smaller than San Pedro. It seems to be absolutely in the middle of nowhere with any sustenance, but at its edge you come upon a river tumbling down from the Andes. The river has carved out a canyon (Quebrada de Jeria) which is green with life, making for an absolutely stunning contrast with the desert above. Salar de Atacama is the largest salt flat in Chile, here we will visit the Chaxa Lagoon that provides habitat for bird species. Among those are Chilean and Andean Flamingos. Return for lunch to San Pedro, afternoon we visit the Salt Cordillera and the Moon Valley area for a light trek in these impressive geological formations millions years ago. Impressive sunset view of the Moon valley. Return to SP. Hotel.

Day 3 Trek The Catarpe Canyon – Rio Grande. After breakfast, tour to the extraordinary archaeological museum of Padre Gustavo Le Paige. Among its many artifacts (more than 300,000 archeological pieces from various pre-hispanic cultures) are rows of amazingly well preserved mummies.  Next, follow up the archeological data with a three km hike to the 12th century Pukara de Quitor National Monument and another two km to Catarpe, to see what may have been an Incan Administrative Center for the region. Continue the trek to San Bartolo village along a scenic canyon. We get transfer by van from San Bartolo to Rio Grande 3,500 m (10,500ft) and set up camp and spend the night here. Tent

Day 4 Rio Grande – Machuca village.  This is a 5-6 hour trek, up the altiplano from an altitude of 3,500 m (10,500ft) to the isolated village of Machuca at 4,100m/ 12,300ft, a regular stopover for ancient llama caravans traveling the Inca Trail. Along the way you'll see examples of traditional terrace agriculture, impressive scenery and wildlife. Tent

Day 5 Machuca – El Tatio - Soquete. Early start towards El Tatio 4,500m/ 13,500ft) for sunrise view of the geological thermal activities of the geysers and later climb of the easy Soquete peak 5,400m/ 16,200 ft near El Tatio. Return to our camp set near Tatio area. Tent

Day 6 Tatio – Puritana – Laguna Verde. Transfer to Puritama to enjoy this great hot spring area with a light lunch, and transfer to Bolivia to Laguna Verde, a beautiful altiplanic lake at the foot step of Licancabur, 4,300 m (14,000 ft).

Day 7 Licancabur – Summit – San Pedro At 4.00am we get a 30 minutes transfer till 4,650m, point where we start the climb of Licancabur 5,930m (19455 ft). It will take 10-12 hours to reach the summit and return to the transfer point. Great view of the Bolivian and Chilean many six thousands peaks. Return in the afternoon to San Pedro Atacama for a comfortable Hotel night and dinner! Hotel

Day 8 San Pedro Atacama - Taltal.  Today we will spend a long drive towards Taltal in the Pacific, coastal town famous for the abundance of "red conger". Across from its coasts is one of the deepest trenches all over the world.  On the way we stop at Chacabuco one of the many abandoned nitrate or "saltpeter" towns ("oficinas salitreras" in Spanish) in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.  We sleep at Hotel in Taltal. Hotel.

Day 9 Taltal – Pan de Azúcar – Salar Pedernales. Drive south to Pan de Azúcar National Park, which is a national park of Chile. The park straddles the border between the Antofagasta Region and the Atacama Region. Its name, Parque Nacional Pan de Azúcar, means "sugar loaf". We will visit the Humboldt Penguins colonies that breed on this island. After lunch we keep directions back to the altiplano towards the Pedernales Salar and set a camp at 3,400mts. Camp

Day 10  Pedernales – Laguna Verde. Beautiful drive in the desert through copper mines, Flamingos colony, the Domeyko mountain range to reach the amazing Laguna Verde emerald and Turkish lake located at 4.340m.  Camp

Day 11 Laguna Verde. Rest day and easy walking around Laguna Verde. We get into hot spring just in front of our camp. Tent

Day 12 Mulas Muertas. We hike Mulas Muertas peak 5.897m (19,347ft.) to enhance our acclimatization plan. We need to keep adjusting our body to be able t feel comfortable and strong with the altitude. This particular desert area is well know as a puna one, so we want to keep focusing on hiking high and sleeping low. Camp

Day 13 Drive to Refugio Atacama, our base camp located at 14,445 ft (5,350m). Tent 

Day 14 Hike to Refugio Tejos 19,350 ft with food and common equipment and return to base camp. Tent

Day 15  Rest day.Tent

Day 16 Hike to Refugio Tejos and prepare for early summit day. Tent

Day 17 Summit day wheatear permitting.  We leave Tejos camp and start our climb to the summit. A fix rope at the last 80 meter summit push needs to be climb to stand in the real summit to reach the 6893 m / 22615 ft.

