Puente del Inca, Andes – Confluencia camp
‘Good luck! Listen to the nature The Mountain will take you’
These words I’ve heard from the ‘mountain man’ who owns a small Refuge in Penitentes, he used to climb and guide expeditions, but he had a stroke and now he owns a refuge.
We are leaving Mendoza
We left Mendoza a few minutes after 7 am. Ricardo and I had just a quick coffee before we left. After a two hour drive we stopped in a small village where Raul bought some eggs, ham, fresh bread and with all these goods we ended up in the refugio owned by Martin (Sergio’s – our driver’s friend).
The mountain refuge
Martin cooked for us a delicious brunch. From the entrance to his place you could feel the magic of it. I said to Ricardo I can feel how many stories have been told here, how many people have crossed this door, this house is filled with many memories. The wooden walls, cosy interior filled with many memorials, books, maps, warm blankets, it felt very homely and inviting.
Soon after we sorted out our portage of equipment to Confluencia camp and later to Plaza de Mulas, we left. We drove all together including Martin to Puente del Inca, an incredibly beautiful spot, located in the Andes mountain range at 2720 m.a.s.l.
Puente del Inca
Puente del Inca is a natural bridge over the Las Cuevas River, and one of the most famous hot springs centres in Argentina with apparently healing properties,however the hotel Puente del Inca which was built in the 1925, was destroyed in the sixties by the landslides, so you can’t bath in the thermal pools anymore.
For more information about Aconcagua Provincial Park, activities, hike, routes, and places to see visit: Argentina La Ruta Natural website.
After a quick stop and photos in Puenta del Inca, we drove to the Aconcagua park permit check point. We checked in, the park rangers explained everything to us and they also gave us ‘poo bags’ for higher altitudes above Plaza de Mulas. You really need to look after those bags as if you don’t return them you will be fined $200. Hopefully the bags are strong enough to hold our waste 😛
Sergio drove us to the entrance to the Aconcagua park where we said our goodbyes, Martin shaked my hand, and said: ‘Good luck! Listen to the nature The Mountain will take you’.
We took our backpacks and started our trek. It’s around 3 to 4 h trek, I thought we were being slow but we managed to do it in just 2h. It never gets easier for me. The altitude makes it so difficult to breathe, and it is always tough to control and calm my breathing.
The Confluencia Camp
After getting to Confluencia camp we headed straight to the park rangers office where our permits were checked again. They advised us to set up our camp quickly as a storm was on its way. They also said that the summit of Aconcagua has been closed for at least 3 days due to storms and the amount of snow on the mountain. On the way here one of the climbers said that he managed to get to 5000 m and returned, and his friend with a guide went another 500m but also gave up due to the heavy amount of snow on the trails. Straight after we left the park rangers office, we gathered our bags and put the tents up and just when we were finishing the rain started pouring. Perfect timing! In a dry tent I could prepare my bed and have a ‘wipe shower’. Time for relaxation and dinner. Today pasta with some tomatoes and mushrooms, and! Raul brought some tortillas from Mexico ❤️ so we had tortillas with cheese yummy!!
There is no phone connectivity here and the internet is only paid. From one side it’s nice, as it forces you to switch off, relax and enjoy nature. Peaceful surroundings, and sounds of rain droplets heating the tent make reading and writing a very pleasant activity.
It seems that we’re gonna be stuck here for an additional day, instead of leaving on Wednesday for Plaza de Mulas we might postpone it until Thursday when the weather improves. Tomorrow we are meeting at 7am for breakfast and we are going to have an acclimatisation walk to Plaza Francia (4200 m).
We need to be back before 3pm as in the afternoon, as the weather prediction again is not very good. Let’s see.
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