‘Live’ from the Darien Gap

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.