✈️How to climb the Láscar volcano in the Atacama Desert

I was told it would be difficult, and indeed it is, in every sense of the word.

It's hard to put into words what it's like to climb a volcano active at 5.600 meters, and it's even harder to describe the feeling of getting there.

It was difficult to fall asleep with so much anxiety, it was difficult to wake up with fear of what was to come, it was difficult to change my warm bed at 4 am to face several negative degrees up there, it was difficult to breathe the rarefied air of the altitude.

And it was also difficult to walk slowly to respect my limits, understand my body's reactions to the lack of oxygen, control my mind so I don't get sick, climb to the summit after reaching the part where most people give up and… it was definitely difficult!

But what was really hard was not to get emotional when I reached the top in front of an immense crater filled with the most vivid and imposing form of nature. It was hard not to think about our insignificance in the face of it all, hard not to believe that everything is possible, hard not to imagine why we are here, hard not to be grateful for this experience and hard not to want to repeat it all again... difficult!

How to climb the Láscar volcano in the Atacama Desert

O Chile is among the countries with the most active volcanoes in the world, approximately 95 volcanoes that can erupt at any time.

O Atacama Desert, however, is littered with dormant volcanoes for hundreds of thousands of years and the Switch is one of three that are still active. Of the five craters that make up the volcano, only one of them is active and it is also the only crater in the region with monitored activity, making it also the most explored by adventurers who visit the Atacama.

How to get to Láscar volcano

Access to the trailhead to climb the Switch can be located without the help of a guide and it is also possible to do the trail on your own. However, how to go up Switch it is a poorly marked trail that starts at high altitude and can bring several unexpected physical reactions, it is essential to be accompanied by a guide specialized in mountaineering who will help you on the climb to avoid any complications, unless you are really experienced in that.

I did it with the Sorbac Atacama agency and Pablo, one of the best mountain guides in Atacama, was my guide. Unlike other agencies in San Pedro, at Sorbac the price of the tour varies according to the number of people going up and costs on average between R$400 to R$500 per person (January 2016 price).

If you have flexibility in the days of your trip, it is interesting to arrange in advance with Sorbac to have a greater possibility of fitting into a group to go up the Switch and a bigger discount on the value.

How to prepare to climb Láscar

go up the Switch It doesn't require the best physical conditioning of all and has no technical difficulties on the trail, but it ends up becoming a very feared trail due to the altitude, which makes access to the volcano very difficult.

Depending on the conditions of access to the trail with the vehicle, the walk starts at more than 4.500 meters of altitude, which can cause a lot of headache, nausea, shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, among other symptoms.

You will survive all this, no need to be scared, but it is quite unpleasant if that happens and therefore it is essential to take some precautions before and during the adventure.

Be as acclimatized as possible to the altitude. If you have several days in Atacama, leave the trail for the last days and try to do several walks at altitude beforehand to acclimate your body and feel how your body reacts to the height;
Drink at least 2 liters of water the day before and also drink plenty of water during the ascent;
Eat well the day before, preferably with foods rich in carbohydrates and sugars that give a lot of energy but are easy to digest;
Avoid red meat the day before;
Do not drink alcoholic beverages in the 2 days before the ascent;
Go to bed early and rest well the day before;
Try to do any physiological needs before going out for the ride. I know this part is the hardest, but the altitude combined with physical exertion can loosen your gut during the trail and there aren't many ways to have privacy on the way up to the volcano.

How to climb Láscar

the way from San Pedro do Atacama It takes almost 2 hours to reach the southeastern base of the volcano, where the trail begins, so it is essential to leave early in the morning before 5:XNUMX am because, believe me: no one wants to climb a volcano with a scorching sun on their head. Also, the wind up there at the top during the afternoon gets much stronger and is almost impossible to bear so the sooner you get there the better.

