Daniel Pinto is 144 countries into a challenge to visit all 195 around the world and is currently travelling through Peru, where he spent 10 hours travelling to La Rinconada, Peru — the highest permanent settlement in the world
A gutsy Brit dared to spend a night in the world’s highest and most violent settlements, perched 5,000m above sea level.
As part of his quest to visit every nation on Earth – all 195 of them – Daniel Pinto has currently ticked off 144 countries and found himself adventuring through Peru. The daring journeyman braved a 10-hour trek to reach La Rinconada, the loftiest permanent settlement globally, and one of the scariest.
He was welcomed by the “super friendly” locals who rarely encounter tourists, the 27-year-old immersing himself in the unique settlement. Despite the warmth he encountered, Daniel described La Rinconada as somewhat of a modern-day wild west, depicting it as “lawless” where tensions run so high you’d think war was imminent.
Home predominantly to miners and some sex workers, with few families setting up permanent residence there, the town operates under a blanket of heaviness thanks to the sparse oxygen at such altitude.
Many people live in makeshift homes on the side of the grey mountain, putting up with very poor conditions, brutal weather and the threat of the ground collapsing into the two miles of mineshaft below in the hope of finding their fortune in the form of a gold deposit.
Daniel learned that a mere handful of thrill-seekers – maybe 10-15 a year – make it to this secluded community. “It is lawless. There is private security for some miners, but apart from that, there are no laws,” the Lambeth, South London man said.
“It is like a free-for-all. There are a lot of shootouts. It is a very dangerous place and nobody really goes there. It is a very eerie place. It feels like you are in a video game and you are at war. You always have a lack of breath due to the 50 percent oxygen levels.”
Daniel’s monumental global challenge brought him to Peru in February 2025. Detailing his journey, he shared, “I only stayed there for one night and I got there by shared transport. I went from Cusco to Juliaca by shared taxis for six hours. Then from Juliaca, I took a minibus for four hours to La Rinconada. In total, I was travelling for 10 hours.”
Unlike others, Daniel went solo: “A few people who have been here go in private vehicles with security. I am the first I know of to go by myself completely.”
In La Rinconada, Daniel’s lodging was humble yet challenging, costing just $7 (£5.54). The facility lacked conveniences; to use the toilet, he paid 25 cents (£0.20), and showering meant shelling out $3 (£2.37) at a public bath.
He explained: “Usually people don’t go for one night due to altitude sickness, which is very easy to get. I stayed the night in a very cheap hotel with no bathroom. If I needed the loo, I went outside in sub-zero temperatures at night and paid 25 cents (£0.20) to use a public one. Nobody there has baths in their houses, they use a public one. Nobody has warm baths either.”
Daniel described the town as unsettling, with an overarching sense of unpredictability. Not only is it the highest human settlement, but it’s also among the most toxic due to mercury pollution, imposing a grim life expectancy of 35 years.
Mercury was once used in the extraction of gold in La Rinconada. Even though that practice is now mostly gone, traces of the toxic chemical remain. Inhabitants can no longer drink water from the rivers and lagoons, while the glacier which one provided for the townspeople is receding fast, Infobae reports.
Violence is another major issue. In 2019 alone the police rescued at least 68 victims of human trafficking from slum nightclubs in the area, while seven miners were found in a tunnel beneath the mountain with bullets in their heads. The Peruvian police estimates indicate that there are between 100 and 300 bars that operate as illegal brothels.
“It feels like a gunfight could break out at any moment,” Daniel said. “It is cold and dirty, and you can feel the pollution in the air. Everything is made from either wood or metal, it is constantly wet and snowing.
“The longer you are up there in those conditions, you have a higher chance of getting altitude sickness.”
The city has no water supply and sewerage, and is very polluted. A major health problem due to high altitude is hypoxia, which, according to researchers, affects at least 25 percent of the population.
Daniel outlined that the remote settlement sees minimal commerce, primarily serving miners or sex workers. He mentioned the presence of a gold shop, the odd eatery, and a hotel but stressed a noticeable lack of variety in business.
“The locals are super friendly, most of the people you see there are miners and prostitutes,” Daniel commented. “There are very few families that have businesses there, but apart from that, it is mostly prostitutes and miners who go there to make money. Only men are allowed to mine, the women aren’t allowed but can check the rubble heap for gold.”
Many miners are dedicated to the search for gold, working for a whole month under the system known as “cachorreo” , without receiving a salary. On the 31st day they have the opportunity to carry on their shoulders the ore they can find, and if gold is found among it, they get to keep it.
