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Las Tórtolas Mountain is the highest mountain in the Coquimbo Region in which only the Nevado de Olivares is also over 6,000 m. It
is on the border with Argentina, 140 km from the city of La Serena, and stands out from its much smaller neighbours. The Vacas
Heladas River, one of the tributaries of the Elqui River, begins here and the mountain is characterized by having very high passes,
including the Vacas Heladas pass at 4,710 m.
The same as other Six Thousand Metre Peaks, Las Tórtolas was an Incan high sanctuary and it has been one of the best-studied. In
1952, a building was found at its summit, identical to the one found on Plomo Mountain: an enormous cairn, measuring eight by
four metres with walls a meter high. Many other things have been found in the numerous archaeological ascents that have been carried
out, including a bundle of firewood, pieces of ceramics, the remains of fires and three human shaped statuettes made of silver and
sea shells. |
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From the city of Vicuña, located 62 km to the east of La Serena,
continue on Ruta 41 until Juntas del Toro, a stretch that takes
approximately an hour and a half in a vehicle. Here there is a police
station and a border post where you must register the expedition.
From Juntas del Toro, continue by vehicle to the El Indio mine, a
gold mining complex. After seven km you arrive in La Troya and it
is necessary to turn east, taking the road that enters the valley of
the Vacas Heladas River towards Las Hediondas. Continue on this
road, passing a building that is used as a shelter by shepherds. A
few kilometres further on, at 3,600 m, the road stops and, it is
possible to see the west face of the mountain.
From here, start the approach on foot, following a path that leads
to the south-east through the Las Hediondas Gully and that later
turns north-east, crossing three gullies. During this stretch the path
rises, remaining parallel with the east bank of the Vacas Heladas
River. When you are at about 4,000 m the main path descends to
the Vacas Heladas River, where you can set up BC. |
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From the BC, advance up a small hill that is immediately in front of
BC, to the left of the stream. Once on top of the hill it is possible
to see the route to the pass that separates Tórtolas from Tortolillas.
The pass is an ideal place for setting up HC (5,200 m). There is also
a frozen lagoon here. The advance follows a well-defined path that
at the beginning has firm ground and gentle slopes but becomes
steeper around 4,300 m.
Due to the length of this stretch, on our expedition it was necessary
to set up a C1 two hours before the pass. However, it is recommended
to try to reach the pass as it offers better options for setting up a
camp-site.
It is recommended to leave the pass very early to avoid the strong
UV radiation from the sun to which the route is exposed. The first
hour of the advance is on relatively easy terrain until you arrive at
a very loose scree slope which slows the ascent.
The route to the summit is generally quite clear. The stretch that
follows the first scree slope is very tiring as the terrain becomes
more unstable and the following scree slopes are even looser. The
final part of the ascent is over more stable terrain. A little before
the summit you need to clamber over a rocky pass that finally leads
you to the summit and to the monument that was put there in
honour of the poet Gabriela Mistral. As this is the highest mountain
in the area, the view from the summit is simply spectacular.
The descent follows the same route as the ascent.
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• No special permits are required to climb Las Tórtolas but you
should inform the police in Juntas del Toro 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.
• 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.
• The water in the area has a high quantity of arsenic. It is therefore
necessary to take sufficient water for the whole expedition.
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