Cerro Bonete
🏔️ Overview
Cerro Bonete, also widely known as Cerro Bonete Chico, is one of the highest mountains in the Andes and one of Argentina’s great 6,000-meter volcanic summits. It rises in the remote highlands of La Rioja Province, close to the border with Catamarca, amid the exceptionally arid volcanic landscapes of the southern Puna.
Peakbagger lists Cerro Bonete at approximately 6,760 meters (22,178 feet), while 6,759 meters is the figure used by several other major references. At this elevation, Bonete belongs among the very highest independent mountains in the Americas.
The mountain is particularly interesting because of a long history of confusion surrounding its name and height. Bonete Chico is actually considerably higher than nearby Bonete Grande, despite the Spanish words chico and grande meaning “small” and “large.”
Cerro Bonete lies near Monte Pissis and forms part of an extraordinary concentration of giant volcanic mountains surrounding the Incapillo volcanic complex.
⚡ Fast Facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Continent | South America |
| Country | Argentina |
| State/Province | La Rioja Province |
| County/Region | Vinchina area, northwestern La Rioja |
| Mountain Range | Andes |
| Region/Subrange | Puna de Atacama |
| Parent Peak | Monte Pissis |
| Elevation | Approximately 6,760 m / 22,178 ft |
| Prominence | Approximately 1,476 m / 4,843 ft |
| Isolation | Approximately 27.2 km / 16.9 mi |
| Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN) | Monte Pissis |
| Coordinates | Approximately 28.019°S, 68.756°W |
| Mountain Type | Ancient volcanic center |
| Common Alternative Name | Cerro Bonete Chico |
| First Confirmed Ascent | Generally credited to Vicente Cicchitti and Cirilo Urriche, 1970 |
📍 Location
Cerro Bonete rises in northwestern La Rioja Province, Argentina, near the provincial boundary with Catamarca.
This is one of the most remote and spectacular parts of the Andes, characterized by enormous volcanic peaks, high desert plateaus, salt basins, snowfields, crater lakes, and broad expanses of virtually uninhabited terrain.
The mountain lies within the wider Laguna Brava–Incapillo region. Nearby summits include Monte Pissis, Veladero, Baboso, Reclus, Bonete Grande, and several other mountains rising above 6,000 meters.
Argentina’s Laguna Brava Provincial Reserve includes some of this extraordinary landscape. The Argentine government identifies Bonete Chico at 6,759 meters and lists it among the major volcanic mountains visible around the high-altitude Corona del Inca area.
Readers interested in the wider geography can also explore our guide to Mountains in South America.
📏 Elevation & Prominence
Cerro Bonete’s elevation has a surprisingly complicated history.
Older maps and mountaineering accounts sometimes assigned the mountain elevations approaching 6,872 meters, which would have placed it much closer to Ojos del Salado in height.
Improved topographic measurements showed that this figure was too high.
Modern sources generally place Bonete at approximately 6,759–6,760 meters. Peakbagger currently uses approximately 6,760 meters (22,178 feet), while Andeshandbook and several Argentine sources use 6,759 meters.
For this guide, 6,760 meters is used in the Fast Facts to remain consistent with Peakbagger’s current dataset.
Its topographic prominence is approximately 1,476 meters (4,843 feet). This is just below the commonly used 1,500-meter threshold for an ultra-prominent mountain.
How high does Cerro Bonete rank?
The exact ranking depends on which modern elevation dataset is used for Bonete and other major Andean summits, particularly Huascarán.
Peakbagger’s current Andes 6,000-meter list places Cerro Bonete among the four highest peaks of the Andes. Other frequently cited lists using a slightly higher elevation for Huascarán place Bonete fifth.
Rather than relying too heavily on a ranking that changes with measurement methodology, it is safest to describe Cerro Bonete as one of the five highest independent mountains in the Americas.
🧭 Nearest Higher Neighbor
Cerro Bonete’s nearest higher neighbor is Monte Pissis, approximately 27 kilometers away.
Monte Pissis reaches approximately 6,790 meters and dominates the volcanic highlands immediately north of Bonete.
Monte Pissis is also Cerro Bonete’s topographic parent.
This relationship explains Bonete’s approximately 27-kilometer isolation despite the enormous number of high mountains scattered across this section of the Andes.
🪨 Geology
Cerro Bonete is fundamentally a volcanic mountain.
It belongs to a remarkable group of late Miocene–Pliocene volcanic centers surrounding the Incapillo region near the southern end of the Central Andean Volcanic Zone.
Geological studies have identified dacitic and rhyodacitic volcanic rocks associated with Cerro Bonete. Research on the neighboring Incapillo complex indicates that volcanic activity at Bonete occurred principally during the Pliocene, roughly 5 million to 3.5 million years ago.
