Take the 'Train to the Clouds' in Argentina to get closer to the clouds

The Tren a las Nubes travels at an altitude of more than 4,000m. — Photos: MANUEL MEYER/dpa

It is one of the most spectacular rail routes in the world – and apparently, also one of the most dangerous. This has less to do with the route itself than with the altitude where it’s located. The Tren a las Nubes – Train To The Clouds – very much lives up to its name, trundling along tracks as high as 4,220m above sea level in the Andes Mountains of north-western Argentina.

Several paramedics travel on the buses which take the tourists from the provincial capital of Salta to the train station at San Antonio de los Cobres, ready with oxygen bottles. A doctor is also on hand. One medic, Nicolas Aleman, notes that, above all, older people have occasional problems with the altitude.