A closer look
La Rinconada in Peru sits at a staggering elevation of over sixteen thousand feet, making it the highest permanent human settlement on the entire planet. This lawless gold-mining town offers roughly half the oxygen you would find at sea level, ensuring that merely walking to the local market feels like you are suffocating slowly in a plastic bag. There is no running water, no sewage system, and the entire landscape is heavily polluted with toxic mercury from the unregulated mining operations that draw desperate workers. It is the perfect vacation destination for wealthy tourists who are tired of standard luxury retreats and want to experience the thrill of altitude sickness combined with the grim reality of a dystopian wasteland, all while realizing their shiny new jewelry comes with a heavy dose of environmental devastation