The mountain therefore represents an ancient phase of Andean volcanism rather than a currently active volcano.
Its formation was ultimately related to the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath South America. Changes in the geometry of the descending plate, crustal thickening, magma generation, and migration of the volcanic arc all influenced volcanic development in this part of the Andes.
The surrounding landscape preserves an extraordinary collection of volcanic features, including:
- Lava domes
- Dacitic lava flows
- Volcanic ridges
- Caldera structures
- Ignimbrite deposits
- Crater lakes
- Glacial and periglacial landforms
- High-altitude snowfields
Nearby Incapillo is especially important to geologists because it records some of the final major volcanic activity along this portion of the Andean volcanic arc.
🌿 Flora & Fauna
The upper slopes of Cerro Bonete are an extreme high-altitude desert.
At elevations above 6,000 meters, vegetation is essentially absent. The environment consists primarily of exposed volcanic rock, scree, snow, ice, and wind-scoured slopes.
Life becomes more abundant at lower elevations around Laguna Brava.
The Laguna Brava Provincial Reserve protects an important high-Andean ecosystem containing wetlands and saline lagoons. Wildlife recorded in the reserve includes:
- Vicuñas
- Guanacos
- Flamingos
- Other high-altitude waterbirds
Hundreds of flamingos can sometimes be found around Laguna Brava and nearby wetlands.
The contrast is remarkable: relatively productive wetland habitats occur beneath mountains whose highest slopes rank among the harshest environments in South America.
🥾 Hiking & Climbing Routes
Cerro Bonete is not a conventional hiking mountain.
Although its standard ascent is generally less technically demanding than major ice or rock routes elsewhere in the Andes, reaching almost 6,760 meters makes any attempt a serious high-altitude mountaineering expedition.
Western Route
The western approach is commonly considered the classic route on Bonete Chico.
Expeditions typically establish multiple camps while gradually acclimatizing before making a long summit attempt over loose volcanic terrain, scree, snow, and potentially penitentes.
The exact configuration of camps varies with road conditions, snow, expedition strategy, and vehicle access.
Southwestern Routes
Climbers have also approached Bonete from the southwest.
Snowfields and areas of penitentes can occur on the southern side of the mountain, with conditions varying significantly from season to season.
A southwest snowfield route has also been used by mountaineering expeditions.
Is Cerro Bonete technically difficult?
Its principal challenge is altitude rather than sustained technical climbing.
That does not make it easy.
Potential hazards include:
- Extreme altitude
- Acute mountain sickness
- Severe wind
- Subfreezing temperatures
- Rapid weather changes
- Dehydration
- Intense ultraviolet radiation
- Snow and ice
- Penitentes
- Loose volcanic rock
- Difficult navigation
- Mechanical problems in an exceptionally remote region
- Long distances from medical assistance
A technically straightforward 6,700-meter summit remains an extremely serious mountain.
🏔️ Field Guide Tip: Treat Cerro Bonete as a full high-altitude expedition rather than an oversized hike. Allow substantial time for acclimatization, use conservative turnaround times, and plan for the possibility of being completely self-sufficient in a remote high-desert environment.
🧗 Climbing History
Cerro Bonete has an unusually complicated early climbing history.
German geologist Walther Penck attempted the mountain in 1913 and believed he had reached the summit while climbing in poor visibility. Subsequent analysis suggested that he probably reached a subsidiary summit rather than Bonete’s highest point.
The first confirmed ascent is generally credited to Argentine mountaineers Vicente Cicchitti and Cirilo Urriche in 1970.
Andeshandbook dates their successful ascent to January 1970, while some older secondary references give 1971. The American Alpine Journal published an account of the expedition in its 1971 volume, which appears to have contributed to some of the disagreement over the year.
Whatever the precise reporting history, Cerro Bonete was one of the last of the great high Andean summits to receive a well-documented ascent.
Its remoteness was a major reason.
🌤️ Best Time to Visit
For mountaineering, the most practical period is generally the Southern Hemisphere summer, particularly from December through March.
Even during summer, conditions at 6,700 meters can be severe.
Climbers should expect:
- Temperatures well below freezing near the summit
- Strong or violent winds
- Snowfall at any time
- Large differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures
- Intense solar radiation
- Extremely dry air
Lower parts of the Puna can feel comparatively warm during sunny afternoons while summit temperatures remain dangerously cold.
Access conditions are another important consideration. Roads across the high Andes can be affected by snow, flooding, erosion, maintenance, border restrictions, and weather.
Current conditions should therefore be checked immediately before any expedition.
🧭 Nearby Mountains & Attractions
Monte Pissis
Monte Pissis lies approximately 27 kilometers from Cerro Bonete and is its nearest higher neighbor.
