Cerro Toco (5609m), The Whernside of the Andes...

Having found that hitching is easy (though vehicles few), and being totally through with guides, did hatch plan to climb Toco solo in a day from the valley. The pass road skirts Toco at 4200m, and the slope above amenable to ascent.

Worked perfecto: left San Pedro 9:00, back 18:00, shattered and slightly chuffed. Ascent 4.5h and (gasp) slow for the last 300m. Descent 1.5h, easy sand, gravel and scree.

What you need: water (lots of), eats, shades, hat, gloves, several layers, windproof outer layer. And the wind behind you. More or less what you´d take up Snowdon on a bright and blustery spring day.

What you don´t need: US$80 pp guide fee, car or truck, map and compass (viz will be perfect all day), waterproofs (it´s not going to rain), goretex or thermals (the air is so dry you can just wear cotton layers; wicking layers are redundant), big boots.