Day 18 Reserve day. Tent

Day 19 Descent o Bahia Inglesa at the beach. Hotel

Day 20 Transfer to airport of Copiapo for domestic flight to Santiago and connection with international flight home, end of services.

BOOK NOW !

                                 To order a topographic map : click here

BOOK NOW !

Tour Details

Service includes

• Professional Bilingual Mountain Guide.
• Ratio, Guide to Clients 1-4.
• Ojos del Salado permit included till US $ 160.
• Difrol permit process.
• High quality expedition common gear: The North Face, Mountain Hardware and Marmot tents, isolate mattress, high camp stoves & Fuel.
• First aid kit, hyperbaric chamber, oxygen bottles, oximeter, including O2 at our high camps.
• Satellite phone at base camp on a per minute payment basis.
• VHF 2 mt & BLU HF radio communication equipment.
• Full base camp set up dining tent, chair, tables, etc..
• All meals during the expedition.
• Permanently available hot drinks and biscuits at base camp tent.
• Six hotel nights double occupancy with breakfast.
• Flight Santiago – Copiapo - Santiago with 20 kg baggage. 
• Flight Santiago – Mendoza with 20 kg baggage. 
• Private transportation including airport pick up.
• All local organization and supervision by KL Adventure & Aconcagua Express Staff.

Service does not include

• All personal climbing equipment gear.  
• Any cost involve in a early or late departure.
• Any drinks (soda, beer or wine) in the cities.
• Arrival dinner in San Pedro and final dinner in Bahia Inglesa.
• Cancellation, accident and rescue insurance.
• Cash for extra expenses.
• Any other service not mentioned in the list.
• Gratuities are not included.

Important

• All itineraries are subject to change due to changes in the weather, individual’s acclimatization rates and the guide’s preferences.
• Any departure dates can be re-scheduled with a minimum of 6 persons.

Once you get registered, we will send you :

• A detailed list of all the equipment you need.

 Aconcagua short equipment list :

-Non detailed version (this is only for “packing your bags”)
-Items marked with ** are available for rent.  Items marked with * are available for purchase.

Head:

•  **Ski Goggles
•  *Light weight Balaclava
•  *Warm fleece or wool hat
•  *Glacier glasses
•  *Extra pair of sunglasses (these don’t need to be glacier glasses)
• Hat or cap with neck protection for sun on the approach days
• High U.V. Buff (Optional)
• Neoprene face mask

Hands:

• Fleece liners
• Gore-Tex ski gloves
• **Mittens

 Upper Body:

• (2) Polypropylene top- one medium weight and one expedition weight. 
• (2) Fleece jackets or lightweight synthetic insulated jacket.
• (1) If you opt to only use one of the above jackets then you need an insulated vest.
• Ultralight wind jacket (Optional) 
• Gore-Tex parka
• **(1)Expedition Down Parka with down hood.
• Long sleeve lightweight cotton type shirt for the hike in.

 Lower Body:

• (2)-Polypropylene bottom one lightweight and one expedition weight.
• (1)-One pair of schoeler or nylon pants.
• **Insulated over pants or fleece pants with full side zips
• Lightweight Gore-Tex pants with full side zips

 Feet:

• 2 pair of socks for the approach.
• 3 pair of sock combinations (in additition to above)
• Gaiters
• **Down or synthetic booties (optional)
• **Double plastic boots
• Light weight hiking boots, trekking shoes or sneakers
• Sandals or neoprene booties.

 Sleeping:

• **Down or synthetic rated –10 degrees F/ -26 degrees C
• Compression sack for sleeping bag
• Thermarest pad with repair kit

 Backpacks and other bags:

• **Internal frame Backpack
• *Day pack
• Some medium and large stuff sacks
• 3 heavy-duty plastic bags
• **1 large and 1 extra large duffel bags
• An assortment of Ziploc bags.

 Miscellaneous:

• **Trekking poles or ski poles (MANDATORY)
• Bandanna (for sun protection and cleaning glasses etc.)
• Hand warmers (purchased in most outdoor stores)
• Ear plugs (for those windy nights or snoring tent mates)
• Potable aqua (1 bottle)
• (2) Mole foam made by 3M (for treating blisters) (MANDATORY)
• 1 roll of athletic tape (mandatory)
• Knife with built in scissors for cutting mole foam/skin.
• Sunscreen SPF 30 or higher. Consider bringing Zinc oxide if you burn easily.
• Head lamp with extra batteries
• Toiletry items (toothbrush/toothpaste, baby wipes (very usefull), tampons
• 2 Lip balms (chapstick with SPF)
• 2 water bottles (two liters capacity) and 1 one-liter thermos.  
• Many people like to have a separate wide mouth bottle only for peeing in. This bottle should be clearly labeled!
• Cup, bowl and spoon.