At roughly 6,790 meters, it is one of the world’s highest volcanic mountains and the dominant summit of the immediate region.
Laguna Brava Provincial Reserve
Laguna Brava is one of La Rioja’s most spectacular protected landscapes.
The reserve contains high-altitude lagoons, volcanic mountains, wetlands, flamingos, vicuñas, guanacos, and vast stretches of puna desert.
The main Laguna Brava lies at approximately 4,230 meters above sea level.
Corona del Inca
Corona del Inca is a spectacular high-altitude volcanic crater containing a blue crater lake at more than 5,000 meters elevation.
From the surrounding region there are views toward several of the great volcanic mountains of La Rioja, including Cerro Bonete and Monte Pissis.
Access requires serious high-altitude travel and suitable four-wheel-drive transportation.
Cerro Mercedario
Farther south in Argentina, Cerro Mercedario is another of the country’s great 6,000-meter mountains.
Unlike Bonete, however, Mercedario is not primarily a volcanic edifice, making the two mountains an interesting comparison in Andean geology.
💡 Fun Facts
- Cerro Bonete is also commonly called Bonete Chico.
- Despite the name, Bonete Chico is much higher than Bonete Grande.
- Peakbagger lists its elevation at approximately 6,760 meters.
- Many other references use 6,759 meters.
- Older measurements of approximately 6,872 meters substantially overestimated its height.
- Its prominence is approximately 1,476 meters.
- Its nearest higher neighbor is Monte Pissis.
- Cerro Bonete lies in one of the world’s greatest concentrations of mountains above 6,000 meters.
- The mountain developed from ancient Andean volcanic activity.
- Dacite and rhyodacite are important components of its volcanic geology.
- Cerro Bonete’s first well-documented ascent came surprisingly late compared with many other extremely high Andean mountains.
- Nearby Laguna Brava provides habitat for flamingos, vicuñas, and guanacos.
- The mountain lies entirely within Argentina rather than directly on the Argentina–Chile border.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How high is Cerro Bonete?
Peakbagger lists Cerro Bonete at approximately 6,760 meters (22,178 feet). Many other sources round or measure the summit at 6,759 meters.
Is Cerro Bonete the same as Bonete Chico?
Yes. The giant La Rioja summit is widely known both as Cerro Bonete and Cerro Bonete Chico.
Where is Cerro Bonete?
Cerro Bonete is located in northwestern La Rioja Province, Argentina, near the boundary with Catamarca.
What mountain range is Cerro Bonete in?
It forms part of the Andes, specifically the high volcanic region of the Puna de Atacama.
What is Cerro Bonete’s prominence?
Its topographic prominence is approximately 1,476 meters (4,843 feet).
What is Cerro Bonete’s isolation?
Its topographic isolation is approximately 27.2 kilometers (16.9 miles).
What is Cerro Bonete’s nearest higher neighbor?
The nearest higher neighbor is Monte Pissis, roughly 27 kilometers away.
Is Cerro Bonete a volcano?
Yes. Cerro Bonete is an ancient volcanic mountain composed largely of volcanic rocks associated with Pliocene volcanism in the southern Central Andes.
There are no known historical eruptions.
Is Cerro Bonete higher than Bonete Grande?
Yes—by more than 800 meters.
The names are therefore misleading. Bonete Chico is the much higher mountain.
Who first climbed Cerro Bonete?
The first confirmed summit is generally credited to Argentine climbers Vicente Cicchitti and Cirilo Urriche in 1970, although some secondary references give 1971.
Is Cerro Bonete difficult to climb?
The usual routes are not famous for sustained technical climbing, but the mountain is extremely difficult because of its altitude, severe weather, remoteness, loose terrain, and logistical demands.
🔗 Related Articles
- Monte Pissis: Height, Location, Geology and Climbing Guide
- Cerro Mercedario
- Map of the Andes Mountain Range: Countries, Peaks and Geography
- Mountains in South America: The Ultimate Guide to the Andes and Beyond
🔗 Related Hiking and Safety Guides
- The Ten Essentials for Hiking
- Mountaineering vs. Hiking: Key Differences for Outdoor Enthusiasts
- Essential Mountaineering Gear: A Comprehensive Guide for Every Climber
📚 Sources
- Peakbagger — Andes 6,000-Meter Peaks — elevation, prominence, and topographic relationships.
- Andeshandbook — Volcán Bonete Chico — elevation, location, mountaineering history, and climbing information.
- Argentina.gob.ar — Reserva Provincial Laguna Brava — regional geography, wildlife, Laguna Brava, Corona del Inca, and surrounding peaks.
- American Alpine Club — Bonete Group — historical summit expedition account.
- Goss, Kay, Mpodozis & Singer — The Incapillo Caldera and Dome Complex — regional volcanism and geological development of the Bonete–Incapillo area.
