Today you will need your energy for a long and tough day. To start you will ascend steadily from the moorlands to Alpine desert landscape. Since the vegetation is low to the ground in this part, there are many stones on the trail and it can get quite dusty. The challenge today is both the long distance that you are covering, and the ascent to a higher altitude. At this stage you may experience some altitude sickness symptoms like severe headache, nausea and/or dizziness. Your first goal of the day is to reach the Lava Tower at 4630 meters. This stretch will take between 4 to 5 hours.
On arrival you will need to take at least half an hour to rest and let your body acclimatize to the high altitude. After acclimatization and some lunch, you will hike for another 2-3 hours to Barranco Camp at 3840 meters. Since you are descending to lower altitudes, any potential symptoms of altitude sickness will now fade.
Level of difficulty Difficult to Semi-difficult
Altitude gain Shira Camp at 3900m via Lava Tower to Barranco Camp at 3840m
Meal Plan
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner