Into Thin Air — The Ascent to La Rinconada
La Rinconada. The closest inhabited place to the sky on Earth, where people are living above the clouds.
At this extreme altitude of 5,100 meters or 6,700 feet, the atmosphere significantly thins, and the locals are living with only 50% of the usual oxygen levels.
Their bodies have evolved to produce two times more blood cells than ours.
On this barren land, not even a single tree can survive because of the low air pressure.
This town in the Peruvian Andes is even 300 meters higher than Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps of Europe.
Far from the modern world, it is a place where crime and danger are always nearby.
People come to these harsh lands for only one reason: Gold.
About 50,000 people settled here, among piles of trash, all dreaming of wealth.
We are on the road to explore life in the world's highest settlement.
- Pull over, pull over, yeah pull over.
- Give me the tube, please. Tube, oxygen tube. Please.
Climbing above 2000 meters in a day can trigger altitude sickness for someone used to sea level, but as of now, we have already doubled that elevation level.
- Very deep.
Headache, dizziness, and nausea are the first symptoms.
Followed by coughing, it may cause shortness of breath.
Immediate help is crucial when rapidly progressing altitude sickness leads to fluid accumulation in the lungs.
At high altitudes, the body loses about twice as much water through breathing, so it’s important to keep hydrated.
- Look at the elevation here, friends.
- So that mountain is as high as that cloud.
- So we’re gonna go above the clouds.
- Don’t worry about us, we’re fine.
- We’re gonna inhale this as altitude rises.
- Nothing happens to people from here.
- They have an adaptation to this situation.
- Atmosphere layer gets thinner and makes it harder to inhale the oxygen.
- But we’ll get used to it.
The place we're heading to is a mining town.
Deadly chemicals like cyanide and mercury used in gold processing, have contaminated the soil and agricultural water in the settlement.
Before starting the journey, we also packed plenty of food and clean drinking water.
- We’re born here. We are adapted to this elevation.
The normal oxygen level in blood should be between 95 and 100%.
Below 80%, vital organs become negatively affected.
I'm trying to normalize my current 72% level with oxygen, but it's a temporary solution as we’re going up higher every minute.
The town is literally surrounded by tons of waste stretching for miles.
Nature has given place to piles of garbage.
The moment we arrived, a sickening odor hit me suddenly.
We are at our hotel in La Rinconada.
Our guide is setting up the oxygen tank for us.
- What is the name of this hotel?
- Cielo, means sky.
- Use the oxygen tank for 5 minutes first, and after a little break, another five minutes.
- You need time, rest a little bit to adapt your body to this elevation.
- When I get out of the car, I felt dizzy.
- I was like going to fall.
- Very normal.
A Day in the Devil's Paradise
Crimes, especially stabbings and theft, are quite common here.
Because locals typically keep their cash and gold with them, as there are no banks available.
We're teaming up with two police officers to keep us safe while we're filming.
They are undercover police and they will follow us everywhere we go.
- Hello!
Marco directs us to coca leaves, as he thinks it’s a remedy to avoid getting altitude sickness, a traditional habit here.
- And also coca leaves there, coca leaves.
- I think they are consuming this for altitude sickness.
- It’s good for almost everything.
- Maybe one of the police officers can carry this.
We leave a busy and tiring day behind and we’ll explore the town the next day.
We are in the center of La Rinconada at sunrise.
The police officers are by our side.
The surroundings are full of local cafes, markets, and people.
Even though I just woke up, my body feels dead tired, like it hasn't rested in days.
Walking is hard with the dizziness and nausea.
The dry air gives me a sore throat and chapped lips.
As the night gave way to daylight, piles of garbage in the side streets became more visible.
Even though it's summer and we are close to the tropics, the ground is frozen.
In this place where the nighttime temperatures drop to -10°C, people are living in metal shacks without electricity or heating.
No kitchens or bathrooms in these houses. Thousands of people use the same public toilets and baths for their personal needs.
Like a web over the town, hoses carry water from the glaciers above to the center.
Almost nobody we meet here is originally from this place.
Most have come from other regions of Peru, with the dream of finding wealth through mining.
