‘I visited the world’s highest town where people are living on 50% of oxygen’

Ruhi Cenet, known for his travel videos that focus on "hard-to-reach places" shared a video on what might have been his most difficult trip. The renowned travel shared his experience visiting the closest town to space, with his 13.5 million YouTube subscribers, and whilst visiting a place so close to the sky might sound fascinating, the video revealed quite the opposite.

La Rinconada is a town in Peru, that sits 16,700 feet above sea level, making it the highest permanent settlement in the world. However, as a result of the extreme altitude, the town's 50,000 residents are surviving on only half of the usual oxygen levels. "Their bodies have evolved to produce two times more blood cells than ours," Ruhi says. He also revealed that because of the low air pressure, "not a single tree can survive" in La Rinconada. However, what is surprising is that many people who live in the town have chosen to move there, risking their lives for one specific reason.

A climb of above 2,000 metres in a day can trigger altitude sickness, but a visit to La Rinconada doubled Ruhi's level, prompting him to quickly require an oxygen tank.

One resident told Ruhi: "We are born here we are adapted to this elevation." While the normal oxygen level in blood should be between 95% and 100%, Ruhi's had dropped to to 78% and then further down again to 72%.

Many people moved to La Rinconada hoping to find gold and gain wealth. Because there are no banks, many of the locals carry the precious mineral and money in their pockets, which has led to high levels of crime in the town, particularly stabbings and theft.

To keep himself and his team safe while filming, two undercover police officers followed them everywhere they went during the visit.

"Almost nobody we meet here is originally from this place. Most have come from other regions of Peru, with a dream of finding wealth through mining," says Ruhi.

Between 2001 and 2012, gold prices multiplied by a whopping sixfold, resulting in a population boom. However, living conditions are extremely poor in the town, with people living in "metal shacks with no electricity" and the streets filled with piles of rubbish.

The working conditions seem to be even worse, with miners taking dangerous uphill routes to reach the mines, which are full of dangerous gases and run by illegal companies. This has given the town the name "Devil's Paradise."

Despite the high levels of crime, lack of sufficient infrastructure, and dangerous working conditions, the government is not doing anything to tackle the issues. Additionally, most miners "never achieve the financial comfort they desire" from working in the extreme conditions. Yet many people continue to relocate there in hopes of seeking a better life.