Summit

Visible from far away due to its imposing and beautiful figure, this great volcano on the Argentine border is the fifth highest mountain in Chile. Incahuasi, which in the Quechua language means ‘House of the Inca’, is located in a desert area, very close to the Ojos del Salado Volcano, the highest mountain in Chile.

Located on the south-east slope of the inactive Caldera Robertson, the main structure of Incahuasi is made up of two open cones which form a great south-facing cauldron of approximately 3.5 km in diameter. At its eastern base, it is possible to find two other eruptive centres, one of which shows signs of activity close to two million years ago. The other, located further north, represents the last eruption activity of the volcano, about 11,000 years ago.

There have been few ascents of Incahuasi due to the instability of its climate and its long approach across the desert. These conditions, however, were no impediment to the Incas who constructed settlements here that acted as strategic military, political and administrative centres to direct their plans for the dominion and expansion of their empire. The passing of time and the actions of men have caused the deterioration of these ruins, but there still exists the so-called “Seat of the Inca”, a curious construction that would supposedly have been used by the Inca or his son. The back of this seat or throne is made of a type of rock called laja, which is ncrusted in a wall. The arms of this throne are also pieces of laja stone pilled on top of each other.

The access route is similar to that of the El Ermitaño Volcano and
the other Six Thousand Metre Peaks in the Ojos del Salado area.
Taking the city of Copiapó as a point of departure, head towards
and then take the international road, Ruta 31, that leads to Argentina
via the San Francisco border crossing.

In the area of the Maricunga Salt Lake is the San Francisco border
post where it is necessary to register your expedition.

Continue along Ruta 31 to Laguna Verde (4,342m) where there is
a police station that is closed during the winter and re-opens at the
beginning of October. Here, the budget company Aventurismo can
supply radios, water, bathrooms and hot springs which makes it a
good place for the process of acclimatisation.

The road to the Incahuasi Mountain continues east towards the
border pass. A little after having gone round the edge of Laguna
Verde, there are several tracks for 4x4 vehicles and trucks on the
right hand (southern) side of the road. At this point you have to
leave the international road, following the tracks directly across the
sandy areas. The tracks run parallel to the road, in an east-southeasterly
direction through the San Francisco Gully. After three or
four km there is red-cloured mound that has lots of rocks at its base
that have fallen from the summit.

At this point, you turn sharply towards the south, heading into the
Incahuasi Gully. The terrain allows travel in a vehicle until 4,760 m
where the gorge narrows and the slope steepens. Due to the force
and constancy of the wind generally found in this area, it is
recommended that BC be established in as sheltered a place as
possible in the narrow gorge (4,810 m), which also provides a source
of water thanks to the penitentes that are there.

From BC follow the gorge until its end, where there is a small hill
which stops the advance and which is therefore necessary to skirt
on the left towards the pass. It is only from this point that you can
begin to see the north face of Incahuasi. This pass connects with a
second pass at 5,130 m which leads to the base of Incahuasi (4,900
m) where you can set up C1. This is a large, flat area, that while not
offering protection against the wind, has some accumulations of
snow that can provide water.

From C1 continue heading south-west to access the slopes of
Incahuasi using a gully on the right, which is easily identified by its
discharge. At 5,100 m it is recommended to leave the gully to take
the base of a ridge that descends in a north-westerly direction
through scree slopes with very gentle slopes and from where you
can see the final access route. Without any serious complications
you can arrive at 5,280 m where, due to the more irregular terrain
the upper part of the volcanic cone presents, it is recommended to
set up HC.

The final route advances through bare slopes, where you can see
some old snow patches inside small gullies that are the only signs
of why this volcano is given the name of ‘Nevado’ (snow mountain).
The route connects with a ridge heading north-west which is
composed of volcanic scree slopes of very fine material which slows
the advance. The gradient of these scree slopes can reach 45 to 50º.

Follow the ridge on its central part in between the two cones of
Incahuasi, until reaching a pass between the main crater and the
real summit, which looks like rocky shoulder facing south.

The descent follows the same route as the ascent.

• No special permits* are required to climb Incahuasi 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. As the mountain is on the border,
foreigners must ask for permission from DIFROL (www.difrol.cl).

• 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). Once
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.

• If water is scarce it is recommended to check the gullies which
during the day have a small flow.

• 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 El Incahuasi Mountain wil also require such a permit.