Mexico’s Immigrant Immersion Tour

Would you like to join a tour that faithfully recreates the experience of illegally immigrating to the US? Well, you can’t, because there are liability issues with leaving you in the desert and waiting for half your family to die of dehydration. You can get pretty close though, thanks to the town of Alberto’s ingenious La Caminata.

“For 100 pesos (about eight bucks), tourists can join the Caminata Nocturna, or “La Caminata,” a four hour night hike led by guides intended to simulate the experience of migrating by foot from Mexico to the U.S. The tour involves trekking through dark, treacherous terrain, including dry, rocky hills spotted with cactus, and being regularly insulted by the guides, who act as smugglers.“

Filmmaker Jamie Meltzer released a documentary about the tour and its economic impact on the near-ghost town of Alberto, which has been exceedingly positive. There’s a trailer on his site.