Cahuita National Park’s beach is now handicap accessible

More people can now enjoy Playa Blanca at Cahuita National Park after hundreds of organizations collaborated to create a handicap-accessible path across the sand and into the ocean.

The 180-meter boardwalk was constructed with recycled plastic collected at more than 250 schools, public institutions, companies and organizations across Costa Rica, according to the University of Costa Rica, which participated in the project.

In total, more than 2.5 tons of plastic were collected.

Located in the province of Limón, on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, Cahuita National Park “is unique for its close relationship with the community,” according to the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC).

Cahuita National Park contains some of Costa Rica’s best-preserved coral reefs, and its forest is home to snakes, sloths, monkeys and coatis.

ProParques, which helped to organize development of Cahuita’s accessible trail, facilitated similar projects at Carara National Park and Santa Rosa National Park.

Cahuita National Park is now Costa Rica’s first with a handicap-accessible beach.

The popular beach town of Jacó, Puntarenas, inaugurated a similar universal boardwalk as part of Zero Discrimination Day in March 2019.