San Antonio de Lipez
San Antonio de Lipez is a ghost town in Andes landscape at an elevation of 4.758m (15,610ft) above the sea level, located in the Cordillera de Lípez in the Sud Lípez Province of the Potosí Department in southwestern Bolivia. The town is said to be haunted.
It's one of the highest mountain roads of the country. The road to the abandoned mining town (a town that had 150,000 inhabitants and today is a ghost) is gravel. Due its unique location and the climb in elevation over thousands of feet, and passing through remote areas, it is important when driving in these conditions to be prepared. Don’t forget water, food, extra fuel, a warm jacket, a good GPS and maps. The surface isn’t great and there are some really steep sections. Do not travel this road in severe weather conditions. During and after a storm the road may be impassable, even with a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
This trail passes through remote areas, so you need to be prepared. Located in the Andean Highlands the town was a silver mine. The climb is simply terrible, with a notorius lack of oxygen that tests the organisms and a high degree of steepness. Most people feel altitude sickness at around 2,500-2,800 meters. Near the pass, oxygen is in short supply. Legend has it that its workers made a pact with the devil to give them wealth through the mines. The miners did not keep their part of the pact, which killed all the mine workers. Some time later, the rest of the inhabitants began to see ghosts and strange facts, which triggered the abandonment of the town.
Pic: Alexander Naumov