The gold prices multiplied six-fold between 2001 and 2012 and led to a population boom in the area.
However, the conditions are extremely harsh for the 50,000 people living here.
There’s been no effort to develop infrastructure suitable for the growing population.
- There are no services from the government to pick up this trash. People are on their own.
The most terrifying problem is the lack of a sewage system. Wastewater flows openly through the streets.
This soccer field does not consist of real grass — it is all artificial, as trees and other plants cannot survive at this altitude.
The town is located around the mountain called “La Bella Durmiente,” meaning “Sleeping Beauty.”
- Can you see it? The face and the body.
- It is a lady, she is sleeping here. The shape of the mountain.
The town blends into the sky with its chaotic gray structures.
Every morning, workers walk for kilometers uphill to reach the mines.
Filled with dangerous gases, the working conditions inside these tunnels are extremely tough.
La Rinconada is also called “The Devil's Paradise.”
This is because it's a town ruled by illegal companies that control the mines.
There are signs near the tunnels that order to “shoot” those who enter without permission.
Despite the danger, we are determined to get inside these mining tunnels.
- We’ll try to see how they work.
- Our friends, they said probably we can get very close.
- Can you see the lady there?
- Yeah, she is a lady, up there.
Women are forbidden to work in the mines.
According to local beliefs, the Sleeping Beauty becomes jealous and brings disasters if a woman touches its gold.
Women and children earn their living by searching for gold in waste rocks thrown outside the mines.
Children are easily identified by the frostbite marks on their cheeks.
Inside the tunnels, workers decorate figures with dried flowers, fruits, and alcohol bottles — offerings to mountain gods for protection.
Mining accidents such as explosions, roof collapses, and gas poisoning occur about 25 times more often than in advanced countries.
The labor system in La Rinconada is called “Cachorreo”:
Miners work unpaid for a month and get one day to search for gold for themselves.
Their monthly income depends entirely on that one day.
- My oxygen level is now at 65%.
- My heart rate is over 120.
- A local's oxygen is 82%, pulse 97.
- I can no longer stand.
The Human Cost of Gold
Now we're gonna wait a few hours to explore the city's dangerous nightlife and talk with some mine workers.
Each ring containing 8 grams of gold generates approximately 20 tons of waste during production.
At the top of the mountain, an acid mine lake was formed due to the oxidation of iron sulfate rocks.
The water here is deep red, contaminated by mercury and cyanide.
People still grow crops and raise animals using this water.
The average lifespan in La Rinconada is only 35 years.
- The blood of a local is twice as dense, causing blockages and death.
As night falls, miners rush to the town center to shop and socialize.
Electricity only exists on a few streets.
- Kids play late at night with endless energy.
- There’s only primary and secondary school here.
- For university, they must move to Puno or Juliaca.
- If not, they end up working in the mines.
In a gold exchange office, thick iron bars protect from robbers.
Miners melt amalgamated gold with blowtorches, releasing mercury into the air.
- What is the hardest part of this job?
- Transporting gold — very unsafe.
- What’s good about La Rinconada?
- Nothing really, just the money.
Different herbal teas like Emoliente are consumed to reduce symptoms.
- It’s really good. Try a little bit.
- It’s too hard to drink, you know.
- No more lights — better to stop here.
Nightclubs are the most dangerous areas — hubs of human trafficking, AIDS, robbery, and murder.
- Around 2,500 underage girls are being exploited.
- There is no jail, only a small cell.
- No hospital, only a tiny clinic.
We meet Ramiro, a miner with 12 years of experience, who also runs the only gym in town.
- He once found 200 grams of gold.
- Married with 3 kids in university.
- Doesn’t want them in the mines.
- He suffers from injuries, digestive issues, and instability in pay.
- Working here takes mental strength, not just muscles.
Although the dream of coming to La Rinconada and finding gold may seem attractive,
most never reach the financial comfort they desire.
The Peruvian government remains silent on the illegal mining and human rights abuses.
Yet, people continue to arrive, chasing a golden illusion — high above the clouds.
Source: Ruhi Çenet. (2023, December 23). Visiting the Closest Town to Space (Life with 50% less oxygen) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqaGdcQh5jA