Tupungato Expedition
- Tupungato History and more
- Maps
Volcan Tupungato 6.560m
Tupungato, one of the highest mountains in South America, is a massive stratovolcano dating to Pleistocene times. It lies on the border between Chile and the province of Mendoza, Argentina, near a major international highway about 80 km (50 mi) east of Santiago, Chile. It is located about 100 km (60 mi) south of Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America, and gives its name to an important Argentine wine producing region within Mendoza, the Tupungato Department.
Many villages are found in the area, and Tupungato is traditionally approached from either the north, west, or south. Nearby to the southwest is the smaller peak known as Tupungatito, an active volcano whose last eruption was in 1987.
On August 2, 1947, the airliner Star Dust, an Avro Lancastrian carrying 11 passengers over the Andes range, crashed into a steep glacier high on Tupungato. The plane was quickly buried in the resulting avalanche and heavy snowfall that was taking place at the time. The plane lay undetected deep beneath the snow and glacial ice for over 50 years, before its remnants finally re-emerged at the glacier terminus in 2000. Shortly thereafter, a team discovered the scattered debris and wreckage, collecting some of the evidence for investigation.
The first ascent was succeed by Mattias Zurbriggen and Stuart Vines, from Fitz Gerald's expedition on April 12th, 1897, three month after Mattias Zurbriggen had successfully climbed Aconcagua.
This volcano is an important challenge for mountainer that want to practise on high peak, it is isolated, technically easy, however as difficult as to climb Aconcagua. But as it is less famous than Aconcagua, it is still wild and little visited, and only few hours driving from Santiago-Chile.
The best period to climb it is between December and March. Have a look to our 17 days program.
Tupungato Map
To see a topographic map : click here
To order a topographic map click here
Satellital Map :
