The Silent Giant: Tupungato Climb

Difficulty

Challenging

Comfort

Basic

Tupungato is a majestic stratovolcano soaring 6570m above sea level, nestled in the Central Andes on the border between Argentina and Chile. It ranks as the 14th highest peak in the entire Andes range. Though often overlooked, this impressive giant commands attention from anyone driving along Ruta 7 between Mendoza and Santiago—its towering silhouette dominates the left-hand skyline.

Classified as a dormant volcano, Tupungato hasn't erupted in over 10,000 years, offering a stark contrast to its smaller yet much more active neighbor, Tupungatito (also known as Bravard). Interestingly, when Charles Darwin visited Chile in the 1800s, Tupungatito was erupting, leading the famed naturalist to mistake it for nearby Aconcagua.

For adventure seekers, Tupungato presents a thrilling but non-technical ascent. Starting at 1800m, climbers must tackle a massive 4770m elevation gain over a 37km trek. While ropes aren't necessary, strong physical conditioning and high-altitude experience are essential.

Maximo K. is the provider of this trip

The provider speaks: English, Spanish

Maximo is one of the world’s most accomplished high-altitude mountaineers, with over 25 years of climbing experience and a career spanning more than 118 expeditions. Born in Argentina, raised in Brazil, and educated in the UK, Max has led professional climbs since the age of 23, guiding teams through some of the most extreme and remote mountain regions on Earth—from the Andes to the Himalayas. His deep knowledge and calm leadership have earned him a reputation for precision, safety, and unwavering dedication. Recognized by Guinness World Records, Max holds the record for the most 6,000-meter peaks climbed, with 90 ascents in the Andes alone. He has summited over 260 peaks above 5,500 meters and participated in at least 11 expeditions to the world’s legendary 8,000-meter giants, including the formidable K2. In 2012, he launched the Andes 6K+ Project, an ambitious mission to climb all 104 Andean peaks over 6,000 meters—an effort that is now 85% complete. His solo season, during which he summited 30 of these peaks alone, remains a landmark achievement in South American mountaineering. Beyond his climbing exploits, Max is a passionate educator and researcher. He contributes to high-altitude medicine studies, teaches specialized courses for physicians, and plays an active role in the classification and naming of Andean peaks. As the founder of Andes Specialists, he continues to share his knowledge and love for the mountains with climbers from around the world. With more than 30 countries visited, Max remains as humble as he is accomplished—always seeking the next summit with the same curiosity and respect that first drew him to the heights.

Tour highlights

Summit a 6,570m Andean Giant

Challenge yourself with the ascent of Tupungato, one of the highest volcanoes in the Andes, featuring an exhilarating 30m ice headwall at over 6000m.

Epic Multi-Day Trek Through Remote Valleys

Trek for over a week through spectacular Andean landscapes, from grassy meadows to high-altitude passes, supported by mules and experienced guides.

True Wilderness Expedition Experience

Unplug in the wild-13 days off the grid, with high camps up to 5800m, glacier views, and lots of time to acclimatize, rest, and reconnect with nature.

Route details

We’ll pick you up at the airport and check your climbing equipment same day. Today we have our first dinner together and you’ll meet the rest of the team.

Included: hotel, transport and climbing permits.

Difficulty

Challenging

Does not require specific skills, but one must be in good health

Tour provider's comments

High altitude mountaineering experience, preferably above 6000 metres;
Good health and physically prepared;

Accommodation

Comfort

Basic

Tent

11 nights

Hotel

2 nights

Tickets to group meeting place

Group meeting place

Santiago

Calculate tour price with tickets from your city

Partnered with

Weather during the tour

Weather conditions along the route

You will get a weather forecast for this tour’s route based on

the forecasts for this season
the statistics from previous years’ trips

Tour conditions

Included

Leadership of EPGAMT English speaker mountain guide;
1 or 2 assistant mountain guides depending upon the number of clients;
Transport from/to airport;
2 hotel nights in a 3- start hotel in Santiago;
Private transport from/to Alfafal, the start of the trek;
Usage of mountain tents in all camps;
All meals outside Santiago;
Mules to transport personal equipment to/from camp 4 – up to 20kg per person;
Pots, gas, stoves and all cookware in all camps;
Application and presentation of all 3 climbing permits;

Extras

Flights from/to Santiago;
Personal climbing and trekking equipment;
Money return in case you abandon the expedition;
Rescue costs related to medical or personal reasons;
Travel insurance;
Meals in Santiago;

Group size

From 2 to 10 tourists

Duration

14 days

13 nights

It's important to know

Having good mountaineering equipment is one of the key points to have a successful expedition to Cerro Plata. Please note all your personal equipment will be checked by one of our guides in the hotel.