 Climbing:

• Climbing seat harness (Polish Glacier only)
• 1 Locking Carabiner  (Polish Glacier only)
• **Ice axe and leash 60-70 cm
• **Crampons

 Food:

• 2-3 pounds total and include items you know will look tasty if feeling less than 100% and that you have experimented with in training. Popular choices may include a variety of certain energy bars, energy gels, candies, nuts, dried fruits, rice crispy treats, brownies etc...

 Medical:

• Ibuprofen, Motrin or Advil
• Asperin
• Blister kit (athletic tape, mole foam, and 5-6 bandaids)

 Optional Items:

• Camera, Paperback book, Pee funnel (for women only), Music

Physical conditioning for your trip with KL Adventure

Whether your trip involves trekking, mountaineering, or technical climbing, your training program should involve the following:

• Alpine-specific training (via hiking with a pack and specific skills development pertaining to your trip)
• Strength training (via free weights, a weighted backpack, bodyweight exercises, or gym machines)
• Cardiovascular training (via spinal-loading aerobic training)

Alpine specific training - During your training, progressively ramp up your speed, duration (time or mileage), and pack weight of weekly training hikes to give you alpine-specific conditioning that cannot be matched by any other type of training. Hike steep outdoor trails, gradually increasing your pack weight with each outing until you are at your target trip pack weight. A reasonable target for multi-day trips would be to ascend 3,500 feet in a 2-2.5 hour period, or roughly 1,750 vertical feet in an hour, with your target trip pack weight. In early season, you might start out with a 15# pack on hikes that gain up to 1,500’ elevation over 6-8 miles round trip; each hike try increasing the total elevation gain, distance, and/or speed, then begin adding several pounds per trip until you are comfortable with your target trip pack weight. When you can gain 3,500 feet with your target pack weight, start to decrease rest breaks and increase speed.  Include overnight trips in your training regimen to get accustomed to successive days of sustained work with little to no recovery time.

Strength training - Training with free weights, a weighted backpack, bodyweight exercises, or gym machines will help you build overall strength, particularly in the core (lower back and abdominals), upper back, and legs. Developing strength in your upper back and shoulders will help you with such tasks as carrying a pack and using ice axe, ice tools or trekking poles effectively.  The calves, hips, quads, hamstrings and glutes are all involved in ascending and descending alpine routes, and strength endurance is required in all areas of the legs and hips.  Technical climbing will require a solid foundation in upper body strength training as well. Training primarily with free weights will give you the functional, alpine-specific strength that will help you most in the mountains. In early phases of strength conditioning, focus on building a foundation for harder workouts, starting with 2-3 sets of each exercise for 8-10 repetitions. As you continue to train, you will shift focus to building strength through lower repetitions (5-8) to build maximum strength. Finally for the last 4-6 weeks before your trip start increasing the repetitions to build strength endurance and mental and physical stamina; each phase varies the weight used, repetitions completed, number of sets, and rest interval.  Most important in strength training is to be sure you maintain proper form at all times in order to prevent injury or strain.

Cardiovascular training – Activities you can add several times per week to supplement your alpine-specific pack carrying training include spinal-loading exercises such as trail running, walking on an inclined treadmill, doing stair stepping or stepmill training, working on an elliptical machine, or walking up and down hills or stairs with a weighted pack.  In early season, include at least 3-4 sessions of 30-45 minutes of sustained activity at a moderate intensity, and gradually build to 4-5 aerobic sessions of sustained effort for an hour or more as you approach your trip. If you will be at high altitude for portions of your trip, include interval training in your weekly program. To do this, find a steep hill or sets of stairs that will allow you to climb steadily for several minutes. Push as hard as you can while you go up, then recover coming down, and repeat for anywhere from 30-45 minutes.  For hill walks, add weight to your pack on a regular basis until you can carry slightly more than your target pack weight (referred to as over-weight training) the whole time. Participate in as many hikes or climbs that take you above 8,000’ as you possibly can, in order to learn how your body responds to high altitude.

This training information brought to you by KL Adventure conditioning partner, Body Results. For more conditioning information, products and services and special pricing for KLA’s clients go to www.bodyresults.com/kla