Introduction: Cerro Uritorco
The Cerro Uritorco or Uritorco hill is the peak of a mountain chain called Sierras Chicas. Its summit stands at 1949m above mean sea level. The site is a private property but is open to public.
The Sierras Chicas are about 250km long and are the sister’s mountain of the Sierras Grande.
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Getting to Cerro Uritorco
The easiest way to get there is to stay in Capilla del Monte. From there, you can either walk for approx. one hour to reach the base of the Cerro Uritorco, take a taxi or go there by car. You can also get from the main square to the base with city bus, but the first departure is at 9am.
The day before we did it, we went to the bus terminal where all taxis are and organised to be picked up from our accommodation to the base. It cost us 200 pesos (4,2 euro).
It took 15min to get there and by 8h10 we arrived.
The trail to Cerro Uritorco
The base camp
The site is open from 7am to 12pm. After that you cannot enter the trail. The trail is about 6km long and it is said to take 4h up and 3h down. As the path is rocky, if it starts raining, you have to get down immediately. There is a total of 7 points:
- Base camp, 1100m elevation
- 1st point, 1137m
- 2nd point, 1216m
- 3rd point, 1317m
- 4th point, 1450m
- 5th point, 1570m. A refuge is present there
- Peak, 1979m
To enter the trail, you must have walking/hiking boots, at least 2L of water and snacks.
To reach the base camp, once you are out of the taxi, you need to go down the stairs, cross the bridge or the rock path and get inside the cabin. There you will first register for the trek, pay the entrance fee (700 pesos per person) and then you will get access to the trek.
The trek
The trek is separated is 6 portions. While it is a medium difficulty trek, the hardest part will be between the last point and the peak.
At each point, you will find a board that gives you some information:
- 1st to 2nd point: 440m, 30min
- 2nd to 3rd point: 540m, 30min
- 3rd to 4th point: 847m, 30min
- 4th to 5th point: 583m, 20min
- 5th to summit: 1398m, 60min
With breaks, a total of 4h up the summit. We personally made it in approx. 2h.
The trail is nice, and the view is gorgeous from start. After 30min walking, you already get an amazing landscape. It is really worth stopping from time to time to look around and backward.
From the 5th forward, there will be some wild grassland that are beautiful and make a change. It doesn’t only feel like mountain.
The summit
The last part to reach the summit is a bit harder because of the trail. It became rockier than before and a bit steeper. Once at the summit, there will be a last sign and a cross. But that’s not the only part. Around the summit, there are a few other mounts that are nice to stay, chill and have lunch. There are all accessible from the summit.
Toma balneario
If the weather allows it and it you brough a bath suit, a few hundred meters further you will find Toma Balneario. Place where you can refresh yourself in the river 😊
We didn’t go there as it was supposed to rain during the afternoon, but we believe it is worth checking out.
From there, you can always come back and take the bus from the base.
Recommendation
We really enjoyed the complete experience and found the trek beautiful. We would only start it at 7am in order to get most of the fresh morning along with us. Early February, when we did the trek, it was raising over 30°C during the day. It was also planned to rain but in the end it didn’t.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Where to stay in Capilla del Monte
- Budget: Hermosa cabaña de montaña con vista a los Cerros
- Mid-Range: Wilka Pacha – Casas Serranas
