The Santa Cruz River begins in the United States, flowing out of the beautiful Santa Rita Mountains heading south into Mexico. The river then curves 180 degrees in a wide loop before crossing back into the US near Nogales and heading north to Rio Rico, Tubac, Green Valley and Tucson. Even though much of the water is underground, the river valley is an extremely important and vital agricultural area with ranching and farming on both sides of the border. Its unique setting makes it a special place for bird watching and wildlife. This tour follows the riverbed on both sides of the border.

The first stop on this tour is on the US side at the amazing Sante Fe Ranch Foundation where for more than 35 years scientific research has been done to measure drought and evaluate best grazing practices. Dean Fish, PhD is the lead cowboy and he will be your instructor in arid land ranching practices. Also at the Ranch, owner Tony Sedgwick will introduce you to other services the Foundation provides. Then your group will carpool to the border and load a rental van driven by a professional driver. On the van you will drive from the bustling metropolis of Nogales, Sonora (population 400,000) to the back country along the US-Mexico border where the wall becomes a token fence. Continuing east and south you will follow the Santa Cruz River as it enters Mexico and makes a big loop back towards Nogales. After lunch in the small Mexican town of Santa Cruz, you enjoy brief stops along the way before visiting El Estero Ranch where you'll be introduced to ranching as it's practiced on the Mexican side.

This tour begins in Tubac where you will carpool with other participants to the Sante Fe Ranch and from there to the US-Mexico border. Return to the US is planned for 5:00 pm but please note that travel plans can change and border crossing times vary greatly.