Plizio Visual Lab

Monte Pissis

Plizio editorial teamUpdated: Jun 2026Data Sources

Mountain

Weather…

Monte Pissis is a massive extinct volcanic complex located in the high-altitude desert of La Rioja Province, Argentina. It is recognized as the third highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere and one of the highest volcanoes on Earth. Due to its remote and isolated location in the Puna de Atacama region, its exact height was underestimated for decades until modern GPS measurements refined it to 6,793 meters. The environment around Monte Pissis is extremely harsh, characterized by strong winds, extreme aridity, and vast salt pans. Despite these conditions, the lagoons at its base, such as Laguna Brava, host significant populations of Andean flamingos. For mountaineers, it presents a significant logistical challenge, as access requires specialized off-road vehicles to navigate the rugged high plateaus and desolate volcanic landscapes.

Best time to visit & climate

The most pleasant time to visit is Jan, Feb, Dec.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg °C	4	3	2	-2	-5	-7	-8	-6	-4	-2	1	3
Rain mm	44	38	29	17	8	3	5	3	8	9	16	32

📋 Practical info

🧭

Getting there

Access to this unimaginably massive, extinct volcano leads directly through the extremely remote La Rioja province, usually starting from Fiambalá, traversing harsh, barely marked dirt tracks that invariably require robust 4WD vehicles.

📅

Best season

Climbing and exploration tours are practically and safely possible only in the height of the summer months (December to February). Outside this brief window, deep snow, thick ice, and relentless storms often make the region completely inaccessible.

⛰️

Terrain & paths

This desert-like, incredibly extreme high-mountain landscape is characterized by expansive, brilliantly colorful lagoons, massive glacier fields, and highly slippery ash slopes, with marked trails being absolutely nonexistent.

🎒

What to bring

For any attempt to approach the high summit, specialized high-alpine mountaineering gear, multi-layered thermal clothing for arctic-level cold, heavy crampons, and a reliable GPS device are strictly vital for survival, as you are entirely on your own.

🅿️

Parking

There are absolutely zero parking lots in this immense wilderness. Organized expeditions establish their very own base camps on completely open gravel plains, where transport vehicles safely remain until climbers finally return from the towering summit.

⚠️

Safety

The incredibly extreme remoteness completely necessitates meticulous logistical planning. Severe dangers such as acute altitude sickness, sudden dramatic weather changes, and the absolute lack of any rescue infrastructure are dangerously omnipresent.

⏱️

Time needed

A fully realized mountaineering expedition, from leaving the final tiny settlement until returning, easily lasts two to three exhaustive weeks, with the lengthy altitude acclimatization process alone requiring many dedicated days.