Many social media posts come from the initial part of the hike through the Darien Gap, where the trek is easiest. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
MANUEL Monterrosa set out for the United States in 2022 with his cellphone and a plan: he’d record his journey through the dangerous jungle known as the Darien Gap and post it on YouTube, warning other migrants of the perils they’d face.
In his six-part series, edited entirely on his phone along the way, he heads north with a backpack, leading viewers on a video-selfie play-by-play of his passage across rivers, muddy forests and a mountain known as the Hill of Death.
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Darien danger
A couple from Venezuela, Beryomar Pérez and Alexandra Albarran, with their two children in the Darien Gap, between Colombia and Panama.
A couple from Venezuela, Beryomar PŽrez, left, and Alexandra Albarr‡n, with their two children in the Darien Gap, between Colombia and Panama, Sept. 23, 2022. (Federico Rios/The New York Times)
Sasha Arteaga has built a TikTok following trying to help people find loved ones who have gone missing in the Darien Gap. — Photos: ©2024 The New York Times Company
Sasha Arteaga, who has built a TikTok following trying to help people find loved ones who have gone missing in the Darien Gap, in Pereira, Colombia, Nov. 28, 2023. (Federico Rios/The New York Times)
Monterrosa recorded his journey through the Darien Gap and posted it on YouTube. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
Manuel Monterrosa, who recorded his journey through the Darien Gap and posted it on YouTube, in Bogot‡, Colombia, Nov. 27, 2023. (Federico Rios/The New York Times)
Migrants descending a muddy mountain while crossing the Darien Gap, between Colombia and Panama in 2022.
Migrants descend a muddy mountain while crossing the Darien Gap, between Colombia and Panama, Oct. 7, 2022. (Federico Rios/The New York Times)
Migrants recording a video while crossing the Darien Gap. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
Migrants record a video while crossing the Darien Gap, between Colombia and Panama, Sept. 23, 2022. (Federico Rios/The New York Times)
