Summit

The eternal companion of El Ermitaño, this volcano is located in the southern sector of the Caldera Wheelwright and is the southernmost point of the small Cordillera Sundt. Located completely in Chilean territory, Peña Blanca is to the west of Laguna Verde which is famous for its beauty and for being the point of departure for a series of excursions and ascents of the high mountains in the Atacama region.

Although not much is known about this volcano, Peña Blanca is very attractive for mountaineers due to its relatively easy access and beautiful colour. Its shape is also quite interesting as it has in its cone and summit at least three eruptive centres. There is no registered activity for these centres.

The access route for Peña Blanca is practically the same as for El
Ermitaño, but there follows a second option for access that allows
you to see other attractions in the area. Taking the city of Copiapó
as a point of departure, head towards and then take the international
road, Ruta 31, that leads towards the San Francisco border crossing.

At the San Luis mine the road intersects with a secondary road that
leads to La Puerta and Santa Rosa Lagoon. This lagoon is in a
depression, connected with the Maricunga Salt Lake and is a beautiful
place where you can see about 40 species of birds, including
flamingos, and mammals such as guanacos and foxes.

From the lagoon, continue north towards the San Francisco border
post where you must register your expedition. From here re-take
Ruta 31 and go to Laguna Verde where it is recommended to spend
a few days acclimatising. Here, the budget company Aventurismo
can supply radios, water, bathrooms and hot springs. There is also
a police station that is closed during the winter and re-opens at the
beginning of October. If the station is open, you should give the
police the notice of the expedition previously given at the San
Francisco border post.

For the final stretch of the approach to Peña Blanca it necessary to
re-take Ruta 31 until the area of Piedra Pómez (see waypoints) where
it is necessary to leave the road and head towards the volcano
following the vehicle track that ascends the south-west foothills. At
this point it is possible to see the circle of summits that surround
the international road: these include the Barrancas Blancas Massif
(6,119 m), Wheelwright Peak (5,805 m), Peña Blanca (6,030 m) and
El Ermitaño (6,187 m), among others

Our expedition continued by vehicle until approximately 4,800 m,
where BC was established.

Given the shape of Peña Blanca, the walk from the BC towards the
summit is quite clear, despite the lack of paths or tracks.

The first part of the ascent is carried out on tiring scree slopes
composed of small stones, due to which the advance should be in
a zig-zag directly towards the summit. The ascent leads to a plateau,
very close to the summit, which you have to cross to the ridge that
leads to the summit. Reaching this ridge requires a small climb
through rocks that presents little difficulty.

Once on the ridge, advance on a slope that doesn’t exceed 40º until
reaching the summit.

The descent should be done slowly and following the same route
as the ascent.

• No special permits* are required to climb Peña Blanca but you
should inform the police in the San Francisco border post of your
expedition, giving them a letter showing participants, nationalities,
passport or ID numbers, details of activities and specific itineraries,
dates, route and a map of the area.

• The best transport option is to take a 4x4 vehicle. See appendix
for recommendations. Buy sufficient fuel in Copiapó as there are
no other places to buy it during the rest of the journey.

• If you do not have your own transport it is recommended to send
a letter asking for support to the headquarters of the Army 1st
division in Antofagasta (Av. Ejército 01180, Antofagasta). To be
approved it will be sent to the 23rd Regiment in Copiapó, which
will co-ordinate the support.

• Another option is a transport service from Copiapó. Among the
companies that offer the service are Aventurismo (52-235340 /
mobile: 99694654, who also offer transport from Laguna Verde
to the various mountains), Gran Atacama Tour Operador (52-
219271, www.granatacama.cl) and Atacama Chile Tour Operador
(mobile: 98723652, www.atacamachile.com).

• The facilities of the company Aventurismo at Laguna Verde can
be used from November 1st to March 31 every year. You can pay
at Laguna Verde.

• It is recommended to take equipment and clothing suitable for
high altitude mountaineering. As part of the equipment it is
recommended to take an ice axe and crampons.

• Take sufficient water for the whole expedition. This can be taken
from Copiapó or Laguna Verde.

• The Puna de Atacama area has high precipitation in winter and
summer, when it is slightly affected by the “Alti-Planic winter”.
The climatic instability can also be accompanied by strong squalls
and wind-storms. It is therefore strongly recommended to climb
during the months of spring and summer, as the winter presents
very low temperatures and abundant precipitation. It is necessary
to keep up-to-date with the weather forecast.

* Since December 1st 2004 the company Aventurismo (32-235340) has had
the rights for access to the summit of the Ojos del Salado Volcano and its
neighbouring summits over 6,000 m, also to the Atacama (5,200 m) and
Tejos (5,800 m) refugios and the Laguna Verde thermal springs. The permit
includes a series of services that can only be used if the expeditions are run
between November and the end of March. At the date of publication of this
book, the only permit that requires payment is for the Ojos del Salado, but
eventually the Peña Blanca Volcano will also require such a permit.