Head

Bandana
Buff or similar

Balaclava
To protect your face on summit push

Hat
Woollen hat or similar for cold days

Sunglasses (cat 3 or 4)
With side protection to fit your face

Sunscreen and lip balm
30 FPS or more

Batteries
AA or AAA batteries depending on your headtorch. Can be purchased in local store.

Headtorch
Working headtorch and spare batteries

Torso

Light down jacket

Summit Down Jacket
Heavy hooded down jacket for cold conditions

Snowproof jacket
A good snow, rain and windproof jacket

T-shirt
Synthetic fibre long or short sleeve t-shirt

Fleece jacket
Used alone or as part of a layer system for better performance

Legs

Trekking pants
Light trekking pants

Gaiters
For snow, sand or scree terrain

Base layer pants
For very cold days and summit push

Snowproof pants
Goretex or similar pants will be used for high wind or during snow conditions

Fleece Pants
Fleece, polartec or similar. To be used with other layers for very cold conditions

Hands

Hand warmers
Chemical hand warmers for the summit push.

Mittens
Thick down mittens for summit push

Gloves
Fleece or polartec gloves for every day use

Feet

Sandals or crocs
Sandals or crocs for river crossing or hanging around camp

Trekking boots
Waterproof trekking boots, try wearing them before the expedition

Trekking socks
Good thick trekking socks

Thick expedition socks
For summit day

Double boots
A pair of double or double plastic boots such as Koflach Exped, Koflach Vertical, Asolo Ottomilla, Asolo AFS, Trezetta, Scarpa Vega, Scarpa Inferno, La Sportiva Baruntse, Olympus Mons, La Sportiva Spantik, Scarpa Phantom, La Sportiva G2.

Single layer boots such as La Sportiva Nepal XT, EVO, Batura or Boreal Latok, ARE NOT SUITABLE.

Technical equipment

Helmet
A light helmet with enough room for your clothing

Locking carabiner

Harness
A good light alpine harness

Ice axe
A traverse ice axe (piolet). Can be a straight tool or slightly curved.

Crampons
Crampons with antibott system

Other Equipment

Inflatable matress
An inflatable mattress and its repair kit

Water purifying tables/drops
A reliable way to treat water

Carbo gels
These gels help out on recovery

Snacks
Salty snacks, sweets, etc. Any sort of tasty ready food as complement. On high altitude mountains we don’t normally worry about vitamins and proteins as these kinds of food are too hard to digest. You can buy all these in a local market.

Freeze dried food

Freeze dried or dry food for high camp

Sleeping Bag
A good down sleeping

Rucksack
A decent rucksack with hip belt and rain cover

Altitude medicine
Our guides already have pretty much any drugs you might need during any trip. However, it would be great if you could have a spare tab of the most used drugs:

Ibuprofen (Advil)– This is an anti-inflammatory and works great for high altitude head aches
Loperamide (Imodium) – controls diarrea (not to be used in case of digestive infections. Ask our guides)

Personal Hygiene kit
Soap, tooth brus, come, etc

Sleeping mattress
We prefer taking 2 foam sleeping mattress because of sharp rocks. If you have an inflatable mattress you should also bring a foam mattress to protect the inflatable one against sharp rocks. Don’t forget bringing a repair kit if you have an inflatable mattress.

1 litre thermos
Metallic good quality 1 litre thermos for the summit push. You must have one. Please do not bring smaller ones.

Water bottle

Nalgene 1 litre bottles or similar are great for expeditions! We prefer to not use camelbacks as its hose pipe might freeze

Duffel Bag
Used to transport or store your equipment. In many cases, we transport your personal gear on animals and we don’t want your equipment to get wet or have mule smell…