Nevado de Famatina | Cerro General Belgrano
Nevado de Famatina, also known as Cerro General Manuel Belgrano or simply Cerro Belgrano, is the dominant summit of the Sierra de Famatina in Argentina’s La Rioja Province. Rising dramatically above the dry valleys around Famatina and Chilecito, it is one of the highest mountains in Argentina outside the main Andean cordillera.
Modern sources disagree slightly on its exact elevation, but both the La Rioja provincial GEOdestinos database and Peakbagger list 6,097 meters (20,003 feet). This is the figure used throughout this guide.
🏔️ Overview
Nevado de Famatina is the highest summit of the Sierra de Famatina, an enormous north–south mountain system in northwestern Argentina. Although the range lies within the wider Andean region, geologically it is better understood as part of the Andean foreland rather than as one of the principal chains of the Andes. The Sierra de Famatina is commonly associated geographically with the Sierras Pampeanas and represents a particularly complex block of uplifted Paleozoic crust.
The mountain’s great elevation is especially striking because it rises east of the main Andean crest. It dominates the landscape around Chilecito and Famatina and is high enough to support persistent snow and ice on its upper slopes.
Nevado de Famatina also has an unusually large topographic prominence. Peakbagger calculates 2,767 meters (9,078 feet) of prominence, making it an ultra-prominent mountain.
⚡ Fast Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Continent | South America |
| Country | Argentina |
| State/Province | La Rioja |
| County/Region | Famatina, Chilecito, Vinchina and General Lamadrid departments |
| Mountain Range | Sierra de Famatina / Sierras Pampeanas |
| Wider Mountain Region | Andean foreland of northwestern Argentina |
| Parent Peak | Ojos del Salado |
| Elevation | 6,097 m / 20,003 ft |
| Prominence | 2,767 m / 9,078 ft |
| Isolation | 140.9 km / 87.6 mi |
| Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN) | Cerro Bonete (NW) |
| First Recorded Ascent | Rudolf Hauthal, May 20, 1895 |
The elevation, prominence, isolation and NHN figures above follow Peakbagger wherever possible. Peakbagger identifies higher terrain associated with Cerro Bonete (NW) at the end of Famatina’s approximately 140.9-kilometer isolation radius.
Some other topographic models produce different figures. Andes Specialists, for example, estimates about 6,115 meters of elevation and 2,783 meters of prominence. These differences result from the elevation models and summit/key-col datasets used. For consistency, 6,097 meters and 2,767 meters are the preferred working figures here because they agree with Peakbagger and the official La Rioja tourism-geographic database.
📍 Location
Nevado de Famatina stands in La Rioja Province in northwestern Argentina, west of the city of Chilecito and near the town of Famatina.
The summit is particularly unusual administratively because it marks the meeting area of four La Rioja departments. According to the provincial GEOdestinos database, Famatina lies to the northeast, Chilecito to the southeast, Vinchina to the northwest and General Lamadrid to the southwest.
The mountain lies east of Argentina’s highest concentration of Andean volcanoes. Farther west are giants such as Cerro Bonete and Monte Pissis.
For a broader geographic overview, see the Mountain Field Guide’s Map of the Andes Mountain Range.
📏 Elevation & Prominence
The official La Rioja GEOdestinos entry lists Nevado de Famatina at 6,097 meters above sea level, the same elevation currently used by Peakbagger.
Older sources sometimes give significantly higher figures, including 6,200 or even 6,250 meters. Modern digital elevation models have generally produced values closer to 6,100 meters.
Peakbagger’s current measurements are:
- Elevation: 6,097 m / 20,003 ft
- Prominence: 2,767 m / 9,078 ft
- Isolation: 140.9 km / 87.55 mi
- Nearest higher terrain: Cerro Bonete (NW)
With more than 2,700 meters of prominence, Famatina qualifies as an ultra-prominent peak and stands out independently from surrounding ranges.
🪨 Geology
Nevado de Famatina is sometimes mistakenly treated as one of Argentina’s enormous Andean volcanoes. It is not a large Quaternary volcanic cone like Ojos del Salado or Monte Pissis.
Its geology is considerably older and more complex.
SEGEMAR describes the Sierra de Famatina as a geologically complex region within the Andean foreland. Its rocks preserve evidence of the Famatinian orogeny, an ancient mountain-building episode along the western margin of Gondwana during the early Paleozoic.
The range contains:
- Low-grade metasedimentary basement rocks
- Ordovician sedimentary sequences
- Ordovician volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks
- Major granitoid complexes
- Younger sedimentary basins
- Hydrothermal mineral deposits
- Faults and thrust systems associated with later Andean uplift
During the modern Andean orogeny, deformation migrated eastward and reactivated older crustal structures. High-angle reverse faults and thrusts helped raise the Sierra de Famatina to its present extraordinary elevation.
The region also contains important gold, silver, copper and molybdenum mineralization, reflecting a long and complicated history of magmatic and hydrothermal activity.
🌿 Flora & Fauna
The extraordinary vertical relief of the Sierra de Famatina creates several different ecological environments.
SEGEMAR characterizes the wider region as semi-arid, although the high central part of the range west of Chilecito receives more moisture because the mountains force air upward and encourage precipitation. Vegetation can be comparatively well developed up to roughly 3,000 meters in some central sectors.
Higher on Nevado de Famatina, conditions become progressively harsher. Cold temperatures, intense solar radiation, thin air, strong winds and seasonal snow greatly reduce vegetation.