Leaving San Pedro the temperature will be quite mild, but it is very important not to underestimate the cold and get in the car WELL dressed, because the next time you step out of the car, it will be 5 degrees below zero on average. Here, it's worth wearing a 3-in-1 Columbia jacket, which protects you from the cold and wind.

the way to Bleach Lagoon it's also fantastic, but as it's still dark most of the way, it's only possible to enjoy the view on the way back.

Arriving at the lagoon, the boys from Sorbac Atacama they set up and serve a delicious (and super reinforced) breakfast, exactly with this super privileged view – not bad, right?! The hard part was having the courage to take off Columbia's warm gloves to eat, because the cold there doesn't let up!

For those who like to always keep the line in their food, I'm going to warn you that this is not the time. O Breakfast before starting the ascent it is purposely very caloric and Pablo, our guide, was there for everyone to eat very well, after all, he has to guarantee energy for the challenge ahead.

After everyone is fed, he starts a series of instructions still there in the Bleach Lagoon (in Spanish and Portuguese as well) about how the climb will be, what is the best way to go up, how we will keep our breath, how we will communicate, in short…

It explains everything you need to know so that you can talk only what is strictly necessary up there, because talking in the thin air is twice as tiring (I'm super talkative, I suffered a lot! Haha).

Afterwards, everyone uses our dear “baño Inca” somewhere in nature, and then we drive for another 20 to 30 minutes towards the volcano, as far as we can go up for the day.

Ascent and descent time

Depending on weather conditions, the ascent can vary between 3 hours to the crater of the volcano, if the weather is good and the base of the volcano is snow-free, and it can take up to 5-6 hours of ascent if much of the base is snowy.

This variation also depends a lot on the resistance and conditioning of the group as everyone will always respect the same pace, which the guide stipulates and is always VERY slow - don't think that this is like any other trail you usually do where you are used to walking in the at your own pace, as this will not happen.

A trail at altitude you must be extremely slow, controlling and listening to your breathing and following each step along with it.

When the trail lasts longer, about 5 hours to go up, this happens mainly for two reasons: because the car cannot get as close to the volcano, making the route much longer, and because the ascent becomes much more difficult and tiring with snow on the way.

I was “lucky” not to get snow, although the view would be much more amazing if everything was white, so I managed to climb in at least 3 hours to the crater and it took me an extra 30 minutes to climb to the summit (like all climb and it is by far the steepest and most tiring part of the whole trail).

The descent takes around 2 hours, taking a lot of tumbles and sliding down pebbles, hehe – it is not dangerous, but as the descent is very steep and with many small stones, there is not much to avoid the tumbles so the way is to take it in a good mood and laugh!

What to wear to climb Láscar

The temperature at the volcano during the summer varies between minus 5 and 12 degrees and can be even colder in winter, when it is very common to hike the trail with snow throughout the route.

To withstand all this cold, I'll leave you some important tips on how to dress:

2 layers at the bottom - a thermal pants underneath and another pants to block the wind on top, preferably comfortable that don't limit your movements too much.
3 layers on top – a thermal second-skin underneath, a fleece (which are those warm flannel blouses) and a nice windbreaker.
A warm cap, gloves, glasses (a very important item!), scarf and balaclava-style scarf or a bandana to protect your face from the cold and sun.
Trail-friendly shoes with a grippy sole and two warm socks.

OBS .: Sorbac Atacama lends you any of these specific garments if you don't have them.

What to bring to climb Láscar

Rule #1: Water, LOTS of water!
The recommended thing is to drink at least 2 liters of water during the ascent, apart from what you should drink the day before and on the way to the base of the volcano – water is never too much when we are at altitude!
Toilet paper and bag to carry your own garbage.
Moisturizing and lip balm – for the extreme cold and the extremely dry climate of the desert, the most recommended is to use the Bephantol Baby ointment, which works not only for the lips but also for any region of the body that is very dry.
Strong sunscreen for face and lips.
Analgesic remedy for headache – just in case if you suffer a little from altitude sickness.

Now tell me… even with so many obstacles, was every second of this unforgettable experience worth it? Yes or for sure? ? And if you liked this tour, you will love to discover all the others. tours through the Atacama.

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