Logistic Support

Mules through Plaza Mulas, Plaza Argentina, Plaza Guanacos & Plaza Francia

Mule Service

AE transports from its storage at Penitentes to the intermediate camps of Confluencia Inferior and Superior, Pampa Leña, Casa Piedra and the Plaza de Mula, Plaza Argentina, Plaza Francia & Plaza Guanacos base camps, all expedition gear under its responsibility to make sure of its delivery to each client or expedition group and its later return to Penitentes and/or Puente del Inca.

AE stores gear in all those camps until its personalized delivery. We also take care of gear when the teams climb up to high camps.

AE takes special care of its animals, with a year round feeding program, vaccinations, and vitamins. It is important to consider that good treatment and care of the animals is synonymous to the intergral, timely, and safe arrival of equipment to base camp, as well as permitting an efficient operation during the entire climbing season in this zone of the Andes.

Base camp services

Food Service: Aconcagua Express provides the highest standard of meals in the base camps and high altitude camps, far superior to the competition!

AE is the only company that provides food service with a Trained Chef at Plaza de Mulas and Plaza Argentina base camps. Our Chef-Manager at Plaza Mulas, the young Argentine, Jorgelina Gonzalez, is who delights the clients with a balanced menu, one of the key points for the success of each AE expedition.

At Plaza Argentina is her sister Carolina in charge to offer delicious meals to those that choose this route!!

AE clients has permanent acces to snacks, cookies or crackers, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, water for prepare any drink to the customers taste. This is an ongoing daily service for Aconcagua Express clients

Our high altitude meals are delicious and energetic lyophilized “Travellunch” portions (from Germany) that allow easy and clean cooking at high camps. These portions take into consideration the specific high altitude activity and the weather and climate conditions that produce changes in one’s organism, aiding optimal nutrition and digestion.

Dining Tents: Each camp has large dining tents El Montañes and Mountain Hardware ones with Rolla-tables, folding chairs and 12 volt lighting.

Base Camp Tents: AE has double North Face VE-25 & VE-24 tents, & Mountain Hardware Trango 3.1. These elements can be rented on a daily basis.

Thermarest & Insulated Pads: AE has self inflating Thermarest and Evazzotte insulated pads. They are available to rent on a daily basis.

Gear Storage: AE has a storage tent for storing expedition gear in Penitentes and the Plaza Argentina & Plaza Mulas base camps for when expeditions are climbing on to higher camps.

Equipment Storage: AE has storage tents to store expedition equipment in Penitentes and the Plaza Argentina & Plaza Mulas base camps when the expeditions climb up to the high camps.

Safety & Comunications

HF & VHF Communications: AE has daily communication between the Plaza Argentina, Plaza Mulas, Penitentes base camp and the central office in Santiago, Chile by means of Kenwood TK40 and TK80 equipment available in each operations center. Along with covering the needs of each camp, this communication equipment provides the AE staff with the quickness and flexibility necessary to make decisions allowing for quality service. As of this year, AE will establish a set and permanent radio frequency so that the progress of the expeditions can be followed closely and contact made by the families and friends of the climbers from any where in the world.

Satellite telephone: The Plaza Argentina & Plaza Mulas base camps have satellite telephones available for client and AE staff use. The phone numbers are as follows:

Plaza Argentina: 874-762-641-953
Plaza Mulas: 874-762-641-961

Each telephone is turned on from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aconcagua Express and KL Adventure clients have a preferential rate over other clients. Incoming calls are FREE OF CHARGE for our clients.

Hyperbaric Chamber: Aconcagua Express is the ONLY COMPANY that has a hyperbaric chamber in each one of its base camps. In addition each camp has 2 bottles of oxygen with respective mask and regulator. These oxygen bottles are available between each base camp and high camp

Oximeter: Every expedition has one of these instruments to measure the saturation of oxygen of each client allowing for daily control and safety in the route to the summit.

First Aid Kit: AE has a first aid kit at every base camp with a wide range of high altitude medicines. This kit along with our oxygen bottles have been key factors in decreasing risks for our clients as well as aiding other expeditions within the Park.

Rescue Service: AE is the ONLY organization that has, by means of a contract with the company Alfa Helicópteros (www.alfa-helicopteros.com) based in Santiago, a rescue method from ALL the routes, Horcones y Vacas to one of the best clinics in Chile. The course of action involves the use of the Park helicopter to evacuate from Aconcagua Park to Penitentes, where the patient is transferred to a vehicle for the 16-kilometer overland ride to the Chilean border. At that point, a fully equipped medical helicopter picks the patient up and 34 minutes later lands at the Clínica Alemana hospital. Both Alfa Helicopters and AE maintain permanent contact with the hospital to ensure that an appropriate team of experts are standing by. All of the physicians at the hospital speak at least one foreign language. AE has used this service effectively to evacuate climbers showing signs of frostbite.

Logistic Rates Services

AE offers all the logistics services necessary for private groups, trekking companies and expeditions that organize their own ascent of Cerro Aconcagua reserving all services required from AE such as pick up at airport, assistance in obtaining permits, hotel reservations in Mendoza and Santiago, sales of air ticket from Santiago to Mendoza with free baggage allowance EXCLUSIVELY for Aconcagua Express, Hotel Reservations in Penitentes, equipment storage, transport of cargo to base camp, food services in intermediate camps (Confluencia) and Plaza de Mulas, Plaza Argentina & Plaza Guanacos base camps, portage services to high camps, climbing equipment, etc...

Complementary Services for AE clients include:

• Free transport from Penitentes to the Horcones or Vacas valley entrance.
• Free Use of BLU (radio frequency) at base camps and Penitentes.
• Free room to store equipment and luggage
• Payment by credit card at base camps services (Visa, Diners, Mastercard, American Express)