Near the highest slopes, the landscape consists principally of exposed rock, scree, snowfields and ice. Small high-altitude wetlands and meltwater areas can nevertheless create isolated pockets of biological activity.
🥾 Hiking & Climbing Routes
Nevado de Famatina is a serious high-altitude mountaineering objective, not an ordinary hiking summit.
One commonly used approach reaches the mountain from the northeast using the historic mining infrastructure associated with Mina La Mejicana. A documented climbing route begins near the abandoned Estación IX, or Upulungos, of the old cableway at roughly 4,500 meters and continues toward a high camp near a lake at approximately 5,800 meters.
Above the high camp, climbers may encounter snow, ice and glacier remnants depending on season and conditions. A 2018 expedition report documented travel across a small southern glacier and the use of crampons on icy portions of the route.
The normal ascent is not famous for extreme technical climbing, but that should not be confused with an easy climb. The major difficulties include:
- Elevation above 6,000 meters
- Severe cold
- Strong winds
- Rapid weather changes
- Snow and ice
- Remote access
- Limited rescue options
- Route-finding
- Acclimatization
- Water availability
🏔️ Field Guide Tip: Nevado de Famatina exceeds 6,000 meters, so acclimatization is far more important than the apparent technical difficulty of the summit slopes. Build several days at altitude into any expedition and treat new headache, nausea, dizziness or unusual fatigue as potentially significant altitude symptoms.
For equipment planning, see our Essential Mountaineering Gear guide and Mountaineering vs Hiking guide.
🧗 First Recorded Ascent
The first recorded modern ascent is attributed to German geologist and mountaineer Rudolf Hauthal on May 20, 1895.
Historical mountaineering literature sometimes refers to the mountain as Cerro Colorado de Famatina or simply Cerro Colorado. The American Alpine Journal’s 1963 Survey of Andean Ascents records Hauthal reaching the 6,100-meter Cerro Colorado on May 20, 1895 and cites his report in the Revista del Museo La Plata.
This makes Famatina one of Argentina’s notable early high-altitude mountaineering achievements, predating the first recorded ascent of Aconcagua by almost two years.
🌤️ Best Time to Visit
For high-altitude mountaineering, the austral summer—roughly December through March—is generally the most practical season. Even then, summit conditions can be extremely cold and windy.
The lower approaches present a different challenge. La Rioja’s semi-arid climate can produce intense heat at lower elevations while freezing conditions persist near the summit. One expedition documented extreme heat during the lower approach followed by snow and glacier travel higher on the mountain.
This enormous temperature range means clothing and equipment must be suitable for both hot desert-like approaches and severe high-altitude conditions.
🧭 Nearby Mountains & Attractions
Monte Pissis
Monte Pissis lies farther west in the high Andes of La Rioja and Catamarca. At approximately 6,793 meters, it is substantially higher than Famatina and forms part of Argentina’s remarkable concentration of 6,000-meter summits.
Cablecarril Mina La Mejicana
The historic Cablecarril Mina La Mejicana is closely connected to Famatina’s mining history and to modern approaches toward the mountain. Its abandoned high stations form some of the most remarkable industrial remains in this part of the Argentine mountains.
💡 Fun Facts
- Nevado de Famatina and Cerro General Manuel Belgrano refer to the same major summit.
- Its official modern elevation is 6,097 meters, although historical figures as high as 6,250 meters remain widespread.
- With 2,767 meters of prominence, Famatina is an ultra-prominent mountain.
- Peakbagger calculates its isolation at approximately 140.9 kilometers and identifies Cerro Bonete (NW) as the nearest higher terrain.
- Rudolf Hauthal’s recorded ascent in 1895 came before the first recorded ascent of Aconcagua in 1897.
- The Sierra de Famatina preserves rocks and structures related to the ancient Famatinian orogeny, which took place hundreds of millions of years before the present Andes reached their modern form.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How high is Nevado de Famatina?
The best-supported working elevation is 6,097 meters (20,003 feet). This figure is used by both Peakbagger and the La Rioja provincial GEOdestinos database.
Is Nevado de Famatina the same as Cerro General Belgrano?
Yes. Nevado de Famatina is also known as Cerro General Manuel Belgrano, Cerro Belgrano and historically by several other names.
What is the nearest higher neighbor of Nevado de Famatina?
Using Peakbagger’s current isolation data, the NHN is Cerro Bonete (NW), approximately 140.9 kilometers away at the end of Famatina’s isolation radius.
Is Nevado de Famatina a volcano?
Not in the sense of being a single great volcanic cone like Ojos del Salado. The Sierra de Famatina contains abundant igneous and volcanic rocks, but the modern mountain is a structurally uplifted massif with a much more complicated geological history.
Who first climbed Nevado de Famatina?
The first recorded modern ascent was made by Rudolf Hauthal on May 20, 1895.
Is Nevado de Famatina difficult to climb?
The commonly used routes are not among the most technically difficult 6,000-meter climbs, but the altitude, remoteness, weather, snow and ice make the mountain a serious expedition objective.
🔗 Related Articles
- Monte Pissis: Height, Location, Geology and Climbing Guide
- Map of the Andes Mountain Range: Countries, Peaks and Geography
- Mountains in South America
- The World’s Top 100 Mountain Ranges
- Essential Mountaineering Gear: A Comprehensive Guide for Every Climber
