High in the Peruvian Andes, more than 5,000 metres above sea level, sits La Rinconada, a settlement widely described as the highest permanent city on Earth. Around 50,000 people live there, scattered across a bleak landscape of corrugated metal houses, muddy streets and waste from the gold mines that dominate the local economy.For outsiders who have travelled there, the place presents a striking contradiction: spectacular mountain scenery surrounding a town struggling with extreme altitude, pollution, crime and harsh working conditions. Accounts from visitors who documented their journeys offer a rare glimpse into daily life in a settlement many describe as one of the most difficult places in the world to live.
The journey into thin air
When members of Yes Theory, a YouTube channel known for documenting unusual travel experiences, set out to visit La Rinconada, the journey itself was already difficult. The settlement sits at around 5,100 metres (3.2 miles) above sea level, where the air contains roughly half the oxygen found at sea level. Visitors arriving there often struggle with dizziness and breathlessness within minutes.
Thomas Brag, of the Yes Theory YouTube channel, carries a portable oxygen tank with him to cope with the thin air.
Italian traveller Zazza, who also documented his own trip to the town in a seperate Youtube video, described feeling the effects almost immediately after arriving following a three-hour minibus ride from the city of Juliaca, “I’m feeling dizzy. We’re over 5,000 meters, and they say that [above] 5,000 meters is no longer suitable for human life. But over 50,000 people live here. It’s incredible.” The altitude creates serious long-term health problems for residents. La Rinconada is considered the global centre of chronic mountain sickness (CMS), a condition caused by prolonged oxygen deprivation. Doctors estimate around one in four residents may suffer from it, and untreated cases can lead to heart failure. Local medical workers often recommend traditional remedies to visitors, including chewing coca leaves, which contain mild stimulant compounds that can ease altitude symptoms. Aspirin is also commonly suggested.
A gold rush that transformed a mountain village
Until 2003, La Rinconada was little more than a remote Andean village. That year, a gold rush triggered a surge of migration as thousands arrived hoping to strike it rich in the surrounding mines. The population ballooned rapidly, creating a settlement that grew faster than infrastructure or law enforcement could keep pace with.
La Rinconada’s streets are muddy, lined with metal shacks, mining debris, and piles of scattered rubbish./ Youtube
Today the town is dominated by the gold industry, and its economy revolves almost entirely around the mines carved into the nearby glacier. Mining here operates under a system known locally as cachorreo. Workers can labour for 30 days without pay, after which they receive a single day where they are allowed to keep any gold they find. For some miners the reward is substantial. For many others it yields little.
Locals hack through mud and rubble, searching the streets for overlooked gold particles to survive each day./ Image: Youtube
On the streets, it is common to see people sifting through discarded rock and mud from the mines, hoping to discover tiny gold particles overlooked during the extraction process, a reality captured by Italian travel YouTuber Zazza during his visit to the town, where he also noticed children cooking by the roadside and learned that fewer than 30% attend school because many are forced to work from a very young age, leaving some to wander the streets instead.
“The sketchiest place I’ve ever seen”
Thomas Brag, a member of the Yes Theory YouTube channel, who visited La Rinconada, said the town immediately felt tense. He described it as “the sketchiest place” he had ever seen. During his stay he said he witnessed fights breaking out regularly in the streets, often with no one intervening to stop them. On one morning alone, he counted three separate fights within half an hour from his hotel window.
Miners drink heavily in the streets, while fights erupt frequently, leaving the town tense and chaotic./ Image: Youtube Yes Theory
Security guards warned him that the atmosphere in the town shifts dramatically once night falls. They advised him to stay indoors after dark, explaining that things could “completely change” once the sun went down. That night, he said he heard gunshots and screams echoing through the streets outside his hotel.
Crime and gangs hiding among the miners
The Italian YouTuber Zazza, visited La Rinconada accompanied by two police officers for protection, and he described his first impression of the town bluntly, calling it “practically an entire, immense slum.” The officers accompanying him explained that many criminals operate in the town by blending in with the workforce.
Italian YouTuber Zazza, guided by two policemen, explores the dangerous streets, seeing fights and miners scavenging gold.
One policeman in the video described the situation: “Everything, armed robbery, assaults. There’s a territorial issue inside the mine, and that’s where they clash, or have disputes over control. They rob pedestrians, steal belongings that workers earn in the mines, then leave and hide.” He added that identifying offenders is difficult because they dress like miners. “They can commit any criminal act, and it’s not easy to identify them.”
A town overwhelmed by pollution and waste
Beyond crime and poverty, the environment in La Rinconada has also been heavily damaged by mining. Mercury used in the gold extraction process has contaminated parts of the surrounding glacier and water supply, locals told visitors. The town itself is covered in garbage and waste, with little organised refuse collection. Streets are often lined with rubbish bags, empty bottles and debris from mining operations.
La Rinconada is buried under mountains of garbage and toxic mining runoff, with mercury polluting water.
One visitor described seeing “mountains and mountains of garbage” throughout the settlement. Public sanitation is limited, and residents rely on scattered public toilets and improvised systems.
Life under harsh conditions
Work in the mines is physically demanding. Many miners labour 10 to 12 hours a day in freezing temperatures at extreme altitude.Because the environment is so harsh and entertainment options are limited, alcohol consumption is common.Reflecting on the atmosphere he witnessed, Zazza said:“And I’ve seen many people who… abuse alcohol, I think because there isn’t much entertainment, and life is very hard… these are the only moments to forget a bit about how tough it is to work here, I guess.”A local police officer explained that alcohol has also become part of local mining traditions.“Yes, apart from that, it’s a custom here. If they drink, they drink a lot. The more they drink, the more mines they find. A bit strange, but that’s how it is.”Miners also leave offerings for a spirit known locally as “the uncle”, represented by statues placed near mine entrances.Workers sometimes leave cigarettes or alcohol as offerings, hoping the spirit will guide them to gold.
Dangerous areas around the mines
The mining zones themselves can be even more dangerous. Private security companies hired by mine operators often patrol the area armed with firearms, while criminal groups also carry weapons. Zazza and the officers accompanying him encountered signs warning outsiders not to enter certain zones. One sign reportedly read: “Shoot to kill order, do not stop.” Police told him that snipers sometimes take positions on nearby glaciers, making the area extremely dangerous for anyone who stays too long. “You can’t enter, you can’t make a mistake,” one officer warned.
Human stories behind the harsh environment
Despite the town’s reputation, travellers also encountered people simply trying to survive under difficult circumstances. In one instance, a man was seen digging through wet soil on a roadside in search of gold fragments, explaining that he did it to buy food for his family because there was little other work available.In another encounter, a group of miners drinking together after work described their routine, with one telling the visitor, “You can work for free and just move on.”Many migrants arrive in La Rinconada hoping to earn enough money to eventually leave, but the reality often proves harsher than they expect.
A place of beauty and hardship
Despite everything he witnessed, the Yes Theory traveller said the location itself was breathtaking. The settlement lies at the foot of a glacier, surrounded by dramatic mountain landscapes. Reflecting on the contrast between the scenery and the living conditions, he said: “Being in one of the most beautiful places that you can be on our planet, but also seeing the worst of what human beings can do to our planet.”
A scenic Andean highway leads to La Rinconada/ Youtube
For visitors, the experience can be overwhelming. After completing his documentary, Zazza described the journey as “one of the most challenging recordings of my life.” Looking back on what he saw in La Rinconada, he concluded simply: “If I think of hell, I believe this place comes pretty close.”
