La Rinconada, Peru ⛏️🏔️ – The Highest City on Earth

Amit Kumar01

08-07 19:53

Hie folks 👋

Today we’re going to a place even the sky struggles to reach —

La Rinconada, Peru, perched at a mind-melting 16,700 ft (5,100m).

No airports, no ATMs, no oxygen… just hope, gold, and chaos.

This is not a city. It’s survival.

Let’s dive in ⬇️

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1. Where is it & why do people live here? 🌍💰

La Rinconada sits in the Andes Mountains of southern Peru.

At that height, even breathing hurts.

But people still live here —

Because this city is sitting on top of gold.

Literally.

Thousands risk their lives daily for a chance at riches.

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2. The golden trap: You work, but maybe for free 🪙🔁

Here’s how it works:

Miners work 30 days unpaid.

On the 31st day, they’re allowed to take home as much gold as they can carry.

No guarantees. No safety. No promises.

It’s a gamble — but it’s the only shot many people have.

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3. Living conditions? Horrific. 😵‍💫🚫

No sewage system.

No garbage collection.

No running water.

No hospitals.

The average temp? -20°C to -5°C.

The entire city is built on frozen trash and toxic mining waste.

People literally sleep with gas masks near cyanide pools.

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4. No law, no order, no chill ⚠️💀

La Rinconada is lawless.

Police rarely make it up here.

Murders, robberies, and abuse are common.

No one’s watching. No one’s reporting.

It’s a forgotten frontier — where gold has replaced governance.

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5. Still, people dream here ✨🥶

Despite all the danger, over 50,000 people live here.

Most come from poverty, driven by the dream of one lucky gold haul.

Kids go to school wearing oxygen masks.

Families live in freezing tin shacks.

This city breathes desperation — and determination.


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6. Is this place even real?! 😳📸

Yes. And you can Google it.

Tourists don’t go.

Governments don’t care.

But La Rinconada exists, hidden in the clouds, frozen in time.

The world’s highest city — and one of its harshest realities.

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📲 This ain’t your bucket list vibes.

La Rinconada is where dreams freeze, and reality bites harder than the cold.

If this thread gave you chills (literally or mentally) —

🔘 Smash that like 💥

🔘 Tag a friend who’d never survive this altitude 😂

🔘 And drop a “WOAH” if you read till the end.

Let the algorithm know we like it raw, real, and remote. 🌍✨

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