Stand above 3,000 m

Standing above 3,000 m (about 9,800 feet) means getting your feet on ground that high: a mountain station, a high city, a pass or a trail. You can do it by cable car in an afternoon or live with it for days in the Andes or the Himalaya, and either way you feel it: thinner air, a deeper blue sky and stronger sun.

Where to do it

Jungfraujoch, Switzerland

A cogwheel railway tunnels up through the Eiger to a station at 3,454 m, with the Aletsch Glacier spread below. It's a splurge and the weather decides the view, so check the webcam first. In Switzerland it's the easiest way to stand this high by train.

Aiguille du Midi, France

A cable car rises from Chamonix to 3,842 m in about twenty minutes, with Mont Blanc across the valley and a glass box over the drop. Going from 1,000 m to nearly 3,900 m that fast leaves many people light-headed, so move slowly. Arrive early in summer to beat the queues in France's high Alps.

Teide, Spain

On Tenerife, a cable car lifts you to 3,555 m on the slopes of Spain's highest mountain. The last stretch to the 3,715 m summit needs a free permit from the national park, which runs out weeks ahead. See also the volcano line.

Lake Titicaca, Peru

The lake sits at about 3,810 m, with the town of Puno and the reed islands of the Uros on the Peru side. Nights are cold all year. Come up gradually through Arequipa or Cusco, the gateway to Machu Picchu, rather than flying straight from the coast.

La Paz, Bolivia

A city of cable cars strung across a canyon at about 3,640 m, with the airport in El Alto above 4,000 m. Arriving by plane in Bolivia is a big jump in one go: take the first day very easy.

Lhasa, China

The Tibetan capital lies at about 3,650 m, below the Potala Palace. Foreign visitors to Tibet in China need a Tibet Travel Permit and must travel with an organized tour, and permits can be paused at short notice.

Pikes Peak, United States

In Colorado, a paved road and a cog railway climb to the 4,302 m (14,115 ft) summit, one of the highest points in the United States you can reach without hiking. Summer afternoons bring thunderstorms, so go up in the morning.

Everest Base Camp trek, Nepal

The classic Himalayan trek through Sagarmatha, a national park, climbs to about 5,360 m and usually takes around two weeks there and back from Lukla, with rest days built in for acclimatization. Flights into Lukla are often delayed by weather, so leave spare days. In Nepal, go with a licensed guide or porter.

How to make it happen

Altitude illness can start above about 2,500 m (8,000 feet), whatever your fitness. The CDC's advice, in plain terms:

• Go up gradually. Once above 3,000 m, raise the height where you sleep by no more than 500 m a day, and add a rest day for every extra 1,000 m.
• Know the signs. Headache, nausea, tiredness and poor sleep are the common ones. Don't go higher while you have them.
• Go down if it gets worse. Confusion, clumsiness or breathlessness at rest are emergencies: descend at once and get help.
• Ask a doctor first if you have heart or lung problems, are pregnant, or want to discuss preventive medicine such as acetazolamide.
• Skip alcohol for the first two days and drink water.
• Protect your skin and eyes. UV gets stronger by about 10% for every 1,000 m you climb, according to the WHO; snow and ice add glare.

For the photo, take a few outdoors at the highest point with camera location on, since the phone saves the height with each picture; a spot well above 3,000 m leaves room for the reading to be a little off.