Nevado Mateo 5150m – Day climb

You are picked up at your accommodation early in the morning (3:30am) and begin the journey driving along the Callejon de Huaylas Valley until the city of Carhuaz and then up to Shilla district and then into the Huascaran National Park until we reach the Punta Olimpica Tunnel, which connects the Callejon de Huaylas Valley and Conchucos Valley. This is the longest vehicular tunnel in Peru and the highest in the world at 4740m. 2 hours drive. From here, there is no a marked trail and it is rocky. The climb begins with a flat but short hike to the foot of the moraine wall and then a short but tricky ascent up to the moraine wall. The rest of the way is a mixture of good path with some demanding climbing over moraine rocks and lose ground until we reach the glacier where we put on our glacier gear and rope up (1 hour hike). The way to the top is not very steep or technically difficult. Depending on the season, there can be some short steep sections or hard ice. We reach the summit in 1½ – 2 hours where there is plenty of space to walk around appreciate the amazing surrounding mountains and take photos. We come back following the same way down to the route and drive back to Huaraz. To get the most out of your climbing experience with us, you will need to be fit, healthy and well acclimatized to the altitude. You do not need to be an athlete, but a good level of overall fitness is important. As an indication, you should be able to walk for up to 6 hours.