Awful Experience with Acomara and Lanko—Strongly Recommend Avoiding.My wife and I recently had the bad luck of choosing Acomara (with Lanko in the mountain) for what was supposed to be an exciting Aconcagua adventure, but it turned out to be a disaster. In our group of 18 people, only 5 summited. Here are some major concerns that made this trip nothing short of a nightmare:No Gear Check on Day 1:At the outset, there was no gear check before embarking on our journey. The guides treated it as optional, only conducting it if pressed. Considering the crucial role of gear in ensuring our safety, this lack of attention was a red flag.Food is a major issue:- Starvation and lack of water in the mountain: Until Plaza de Mulas, the food was acceptable. However, issues arose when we ascended the mountain. Throughout those 5-6 days, we were provided only with instant noodles and rice, lacking essential nutrients. No protein, no fibre, no vitamins leaving us exhausted. The only way to keep energy is if you bring your own food. In the 5 people who summited, all brought their own food and protein aside. The guides were rationing the water, as they have to melt ice for it. We had on average 2L per person/day, which is not enough for good acclimatisation at this altitude.- On summit day, they gave us a cake bar as only food. That is going for 10 to 13 hours to summit and back, with a cake. You cannot summit a 7000m mountain with those conditions, without having your own food aside.- Lack respect for our dietary requirements:Despite mentioning our dietary restrictions in our Acomara profile, pork was incorporated into many meals. There were instances where meals containing pork were claimed to be without it. One day in Camp 2, there was pretty much only snacks and variations of ham to eat. And the guides were making jokes about it, up until the very last day. We were starving and felt humiliated.Unnecessary fast pace on Summit day:Initially friendly, the guides took a drastic turn on summit day. We attempted on December 31st. Most other groups started their climb around 3:00-4:00 and had a slow pace. Our lead guide decided to start at 6:00 and have a fast pace. They went so fast that our group ended up passing all others and be first at the top. We've never had that pace at any time during the expedition. Rather than motivating, the guides resorted to threats, stopped everyone who didn't pick up the pace. I personally had great acclimatization but was a bit slower than others, so they forced me to stop and asked my wife to continue. The day before, one person died trying to summit, and they even told my wife: ""There is no love in the mountain. You should leave him and continue". Their excessive speed led several strong climbers to give up, as they struggled to keep up. And only 5 people made it, out of 18.When we shared the feedback to Acomara, they only pushed back invoking security, without trying to understand what happened.Heavy rental gear:The gear we rented the company was old and too heavy for the pace they expected us to maintain during the summit. Those who successfully summited all had their own boots, emphasizing the inadequacy of their rental equipment.Offensive Jokes and humiliations:To exacerbate the situation, the guides thought it was amusing to crack tasteless jokes. The lead guide, in particular, made many derogatory comments such as, on the Japanese and their small eyes, mimicking how a person initally appeared strong but had vomited due to altitude sickness on summit day, or insults for "European rats that don't want to spend money buying their own gear". Those were not only unprofessional but also created an uncomfortable atmosphere.Discrepancies between Acomara prices vs on the mountain:We discovered that we were charged more by Acomara than the prices we found in the mountain. This was the case for porters, wifi, tent pitching, and many others. Additionally, guides mentioned that Acomara employees lack mountain knowledge and tended to overcharge, contributing to a negative atmosphere.
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