La Rinconada

La Rinconada is a small city in Altiplano, Peru. It is known for being the highest permanent city of the world at a height of 5,100 m (16,700 ft). La Rinconada has about 50,000 inhabitants, an increase of over 200% since 2000. It is located near a gold mine and most of the locals work at the mine.

From Puno it's a six-hour bus ride on unpaved roads to La Rinconada.

Walking is the only way of getting around within the town. Roads are not paved and are generally very muddy, so make sure you have proper boots.

The town suffers from mercury and cyanide poisoning due to the mining activities and there is no sewerage system.