Is the Potosí mine tour dangerous?

Yes, taking part in a tour of the active Cerro Rico silver mines is, in a real sense, dangerous. People on these tours deal with serious health and safety hazards like tunnels that can collapse, toxic silica dust around them, noxious gases, and even ongoing dynamite explosions.

Those mines have been working more or less non-stop since the 16th century, and they are presently handled by unregulated cooperatives that do not really have modern safety monitoring. Guests are required to squeeze through tight, poorly ventilated, and sweltering shafts at about 4,300 metres’ altitude. Beyond the physical dangers, travellers also need to judge the moral side of engaging in poverty tourism before they reserve anything, because it is not just a casual visit; it has consequences.