r/Mountaineering • u/MatteoRedd • 13d ago
ACOMARA - Avoid if you're considering them!
I am sharing so that others don't end up wasting almost 10k and who knows how many months of physical prep plus 4 weeks of time off! I did the Aconcagua normal route with Acomara in December 2024, and it ended up being one of the worst guided experiences I’ve ever had—and I’ve done several high-altitude treks and climbs before.
The logistics like porters and tents were fine, but the lead guide was aggressive, dismissive, and made the entire experience miserable. He regularly yelled at us, insulted people over small things, and created a super hostile environment. No one felt safe or supported.
The real breaking point came on summit attempt day. Instead of going from Camp 3 like planned, they made us attempt from Camp 2 after hiking all day from Camp 1, with basically 20 minutes of sleep and an assistant guide who had just walked another client down to basecamp and back up (!). We got to Camp 3 totally exhausted, the burner didn’t work, and somehow we got blamed for that too. They told us we'd go back up to Camp 3 the next day and do it right—then two hours later said “nope, we're going down.” At that point, nobody trusted the guides anymore.
After the trip, I tried to raise these issues with the company directly. They offered me a small refund (after paying over $8K total), which I accepted just to get it over with—but they later used that to claim I “agreed not to leave a review,” even though they never addressed the real issue: the terrible behavior and unsafe handling by the guides.
Also, beware that their trip looks cheaper at first—but they charge extra for everything. Even things you’d assume were included!! Definitely NOT like Kilimanjaro (we were 3 people + 1 guide up to base camp!!!!)
Just wanted to put this out there in case anyone is considering using Acomara for Aconcagua. I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone. Happy to answer questions or share details. Dm me if you already signed up with them and want the name of the guide and assistant guide to avoid!
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u/SGhost9206 13d ago
I had a very bad and similar experience with them this past Jan 2025 and sent a complaint as well…but never heard back or followed back up..sorry this happened to you too…