Cold and without police: what life is like in the highest city in the world

The city of La Rinconada, located in the Peruvian Andes (about 5,100 meters above sea level), holds the title of the highest inhabited city in the world. Find out more about her in this FLIPAR gallery!

The city was born at the beginning of the 20th century, with the discovery of gold in the region. The rush for the precious metal attracted thousands of people, resulting in rapid and disorderly growth.

The city is located approximately 1,400 km from Lima, the country’s capital.

It is estimated that La Rinconada has between 30 thousand and 50 thousand inhabitants, many of whom live in precarious conditions, starting with the climate.

La Rinconada has an extreme climate, with only half the oxygen present in normal places, making the city difficult for most people to tolerate.

In order for people to adapt to the thin air, they need to go through an adaptation process of about a month.

Despite the beautiful surrounding landscape, at the foot of Mount Ananea Grande, in the Puno region, La Rinconada is considered “hell on earth” and one of the worst places in the world in terms of quality of life and urban planning.

The lack of basic infrastructure, such as drinking water, sanitation and an adequate healthcare system, worsens the situation.

Without a public waste collection system and basic sanitation, the city is quite dirty and has become an unhealthy environment, with all kinds of waste thrown on the streets.

For this reason it is not uncommon to find rivers of filthy mud flowing between buildings.

Most of the city’s houses are improvised, made of corrugated iron and wood, while some were built with bricks and concrete blocks.

Many homes do not have running water, electricity or adequate heating to cope with the intense cold, which generally hovers around 1°C and can reach negative temperatures.

In the simplest homes of La Rinconada, there are generally no bathrooms, meaning that people must meet their basic needs outdoors.

Surprisingly, the city doesn’t smell bad, as the extreme temperatures prevent organic waste from rotting, spreading across the streets in the form of sludge.

To shower, residents must use public community showers throughout the city.

Another problem is predatory mining, which causes a large environmental impact, with heavy metals contaminating soil and water.

The main economic activity is gold mining, carried out in an artisanal and dangerous way.

Miners work in precarious conditions, with low wages and a high risk of illness and accidents.

Despite the challenges, La Rinconada attracts some adventurous tourists who want to visit the highest city in the world and witness the harsh reality of the miners.

Among the most popular places the La Rinconada mine, Suches lake and the Ananea lagoon stand out.

Hotels in La Rinconada offer nothing more than the bare necessities: a bed and blankets.

In fact, it is important to be careful when visiting the city, as crime is high. There is no police presence in the area, making murders and disappearances relatively common.